Make a designer bag

The Design

This bag started life as a white brocade clutch bag. I had seen some gorgeous ivory coloured brocade that I thought would be ideal for an evening clutch bag.

I made a bag using the brocade for the outside and attached wadding to all the pieces. When I had finished, it was so bulky that it just was not going to look good.

So, back to the drawing board. This time I made the bag in the white brocade again, but with fusible interfacing attached instead of wadding. Oh dear. Without the wadding to cushion them, the seams felt really hard and uncomfortable.

Third time lucky: I made the bag again still using the brocade, but with wadding only attached to the main body of the bag, not the gussets. The most successful of the three attempts.

White brocade clutch bag

Brocade is too thich for a small clutch bag.

Cutting and sewing

By now, I had the bit between my teeth and was determined to make a decent clutch bag.

My eye fell on some brown silk hiding in my fabric stash. Perfect!

I cut a rectangle of fabric 7.1/2" wide by 12" long and 2 smaller rectangles 4" wide by 3.1/2" long. Then I cut the same again in wadding and again in black cotton fabric for the lining.

The fabric pieces

Cut the corners off the gusset pieces and round the edges.

Add wadding to the back of the main rectangle and the 2 gusset pieces

Sewing the pieces

Yes, I know the photos are of the wrong bag, but the method of construction was the same for all of them, and the white showed up better in the photos.

Place a gusset piece in the corner of the main rectangle and sew really carefully. You are sewing three sides of a curved gusset piece to one straight edge of a rectangle, so it needs stitch by stitch easing of the fabric.

Sewing the pieces

Place a gusset piece right sides together on a corner of the main rectangle.

Stitch together, easing the fabric round the curves.

The lining of the clutch bag

Do the same with the black fabric for the lining, so that you end up with 2 bag shapes - one in the main fabric with wadding attached, and one in the lining fabric.

Sewing the lining to the bag

2 bag shapes. Trim seams before adding lining to bag

With right sides together, place the lining inside the bag

Final touches

Pin the lining to the bag. Beginning at the front of the bag, sew the lining and the bag together round the top edge of the flap and the sides of the bag. Leave a 3" gap at the front of the bag so that you can push through to turn the whole thing right side out.

Turn under a seam along the gap, pin and topstitch all the way round.

Add a stud fastener and any embellishment you would like on the bag.

The finished clutch bags (all of them!)

All 4 of the clutch bags. Only the brown silk one has a wrist strap and embellishments.

For more detailed instructions visit my website-

How to Quilt and Sew
How to sew and quilt with clear and easy to follow instructions and free patterns

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trish 2 years ago

Fascinating to see how you made it all work in the end. Very nice finished product. I'm going to give your project a try. About the word "gusset", though. It's accurate of course and genuine (it's Middle English in origin, meaning piece of metal covering a suit of armor joint) but still makes me chuckle. Check out a sort of similar blog, http://www.onalarkdesign.com, for funny comments about replacements for the word.