Faux Leather Clutch

Load the Clutch (Cut & Stitch) file into your cutting machine’s software.

Proceed in the design software until the first color selection appears, and is ready to be cut.

For leather, vinyl, or faux leather, you may need to increase the pressure of the blade on your cutting machine. For best results, use a setting for thin leather. It is also best to test cut something small on a scrap piece of your material to make sure the setting will cut all the way through.

Smooth the fabric pieces onto the adhesive mat with the right side of the leather or vinyl down against the sticky side of the mat. Mirror the design if it is not symmetrical, and make sure the correct knife tool is in place. For best results, do not use a rotary blade to cut out these designs. Then load the adhesive mat into the machine.

Cut out the clutch shape. Carefully remove the cut pieces and excess fabric.

A button stud is a simple closure that works well on leather purses. It has two pieces. The front piece has the ball which acts as the closure, and then the back piece screws into the front piece from the opposite side of the leather to hold the stud in place. These can be purchased online or in some leather and crafting stores.

Also make sure to get an appropriately sized hole punch to go along with the button stud. Some will use just a round punch, while others will use a round punch which a slit cut below it to allow the hole to be smaller and hold the button stud more securely.

For best results, test the hole punch on a scrap of the material being used to make sure it is working. The thickness and stretch of the leather can affect what hole size is needed.

Then use the punch and a mallet to punch the hole in the bottom center of the flap.

After the hole is punched, fold the bottom section of the clutch up until it is about 3/8” away from the cut detail.

Press the fold very well with a bone folder or another hard, smooth object that will not leave marks on the leather.

Then fold the flap down over the folded bottom section, and press that fold with a bone folder as well.

Make sure to fold it right over the edge of the inner folded up fabric and not right at the edge of the cut detail.

Hold the folded clutch firmly in place, and use a pen to mark a dot through the hole that was cut for the button stud.

This will mark where the button stud needs to be placed on the front of the clutch.

Unfold the clutch. Using a craft knife and cutting mat, cut a very small “x” over the dot that was just made. This will create a small hole for the back piece of the button stud.

Then push the screw portion of the button stud through the hole so the round back rests against the wrong side of the leather.

Then screw the front of the button stud onto the back.

Tighten it with a flat head screw driver.

Before sewing, wind a bobbin with the same thread that will be used in the top needle. This way the stitching will look nice from both sides.

Fold up the bottom edge of the clutch along the creased fold that was made earlier. Match up the edges, and sew a 1/8” seam along both sides.

Clips can be used to hold the fabric together if desired, but do not use sewing pins as they will leave holes in the leather.

This completes the Clutch. Repeat these steps to make a variety of clutches in different colors and sizes. This file can be scaled to make the clutch in any desired size. Just be careful if making the file smaller, as the details may have trouble cutting if the design is shrunk too much.