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!

The Creative Grids 60° Triangle Ruler makes short work of lots of interesting blocks.  This 16″ table topper went together quickly and easily.  And I want to make more!

You’ll need just 4″ each of background fabric and two fun fabrics. Let’s call the fun fabrics FF1 and FF2.

Background:  Cut 2 strips 1.5″ x WOF;  1 strip 1″ x WOF
Fun fabrics:  Cut 2 strips each 2″ x WOF

Sew all the strips together in the following order:
FF1
Wide background
FF2
Skinny background
FF1
Wide background
FF2         

(cutting instructions revised 07/11/12 8:25)

Press all seams in one direction so they will nest when you sew your triangles together.  They will; you’ll see.

Line up the bottom of the 60° Triangle Ruler with the bottom of your strip set, and make your first cut. 

 Turn your strip set the other way and lay the ruler the way it was, the ruler is now lined up with the top and the left side of the ruler is lined up with the first cut you made.  Cut the last side of your first triangle.

Rotate your ruler. Cut.

Rotate. Cut.

Repeat, repeat, repeat.

You’ll need six triangles.  There will be three with FF1 at the base, and three with FF2 at the base.

Arrange your triangles in a circle (okay, a hexagon), alternating the colors.

Sew together.  If you make sure the seams nest everything will line up nicely.  Be careful not to pull too much or manhandle the edges as they are cut on the bias.  Press the seams all one way around the “circle” so when you sew the last seam everything will nest nicely.

Finished! All ready to sandwich and quilt.
Fast. Easy. Addictive.
Happy sewing!

Oh! And don’t forget to enter our Pinterest Contest!

You won’t mind “brown bagging it” with this fresh looking lunch bag that can be used over and over.  And it’s easy to make!

Sew along both sides.

Cut out square.

Manipulate one of the bottom corners that you cut so that sewn seam touches the start of the bottom fold – you should have raw edges of fabric on each side of this point – sew together to form one side of a square bottom.

 

 Repeat with the other cut corner.

Step 4. Construct liner

Same way you constructed the exterior…

Topstitch ric-rac just below the edge of the top.

Make flower by tracing a circle (I use a small coffee container) and sewing the two 5″ squares together on the circle.  In the center of just one of the circles cut a small opening. 

Pull circle through this opening so the seam is inside.  Hand stitch (with large stitches) a circle in the center of the flower; leave long thread hanging.  Stuff the center of this little circle with bits of batting. Pull on the long thread to gather circle - this will ruffle the outside edges of the large circle and will form the flower.  Hand stitch to the bag around the edge of the little circle.

Load and go!

 

Now isn’t that a pretty little bag?!

 

You’ll need:

-  2 pieces of valentine type fabrics for flags    6″ x 22″ each
-  coordinating fabric for backing and hanging strip   6″ x 40″
-  coordinating fabric for hanging strip (can be same as backing fabric) 2 strips 2.5″ X WOF
-  Tri Tool ruler

1. Lay out one strip of valentine fabric. Lay Tri Tool on top of it lining up the top of the triangle with the top edge of the fabric and the bottom of the triangle parallel to the bottom edge of the fabric. Trim the right side.

2. Turn fabric around (this way you can continue to hold the tool with your left hand and cut with your right), flip the Tri Tool and line the edge up with the cut edge, the tip of the triangle with the bottom of the fabric strip, and the bottom of the triangle (which is now on top) parallel to the top of the fabric strip and cut the right side. You’ll now have one triangle. Continue flipping the Tri Tool and cutting until you have 5 triangles.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the second valentine fabric.

Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the backing fabric until you have 10 triangles of the backing fabric.

3. Pair a valentine fabric triangle with a backing fabric triangle and, with right sides together, stitch along one side to the blunted point, turn and stitch along the opposite side using a 1/4″ seam. Leave the top open. Do this with all the triangles.

4. Turn all triangles right side out and push out the points gently with a stiletto, purple thang, closed pen, or any long skinny, not too pointy tool.

5. Press all trianlges.  Trim off those points of extra fabric that are sticking out of the tops.  This will make it easier to fit the triangles into your hanging fabric. 

6. Take your 2 strips of 2.5″ x WOF and lay one face up.  Lay the other piece face down at right angles… just like you do for binding.  Pin together and draw a line from the upper left point where they meet to the lower right meeting point.  Sew along this line.

7. Trim the excess and trim those little points.

8. Press this long strip in half lengthwise.  Again, just like you do for binding.

9. Press one edge to the middle, being careful not to press over that center press line.  You don’t have to go all the way to the middle – just pretty close to it.

10. Press the other side to the middle.  Then fold in half and press again.

11. Find the middle of your hanging strip.  (Easy! It’s the seam where you sewed the two strips together.)  On each side of the middle start inserting and pinning triangles.  Alternate fabrics and leave about 1″ between each triangle.

12. Sew nice and close to the bottom edge of the hanging strip, making sure the triangles are tucked into the fold of the strip as much as they can be.

13.  Just to neaten it up, sew nice and close to the top edge of the hanging strip.

14.  At each end, fold over 3″ to 3 1/2″ and zig zag stitch down for a hanging loop.   Hang and enjoy!

What a coinkydink!  A valentine tutorial in 14 steps!