
Hello Everyone,
I am going to make a hand bag for my daughter’s best friend’s 18th birthday. She wants a bag made out of velvet so I decided to make a smaller test project to see how it is to work with. I made a larger clutch/handbag with a detachable chain. It measures 11″ x 8″ and I boxed the bottom corners just 1 inch.

It is made like a large zipper pouch, just like this coin purse that you can find on my tutorials page or here. The pieces are bigger and I added pockets to the lining pieces. I also added two tabs with D-rings in the lining side seams to attach the chain. It is important that it is a little opening on each end of the zipper ends for the chain to go through.
When I boxed the corners I sewed the lining and outside bag corners together. That is a great way to keep the lining in place.

The velvet I used is quite thin so I ironed on thin batting. It is important to use a tea towel or similar to protect both batting, velvet and the iron. I used a light weight fusible woven interfacing on the lining. This worked very well for this project.

Considering it is a test project I think it turned out very well. My daughter said she wanted to use the bag on Saturday night. That is a big compliment to me!
Happy sewing and take care!
Annika
