Sewing a Handmade Leather Clutch Instead of Seat Covers.

Today I had plans to go the Edmonton Quilt Festival with a good friend, but we have to postpone it until tomorrow, so instead I'm doing some sewing. I'm should be sewing seat covers for my husband's truck.... but I just can't get into it! Instead.... I made a handmade leather clutch!

Tandy Leather has assorted lambskins with a wide assortment of colors and finishes on sale this month and I couldn't resist getting.... umm.... 9 of them. Oops! They were a good deal at 19.99 each. You can't blame me. (BTW, that does not count as fabric purchasing, although I did blow my vow to not purchase fabric last night because Pink Chalk Fabrics got their yarn died linen back in stock and I've been waiting for that for ages.)

Back on subject.  I decided I would like to give a clutch pattern away with a certain purse lock that I have ordered to be made, and that shipment should be here in a couple of weeks.  I drew up a pattern, made a mock up and then bravely cut into a nice brown piece of leather.  It's very thin, and embossed with a sort of snake skin pattern. The snake skin kind of creeps me out, because I hate snakes, but I also think it's kind of cool at the same time. I find it ironic that a lambskin would have a snake print... A lamb in snakes clothing? Is this a juxtaposition, or a paradox, or an oxymoron? Regardless, I think this leather was initially doomed to be an Italian shoe, but because of flaws or size, it can now be a little clutch with an adorable little lock!!  (This is not the lock I'm getting in stock, I really wish I had more of these little guys.)

This clutch sort of looks like the popular envelope clutches at first glance, but is actually quite different. The leather sewed together very easily with my Pfaff on the main seams and my heavy duty machine on the top stitching. It was easy to turn the leather right side out and do regular seams, because it is so thin. You could not do it with a thicker leather. I lined with some nice quilting cotton that was backed with fusible fleece (that was cut 1/2" smaller around all edges to make sure it didn't get in the seams).

I'm also playing with quilting cottons with this pattern as I know that not many can, or will want, to use leather.  I used by Annie's Soft and stable on this and it was not ideal because of wrinkles created in the exterior fabric.  Quilting it before assembly would have fixed this problem.

I am going to try it with a few other interfacing options and tweak the pattern a bit before it is released.  As of now though, I do like it because the 2 exterior pieces will fit nicely on a fat quarter and you line it with another FQ. If I went any bigger, you would have to buy more yardage and that wouldn't be ideal.

So now... I must put this aside and either clean the house, shop for flowers for my pots, walk to the park with my son and neighbourhood kids, or work on DH's seat covers. Which do you think I will do? Park!!

Thank you for reading.  Please leave a comment, I LOVE to hear from you.



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