Bag #36: Fold Over Clutch Bag

These fold over bags have been everywhere this year. They’re really versatile because they can be used as a shoulder bag or a clutch bag.  The magnetic clasps and zip ensure that the contents are totally secure, so there’s no need to worry unduly about pickpockets.

I’ve never used this classy faux leather before.  I’ve had it for months but it’s so lovely, I was afraid to use it in case I ruined it.  Now that I have a bit more skill, I was ready for the challenge.  I have used cheap faux leather intended for furnishing projects before but never anything as lovely as this. I love the end result but it wasn’t as easy to work with as I expected. Of course, this bag would also look lovely made from different fabric.  I bought the strap clasps especially for this bag and I’m so glad I did.  They finish it off perfectly and make it look professional.

The finished size is 10” x 7” (25 cm x 18 cm) when folded over.

I used a medium weight iron--on interfacing for the lining and pockets and sew-in wadding under the faux leather to give it extra softness. Inside the bag at the bottom part, below the fold, is a mobile phone/pen pocket and a zip pocket for those extra valuable bits and bobs. The mobile phone pocket holds one phone and one pen, but if you made it wider, you could create space for several pens, if you needed it.  That’s the great thing about making your own bags – you get what you want, not what the general public want.

I used a longer stitch length (3.5) throughout but increased it to 5 for top stitching the strap as it was so thick. I used a leather needle and I tried using a roller foot but it didn’t make any difference so I went back to my general purpose foot.  I used ¼”/6 mm seams for the outer bag and slighter wider seams for the lining.

I have included metric and imperial measurements but they are not exactly interchangeable, so you should stick to either one or the other.

Skills used in this project:

• Using faux leather

• Using bag hardware

Step 1: Cutting out

Cut out the following:

11” x 12” (28 cm x 30.5 cm) Bag Sides (cut 2 faux leather, 2 lining, 2 wadding, 2 interfacing) 

9” x 6” (22.5 cm x 15 cm) Internal zip pocket (cut 2 lining, 2 interfacing)

8½” x 6” (21.5 cm x 15 cm) Internal mobile phone pocket (1 interfacing)

8½” x 12” (21.5 cm x 30 cm) Internal mobile phone pocket (cut 1 lining)

2” x 49” (5 cm x 124.5 cm) Strap (cut 1 faux leather)

2” x 3” (5 cm x 7.5 cm) Zip tabs (cut 2 lining, 2 interfacing)

10” External zip (I used an N5 zip cut from a continuous roll)

8” Internal zip (I used an N3 zip cut from a continuous roll)

2 magnetic clasps

2 x ½” (12 mm) D rings

2 Swivel lobster clasps with ½”/12 mm loop

2 Rivets (optional) length 2/8" - 3/8" (6-9 mm)

Scraps of bag foam or extra wadding for reinforcing the magnetic clasps

1½” x 2” (3.7 cm x 5 cm) faux leather, 10 mm lobster clasp, split ring,10 mm tassel cap, suitable glue (optional, for tassel)

Step 2: Making the internal zip pocket

Attach the interfacing to the wrong side of both bag lining pieces and both zip pocket pieces.

Decide where you want your zip pocket to go.  I wanted mine near the bottom of the bag for security and to prevent the fold from being lumpy, but you might want yours higher as it is quite hard to get to.

Pin one pocket piece to one of the bag linings, right sides together, with the long side of the pocket parallel to the bottom of the bag (one of the 11” sides).

Draw a ½” x 7” rectangle near to the top of the pocket interfacing.  Sew around this rectangle through all the layers that you have just pinned together.  

 

Cut a slit in this rectangle (as shown in the photo) making sure not to cut the stitches. Push the pocket through this ‘letterbox’, shape in the lining so that it sits flat and press. You will now have a neat opening to attach the zip.

Pin the zip to the pocket so that the right side shows through the aperture in the bag lining.  Sew all round the opening to hold the zip in place.

Pin the remaining pocket piece to this one, right sides together and sew around all pocket sides, keeping the bag lining out of the way as you do not want to sew through this.  

Step 3: Making the internal mobile phone pocket

After attaching the interfacing to the wrong side of one half of the pocket, fold the other half over so that the right sides are together.  Sew around the open edges leaving a gap for turning. Clip the corners, making sure not to cut the stitches – clipping allows for sharper corners. Turn through and press. The opening can either be sewn up now or when attaching the pocket to the lining.

The pockets are created by inserting pleats or folds in the pocket fabric.  Decide how wide you want the different compartments and pin the pleats in place.  I made the mobile phone pocket 3 ½” wide with a ½” pleat either side.  I then made a small pleat at the other end of the bottom of the pocket for the pen slot.

Pin the pocket in place on the right side of the other bag lining piece.  Sew along sides and bottom to attach.  This will also close up the gap where you turned the pocket through.

Sew from the bottom of the pocket about 1/3 of the way up the phone pleats to hold them in place. Sew a line of stitches between the phone pleat and the pen pocket, all the way up, to create a separate slot for a pen. (I sewed the phone pleats before attaching the pocket but I think it is better to do it once the pocket is attached to the lining.)

