Sew a clutch bag

1. Make two A3 collages of travel memorabilia – we made one from vintage-style travel tickets, and another from postage stamps. Wash, dry and iron cream cotton and divide into four A3 pieces. Spray four A3 sheets of paper with an even coat of adhesive spray and lay the cream cotton pieces onto each one, smoothing out any wrinkles. Ensure the fabric and paper line up, snipping any stray threads that could get caught in a printer.

2. With the fabric facing upwards, place one in a printing tray. Put one of the collages in the photocopier, face down. Photocopy the collage onto the fabric, using a darker setting than normal. Print out another one, then swap the collages over and print two more with the new motifs. Place each fabric piece between two tea towels and press on a hot setting to fix. Hold the iron for 60 seconds; don’t glide it over the fabric, as this can smear the ink.

3. Iron interfacing onto the back of each fabric. Download and print the templates for this project and pin one bag front, back and flap to the postage stamp fabric and cut out. Pin the templates for the other bag flap and entire lining to the travel ticket fabric, then cut. Place the bag flap over wadding and cut out the shape.

4. Pin the wadding to the wrong side of the travel ticket fabric and tack around the shape to hold the pieces together. Mark vertical lines on the right side and machine stitch using white thread. Lay the postage stamp flap on top of the bag front and, using the pattern as a guide, mark the position for a magnetic clasp and position in place. Pin ric rac to the inside curve of the quilted flap and tack in place.

5. Place the quilted flap and postage stamp flap pieces right sides together, then machine stitch around the curve. Turn out. With right sides facing, pin the lining pieces together and machine stitch around the sides and base, leaving a 10cm gap at the bottom for turning. Pin the postage stamp front and back pieces together, right sides facing, and machine stitch the sides and base. Pin the finished flap to the back of the bag, then tack all of the layers together.

6. To make a handle, cut 6cm x 15cm of travel ticket fabric. Press a 1cm seam on both long edges, then pin and machine stitch together. Turn the lining and bag inside out. Insert the bag into the lining, right sides facing, making sure the flap sits inside the bag. Pin the handle to the inside of the bag, then machine stitch around the top. Turn out. Sew the gap in the lining using neat slip stitches and insert into the bag, then secure a button onto the front to finish.