Clutch Bag(s)

I needed a really easy bag for a beginners class.  One that could be done in one evening by even the slowest sewer.  No zippers.  (Some people manage to take well over an hour messing with a zipper ... and we don't have time for that.)  There is a magnetic clasp which requires poking holes in fabric, but that's still a lot easier than a zipper.  (More on that later... )  Rounded corners ... because they're easier to poke out and make pretty than square corners, at least in my opinion.  The wrist strap is just a piece of grosgrain ribbon.  

We'll be cutting kits for this one ... just so there's no messing around with measurements and scissors and the like.  Just follow instructions and sew.  A finished project at the end of class gives the needed sense of accomplishment.(?)

Now a class sample has to be exactly what the students can expect to produce in class.  And you know that there will be - uh - alterations in the works when this bag comes home after doing duty as a sample.  Lovely as the batik is, it's just crying out for some beading to make this an "evening" bag. And then there's the wrist strap ... Seemed like the easiest option for class.  I happen to prefer a shoulder strap.

Imagine a party ... and you have a glass of something in one hand, and you need your other hand for snagging something to munch off a tray that's passing by, or you just need your hand(s) for talking, or for giving a friend a one-armed hug (while not spilling the drink that the other hand is holding!).  Well, just which hand (wrist) is this clutch supposed to be hanging off?

So much easier to hang the elegant clutch on one's shoulder, thus freeing up both hands for whatever other purpose you may need them for, while still having all the "stuff" you need right at your hip.  Enough said. ..

And you know that I couldn't just make a bag and call it a day.  There had to be a prototype ... from scraps left over from my geisha jacket.

This one got the shoulder strap treatment ... for which I had to punch holes!  I'm still not particularly adept at hammering in these pesky eyelets, but at least they're staying in place and looking decent on the outside.

And I managed to goof with the placement of the magnetic snap.  Poked holes in the wrong side of the flap.  Just goes to show that one really does need to pay attention when doing serious damage to work in progress.  And I couldn't just toss the whole thing and start over, because I love this fabric ... and there's not much of it left ... and then there's all the time I'd put into it already ...  So I added even more work by hand stitching a strip of coordinating fabric to cover up my mistake.
Now I just need a party for this bag to get an outing!