Step 4: Making the external zip tabs

I chose to make my zip tabs from a contrasting cotton fabric.  They make the corners less bulky and easier to turn through.

Fold the tabs in half so that the shorter edges meet.  Press.  Fold the shorter edges under by ¼”/ 6 mm and press.  Wrap a tab around each end of the zip and sew across the open end of the tab to secure.  Trim the tabs so that they are the same width as the zip.

Step 5: Attaching the external zip

Place one faux leather bag side (including wadding on the wrong side) and one lining fabric, right sides together.  Slip the zip between them so that the slider faces the faux leather.  Sew to one edge of the zip using a zip foot.

Do the same for the other lining piece and the outer fabric/wadding to sew them to the other edge of the zip. 

Top stitch along each side of the zip for a professional appearance and to prevent the fabric getting caught in the zip.

Step 6: Attaching the magnetic clasps

The thicker part of the magnetic clasps will go on the lower part of the bag and the thinner part on the upper part.  These will all be on the same bag side, attached to the faux leather/wadding.

First decide where you want them to go when the bag is assembled.  I chose to have mine 2½” in from the side edges.  The centre of the thicker ones were 6½” below the centre of the zip and the centre of the lighter ones were 2” below the zip.

I used a small offcut of bag foam on the wrong side of the faux leather/wadding to give it extra stability.   

Make 2 small holes in the faux leather/wadding, push the ‘legs’ through from the right side of the faux leather, through the wadding and foam, add the washer and open them outwards to secure. It is important that the holes are not too big of the clasp will not be secure. 

Do this for all 4 clasp parts.

Step 7: Making the strap and strap tabs

Fold the strap in half lengthways to find the centre.  Fold each side in so that the edge is against the fold line.  It will now look like bias binding.  Fold in half and top stitch close to the edge along the open long side of the handle.  

Step 8: Attaching the strap tabs

Cut 2 x 2” sections off the strap – these will be the strap tabs.

With the magnetic clasps done up, you will see where the bag folds.  The strap tabs will be attached on the fold.  

Slip a D ring onto each section, fold them in half and sew them to the faux leather, one on each side of the bag front, facing inwards with the raw edges towards the seam.  Sew inside the seam allowance so that your stitches won’t show when you assemble the bag.

Step 9: Assembling the bag

Spread out the fabric so that the 2 faux leather/wadding pieces are matched up, right sides together and the 2 lining/pocket pieces are also matched up with right sides together. Make sure the zip is open so that you will be able to turn the bag through.  Sew all round leaving a gap in the lining for turning. Turn through and close the gap in the lining by hand or machine stitching.

Step 9: Attaching the strap

The strap needs to be attached to the clasps

Pull one end through a clasp, fold the raw edge under and either sew or attach a rivet..  Do the same for the other end of the strap, checking first that you are happy with the length.  Make sure that the strap is not twisted.  

The strap can now be attached to the bag to make a shoulder bag or detached for a clutch bag.

Step 10: Adding the tassel

Make cuts in the fabric along one of the longer sides, stopping about ¼”/ 6mm from the top, so that it becomes fringed.

Wind the top round itself so that it will just fit inside the tassel cap.  Sew a stitch through the top of the tassel to hold it firmly in place. 

Glue it inside the tassel cap and wait for it to dry.

Attach it to the zip.  I used items from my jewellery making stash (small lobster clasp and ring) but you could just sew it to the zip.

Now you really have to go shopping to get used to your new bag and perhaps buy some treats to go in it (all in the course of research, of course).

In this project I learnt:

• All faux leathers vary.  This had a lovely woven texture on the back and, although I used a leather needle, I think it would have sewn well with an ordinary needle. However, my sewing machine hated stitching the 4 layer strap, yet it copes admirably with the same number of PVC layers.  I tried changing the foot, stitch length, etc but to no avail.  Some of the surface of the fabric was scraped off on the strap and the stitch length was all over the place. The feed dogs just hated it.  I had no problem with the sewing the rest of the bag because I had ‘normal’ fabric against the feed dogs.  I’ve come to the conclusion that my sewing machine just doesn’t appreciate class!

• I used magnetic clasps, D rings, swivel clasps and rivets.  They significantly add to the cost of a bag but they also make it look more professional.  It doesn’t matter how many items I buy, I never seem to have the right size when I need it.  There isn’t much choice in my local haberdashery stores, so it means being very organised and buying online.  I’ve been lucky that most of the hardware I’ve bought online has been great quality and I’ve now found some online shops that I’m happy to keep using.  The biggest problem is colour matching.  The grey zip I bought turned out to be much darker than I expected and I forgot to buy one for the internal pocket, so I had to use a black one from my stash.

• The tassel was an afterthought.  I spent a couple of days looking at the bag, knowing that there was something missing.  I decided on a tassel to give it a bit more visual appeal.  I had bought the end caps months ago, but never used them.  I soon worked out what to do and it only took about 10 minutes.  Probably one of the best spent 10 minutes this year! I love my tassel.