Happy Saturday! Sadly, it’s been quite some time since my last post. I know what you’re thinking–what could be more important than sewing? I’m glad to report that after the hiatus, today’s project left me feeling accomplished and I’m excited to share it with you. Last year my sister-in-law, Hanna, gifted me a cute clutch from her vacation to France. I used that gift (which I love) to come up with today’s project, a feminine purse.

P.S. I have official research that it is impossible to have too many handbags.

First I selected some fabrics that I thought combined well. All those purchases are paying off!

I then created a pattern on plain old copy paper, traced, cut, and pinned all the pieces. Fusible web helped to stabilize the project.

Then came the fun part–sewing everything together! The clutch is fully lined and I finished it with a snap and a decorative rosette on the front. Perfect for spring don’t you think?

Have you ever gone to the store and found something to covet and then creatively thought, “I can make that.” It happens to me all the time. I spend a lot of time in Anthropologie wanting everything in the store, snapping pictures for inspiration, buying little, and then never putting my plans into action. This week I decided that I would actually put my money where my mouth is—and it worked! I purchased a plain t-shirt at Marshalls for $5.00 and with a little fabric from neighboring Joann Fabrics I transformed the plain t-shirt into a special top.

I did surgery on a plain t-shirt by cutting the back. Here is my beloved mannequin modeling while I pinned.

All finished!

Up close on the seams

Semi-homemade success!