Do you need a new purse for a holiday party?  This is an EASY and QUICK clutch purse . . . and CUTE, too!

You will need:
Main fabric – one piece 2.5″ x 13″  and  one piece 12.5″ x 13″
Accent fabric - one piece 4″ x 16″ (for front detail)
Lining fabric – one Fat Quarter
Batting – one piece 14″ x 18″
Stiff Stuff – one piece 14″ x 18″
Texture Magic – one piece 15.5″ x 3.5″

Pin your Texture Magic to the wrong side of the Accent Fabric.  Stitch wavy lines.  These are about 1/3 inch apart.  Apply steam from a hot iron to the Texture Magic WITHOUT touching it.  Stay above it!  Watch as your fabric curls up and develops beautiful texture.

Sew a piece of the Main Fabric to each long side of the newly texturized Accent Fabric.   This will be the exterior of your clutch.

Lay clutch exterior right side up on top of the batting and pin.  Stitch several straight lines anywhere you want.

Trim batting and the excess Accent Fabric, making sure the piece remains ‘square’ (a squared rectangle as opposed to a wonky rectangle).

Lay quilted clutch exterior on top of lining fabric, right sides together. Sew 1/4″ around the outside edges of the exterior piece, leaving an 8″ opening on the short end opposite the accent piece end.

Trim excess.  Measure the area between the edge stitching and cut the Stiff Stuff 1/2″ smaller than this measurement.

Reach inside and turn the bag right side out.  Gently roll the Stiff Stuff and ease inside the bag between the batting and the lining.  Smooth Stiff Stuff flat.  Topstitch along the short end with the opening to close it and add another detail.  Stitch a few more random lines across the bag – these will hold the Stiff Stuff in place.

Fold up, right sides together, about 4.5″ of the side away from the accent piece.  Stitch a very tight zig zag stitch, catching just the very edges of the fabric.  Turn right side out, fold down top.

Go Party!

Have you seen all the new patterns that are showing up?  So many!  Here’s a few of the latest . . .

Make your coffee break special with the Remember Beverage Pad.   Number eleven in a series of twelve, these make great gifts.

Christmas in Connecticut is a beautiful Christmas sampler.  As with most sampler type quilts, individual blocks will make great mini-quilts.  Hang the entire quilt in the living room, then scatter mini-quilts around the house.  The poinsettia block would look good as a table runner and so would the candle block.

It’s okay to let these bees in the house!  What’s the Buzz will eat up your yellow and green scraps.  Contrast stitching shows the path of the bees as they travel from hive to flower.

Hearts Around The Table topper is appropriate year-round . . . . love is always in style, right?   A simple pattern, you can make a few and play with fabric combinations.  It’d would make a great hostess gift, or for Christmas.

Ava On The Go is a very roomy tote.  Pleats in the bag add space and details.  The scallops at the top are paper pieced.  The inside has large pockets.  Great for a day trip or an overnight at Grandma’s.

Be sure to subscribe to our QuiltersWarehouse e-mail newsletter and you’ll know all about new patterns as they come in!  Don’t miss a thing!

Do you need a project in between quilts?  Maybe a pattern that you can use to make a gift or two or three?  Try these out.

Grab some colorful scraps and make up a batch of Key Fob Pockets. So handy to carry any little thing… USB drive, a little cash, lip balm. They’d make a great extra little gift that you could tie to the bow of a Christmas package or stuff in a stocking.

Protect your electronics and show off your personality with a Laptop, Kindle, or iPad Cover.  They go together quickly so you can make a few extra to have on hand for gifts.  Almost anyone could use one of these!

Aren’t these just adorable?!  They look like a pinafore but they are really “pockets”.  Hang them up and use them to hold just about anything.  Great for a little girl’s room.  And they don’t HAVE to serve a purpose…. Pinafore Pockets could be hung just for decoration.

Now, ideally your sewing machine will never be idle long enough to collect dust.  But every now and then life gets in the way and we have to leave it be for a day or two (or more!).  Four Corners Sewing Machine Cover will keep the dust off and display your creativity at the same time.  The pattern includes instructions for three variations with patchwork, applique, and embellishments.  Have fun jazzing it up.

All these projects came from the same section.  When you are looking for something a little different, check out the Novelty Quilt Pattern section.  Lots of different projects and even a few out-of-the-ordinary quilts.

Pretty soon it will be back to school time.  That means time for school supplies and a backpack.  Your sophisticated teenager may not be a fan of a homemade backpack, but the younger set sure will appreciate a special, one-of-a-kind, ‘made just for them’ backpack. 

The Chelsea Tote is versatile – it can be an over one shoulder bag, or you can unzip the strap and it becomes a traditional backpack.  An oversize pocket on the outside can hold those items that might be needed in a hurry. 

Celine Perkins, of Perkins Dry Goods, says this lined bag is unbeliveable simple to make.  With one pocket inside and one outside, the Zola Backpack is handy, too.  The drawstring top is easy to open and close.

The Mack Messenger is loaded with features: a quick grab handle at the top, adjustable straps, a front zippered pocket, split interior pockets with split pen/pencil slots, and secure magnetic snap closures.  A clean design, it has lots of room to show off a favorite fabric.

The book, Be-Bop Backpacks, offers 8 variations on a backpack.  You can personalize it to fit the personality of the wearer.  Use applique, paper piecing, patchwork… whatever strikes your fancy.  Then do it again another way!

Do you know a pre-schooler? or a toddler? Then you know they just love to carry things around.  Important things, like their current best stuffed friend, favorite book, or maybe even a snack.  And to put it all in a bag that they can carry themselves makes them feel pretty cool.  Totpacks are very easy to sew and they’ll get plenty of much-loved use.

When you are finished sewing for everyone else, check out the rest of the backpack patterns – you’ll probably see one that you’d like to make for yourself!