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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Necessary Clutch Wallet


A couple of years ago I hurt my back (doing nothing at all-how sad is that) and from that time I quit carrying my regular purse. At first it was because it was painful but then I got into the habit of just taking my wallet into stores with me. The problem is that it was small and my phone and keys wouldn't fit in it. So I decided to make a bigger one. I looked high and low for the perfect pattern that would work for me and this was as close as I could find. I altered it a little bit to fit my needs. The pattern is called The Necessary Clutch Wallet and I bought it from Emmaline Bags on Craftsy. I also bought the hardware from her Etsy store and it was well worth it-very good professional quality hardware. Here are a few inside views and the changes I made.

View from the front. I added an inch to the height so my large-ish sized phone will fit inside. I made a wrist strap for it and also a long shoulder strap. I clipped both on the wallet and if I don't want to use the shoulder strap, all I need to do is remove it and leave the wrist strap attached. 


The inside-I added one more large zip pocket.


I made a small detachable zip pocket that snaps in to hold my key chain sized store cards.




I also added snaps in between the two zipper pockets so I could snap them together, keeping the wallet from opening as much, and keeping whatever I put in there from falling out.




I changed the position of the inside D rings, which are meant to hold the straps. The original position made the flap scrunch up when using the long strap and that bugged me. I left the original D rings in for now but may remove them sometime. I put the new D rings in the side seam. 


I also added a small outer zip pocket to hold my most-used credit card and two most-used grocery store cards. 


Plus I added cute zipper pulls. These are made by a company called Inazuma and I've seen them on Etsy as well as a few other sewing websites.


I've been using the wallet for a week or so, including an afternoon shopping trip, and so far it is working out fabulously! I'm very happy with it and with the changes I made.
The fabric for the outside is Sophie by Moda and the inside fabric is Lovely, also by Moda. The fabric for the small zipper pocket is some Japanese Hello Kitty fabric I bought on Etsy a few years ago.

linking to:
beyond the picket fence
someday crafts
creations by kara
seven thirty three
ducks in a row
the ny melrose family

16 comments:

Mary Pat Siehl said...

This is sooo darn cute!
You need to sell these

deshacrafts said...

Gale, What a really cute clutch. You did a fantastic job with it. I might have to head over to etsy and get that pattern.

Murphy's Law said...

Wow! That is totally adorable and looks terrific. Not to mention user friendly. You do need to sell these.

Kelly Roberts said...

This is so pretty! I just love the colors and all the areas it has. Great job!

Melissa Boo said...

Looks good.

Laura said...

I'm very impressed with your sewing skillz! I've been thinking of trying a wallet myself but no way I'll be lucky enough to manage one like this! Glad I found your blog!
Over The Apple Tree

Becky said...

Wow, totally agree with Mary Pat, you need to sell these!!! Looks awesome!

Simple Stitches AZ ~ Rachelle S. said...

I love this clutch and the fabrics you chose are so cute! Great Job! Visiting from the Inspire Me Wednesday Link Party!

Rachelle S.

Katelyn @ Sing While Crafting said...

I love this. Your additions are fabulous!

Kara said...

I love it so much! The fabric is so fun, and those zipper pulls are adorable. Awesome job!

PikkuLilla said...

I love this! Gale, you are a genius :)

Marcy said...

This is so super cute Gale! This little purse is perfect for taking out everywhere and I do love the little Hello Kitty print! :)

Tracy said...

You are so creative.
I like the take out change purse :)
I also like the snaps you had added.
This is awesome

Denise said...

How do you measure to add height to the NCW I have made several in different sizes but would like a little more height for my phone as well. Thank you

gale said...

@Denise - sorry for the delay. I thought I answered this. I cut the pattern piece in half and added a couple of inches to the middle with some paper and tape. Then I cut the zip pockets about 1" taller. They ended up being a bit too tall for the side panels but I was fine with that.

Brenda J said...

I love your NCW! I love the fabrics you used. Especially the outer fabric. I also love the zipper pulls and the extra zipper pockets. Just perfect!
Great job!

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