20 Dec
2019 Juliet Uzor’s Upcycled Clutch Bag Project

After the Christmas and New Year festivities were well out of the way, the only thing on my mind was the idea of a frugal meetup! So it was either going to be a trip to my local charity shop or a raid through my fabric stash. After I went to my local charity shop, I picked up a used denim jacket on sale for £3. I was drawn to its pocket and pleat detail, but above all, it was the colour that sealed the deal - pink! The pockets on the jacket seemed small enough to add a good amount of detail for when I transformed it into a clutch. Below are a few tips for you if you do decide to attempt this project…

Ensure that the fabrics you choose are close enough in weight. I opted for a medium weight wax fabric which was interfaced with a medium woven interfacing to ensure that the weight of the denim fabric doesn’t overpower it.

Spend some time unpicking any areas of the garment that could potentially pose a bulk problem during the sewing process. Those few centimetres of fabric could release extra fabric and help flatten out your fabric during the cutting stage.

Speaking of fabric bulk, I would recommend the use of an appropriate sewing needle that can tackle the layers of fabric you’re dealing with. Any needle that can match the thickness of the fabric you’re using is advisable.Typically, 90/14 or 100\16 needles would be ideal for denim or layers of very tightly woven fabrics.

If you do decide to add cut out details to your clutch, remember to label the pattern pieces after cutting them apart. You'll also find it useful to include a seam allowance to any new design lines. I used my magnetic seam allowance guides to add my 0.5” seam allowance.