Ruffled Silk Clutch Bag

Made from super luxurious silk dupion, this clutch bag from designer Zo¨e Halstead is just perfect for evenings out and formal events. With twinkling button embellishments and a sophisticated silver clasp, it's sure to grab the attention of everyone who sets their eyes on it – and with it's simple-tomake ruffled panel, can be made in an afternoon.

Essentials

Fabric: silk dupion; turquoise, pink, 112cm x 25cm each; lining fabric, 112cm x 25cm length
Interfacing, heavyweight, iron-on 25cm
Purse clasp, 23cm x 8cm
Buttons: decorative glass, five

Dimensions List

Approx 18cm x 23cm
Note: pattern includes a 1.5cm seam allowance throughout

Ruffled Clutch

Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the two larger turquoise fabric pieces following the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the pieces right sides fabric and use a straight machine stitch to sew the long bottom edge seam closed. Finish the stitches by setting your machine to reverse and working back and forth for 3cm, then press.
To make the ruffle; take one strip of pink dupion and fold one long edge over upon itself by 1cm, then over again. Press and use a straight machine stitch to secure. Repeat with the remaining strips of pink dupion. Hem one short edge of each strip in the same way, finishing each row with back tacking to secure.
Layer the pink strips in sets of three as pictured (each set to include one of each size strips), with the raw long edges together and the hemmed short edges at the bottom. Tack through all thicknesses to secure.
Sew two lines of stitches using a long stitch on your sewing machine, one approx 1cm away from the raw edge and the another 2cm away (the second will appear outside of the seam allowance and will, therefore, be removed later). Do not secure the stitches with back tacking. Pull the threads to gather the fabric, until the ruffled edges measure the same as the turquoise bag, from the top edge to the bottom seam.
Sew the two turquoise fabric strips together along one of the short edges to form one long strip, 46cm long, using a straight stitch on your machine and with wrong sides together. Finish the stitches with back tacking, as before.
To add the centre panel to the ruffle; With wrong sides together, pin the gathered edge of one set of pink ruffles to one of the long (raw) edges of the turquoise fabric strip, lining them up so that the top edges are together. The neatened bottom edge of the ruffles should now be level with the seam in the middle of the long turquoise strip.
Sew between the two lines of gathering stitches with a straight stitch, leaving a 1.5cm seam allowance, and finish with reverse stitch as before. Using a seam ripper, carefully remove the visible gathering stitches, trim excess fabric seam allowance to 1cm and press the seam towards the centre of the turquoise strip. Repeat with the other set of ruffles, on the opposite side of the turquoise strip. Fold under the remaining seam allowance of the turquoise fabric and press.
Lay out the front and back bag pieces so that they are flat, with right sides facing upwards. Place the ruffled strip so that it is centred on the front of the bag, with the remainder of the strip laying along the centre of the bag back piece.
Sew through all layers along the whole length of the strip using a straight machine stitch. Tack the top of the ruffles to the bag front, within the 1.5cm seam allowance. Sew buttons to the turquoise fabric strip as shown. With right sides facing and using a straight machine stitch, sew the side seams of the bag, beginning approx 9cm down from the top edge on each side, to allow for opening the bag.
To create the bag’s base; flatten at each corner, matching the bottom and side seams together, to form a point. Measure 2cm down from this point and pin horizontally, through the layers of the bottom and side of the bag. Using the pins as a guide, stitch from one side to the other and trim the seam excess to 1cm. Repeat for the other corner.
With right sides facing, use a straight machine stitch to sew the side and bottom seams of the lining pieces in sewsmart one continuous line, beginning 9cm down from the top edge on one side and stopping short of the top by 9cm on the other. Flatten the corners in the same way as for the main fabric of the bag.
Fold the side and top edges of the bag and lining pieces in by 1.5cm and press. Place the purse clasp inside the top of the bag, making sure the pressed edges of the fabric are level with the top and side edges of the clasp.
Using a needle and nylon thread or buttonhole silk, sew through the holes in the clasp and all layers of fabric along the side and top edges of the bag, making very small stitches to secure. Place the lining inside the bag with wrong sides facing and sew through all layers, making sure to work through the the holes in the clasp as before. Sew the bottom corners of the lining to the bag to secure.