Create a Patchwork Panel

1. Decide which of the three coordinating fabrics will be the lining of your clutch bag and set this aside. Take the two remaining fat eighths and cut both into four long 6cm wide strips. Layer the strips accurately, and place one end directly over the 5cm square on the die. Sandwich the die and fabric between two cutting plates and pass through the diecutting machine. Remove the cut squares, reposition the fabric layers and repeat until the whole length is cut. Provided your placement has been accurate you can cut up to 80 squares from both fabrics in this way.

2. Sew the squares together to make ten strips of eight squares, alternating the pattern and using a 0.6cm seam allowance. Press the seams open and pin the strips together, dropping down a square each time so the materials form a checkboard pattern and the completed panel can be turned 90 degrees so the squares run diagonally. Stitch the strips together and press. This should result in a parallelogram with a long side of approximately 48cm and a short side of 28cm.

Make a Bag

1. Locate the bag template on page 79. Lay the patchwork panel flat and lay one pattern piece on the left side, as close to the diagonal as possible while still keeping the base of the bag in line with the bottom edge. Draw around the pattern with tailor’s chalk, remove and flip over so that the other bag piece fits on the remaining piece of patch work. Cut out both pieces on the drawn lines (seam allowance is included on the pattern).

2. Place the wadding over the lightweight fabric and pin the two patchwork bag pieces on the top. Cut around the bag pieces and quilt through all the layers with a straight stitch. Mark the position of the bag hinges from the pattern (marked with an X) on the bag pieces. Cut two more bag pieces from the fat eighth that was set aside earlier, these will be the lining.

3. Pin the two quilted pieces right sides together and stitch from one hinge mark, down along the base and back up to the second hinge mark. Make a flat bottom to the bag by pushing one side seam flat against the bottom seam and stitching across the triangle this makes, approximately 3cm from the point. Trim away the point and repeat for the other side. Turn the quilted bag right side out.

4. Pin and stitch the lining of the bag together as in step 3, ensuring you leave a 10cm gap along the bottom edge for turning later. Flatten corners as you did for the outer bag. Place the quilted bag inside the lining so that the right sides are together and pin the two fabrics together along the top edges. Stitch from hinge mark to hinge mark on both flaps and turn out through the hole left at the bottom of the lining.

5. Push the lining inside the quilted bag and manipulate all corners and seams before pressing flat if necessary. Remove the lining, fold in the raw edges of the hole and stitch closed. Push the lining back into the bag. Pin around the top flaps of the bag and stitch along this line, 5mm from the seam to keep the edges rigid.

Construct a Clutch

1. Run a line of glue into the channel on one side of the bag frame and place to one side. Apply a line of glue to the edge of one bag flap and leave the adhesive for five minutes to go tacky. Push the glued flap into the bag frame starting at the hinges and working your way up and around the flap from both ends. Use a point turner to push the fabric into the channel firmly from the lining side to avoid marking the quilted fabric in any way. Leave the glue to dry for 20 minutes before fixing the other flap into the frame in the same way.

Embellish with a Corsage

1. Iron interfacing onto the scraps of green and pink cotton fabric. Use the die-cutter to create leaf shapes from the green and at least three flower shapes in both sizes from the pink. Fold the pink netting into several layers and cut lots more flowers in both sizes from this. Take the smaller of the pink cotton flowers, overlap the ends into a cone and secure with a few small stitches. Wrap the other small flower shapes around this, staggering the position of the ends and securing with stitches.

2. Take the smaller netting shapes and fold each one into four. Stitch the folded flowers to the underside of the cotton bloom, arranging the net evenly around the circumference. Once you have used all the net shapes sew the larger cotton shapes to the back of the flower in the same way as before and add the larger net pieces, folded into four, to the back. Arrange the leaf shapes in a bunch on the left side of the quilted bag and sew in place close to the base of each leaf. Stitch the flower to the centre of the leaf bunch, passing the needle through all layers of fabric several times to make it extra secure. Neaten the centre of the flower with a diamanté bead or button sewn to the middle.