Ashley Clutch Wallets

My latest sewing project was another pattern test for Linds Handmade Designs. When she asked, in her Facebook testers group, who would be able to test this round, she didn’t even show us what we would be making! I was a bit hesitant to agree to test sight unseen, but I was assured it would be quick and easy. So of course I had to take the challenge.

It was indeed a quick sew (although for me that meant not quite as slow as my usual😜). It was fun to sew! Until I got to the gussets. I have to say they were a bit of a challenge, especially since I’d chosen to make my first one using faux leather. Those seams were thick and in small areas. They required lots of Wonder Clips.

 

But my faithful 52-year-old Kenmore and I made it through, with some patience, hand cranking, and a big (#16) topstitching needle. I loved the final result! Here is my Ashley Clutch Wallet:

It’s a small bag, as you can tell by my hand. It is secured with a bar clasp, and it has a chain shoulder strap.

The inside has three card slots and a zipper pocket on each side.

It’s just big enough to carry your cell phone and a few essentials on that fancy night out.

I made those card slots from waterproof canvas. The other fabric is one of Jess’s barkcloth designs, with quilting cotton in the pockets.

After I finished that one, I decided to try another using cotton fabric to see if the gussets would be a lot easier to sew. They were indeed less challenging… but I still wouldn’t call them “easy”. 

Here’s my second Ashley Clutch Wallet:

The fabric is left over from a dress I’d made for Jess around 30 years ago. I’ve always loved it and was glad to find a good use for more of it. I again used WPC for the card slots. It makes such a great lining for bags, and it also adds some sturdiness.

I didn’t put a strap on this one, so it’s just a clutch. It’s for me. Do you think I’ll ever have a fancy date to take it on??? Okay… I won’t wait that long to use it. 😄

I got my chain and bar clasp from Amazon. I wanted something less expensive for experimenting. The chain is very nice. The clasp is just okay.

You can find the Ashley Clutch Wallet pattern here. It includes SVG files for those who have cutting machines, and as with all of Linds’ patterns, there’s a video tutorial that goes with the pattern. ALSO, now a number of Linds’ patterns are available in print form, including this one, for those who don’t have printers or just don’t like printing and assembling patterns.

Geranium Top #3

A few weeks ago I finished a project that I couldn’t show you until it had been received, because it was a gift for a very special recipient. It had to go all the way to eastern Canada, so that took nearly two weeks. Since then I’ve just been procrastinating on writing this post. Sound like me? Yup.

The gift was something I’ve sewn a couple of before: the top version of the Geranium Dress, from the pattern by Rae Hoekstra of Made By Rae. The fabric is Jess’s babywale corduroy that she designed for Cloud9 Fabrics a few years ago. Here is the Geranium Top!

I happened to have some KAMsnaps that were perfect for the back closure. Here’s a closer look:

Just for fun, I took a photo of it on my American Girl doll… so you have something for size reference. I used the 6-12 months size of the pattern. Yeah, it’s a little big on her. :)

But guess what?! You get to see it on the real baby, who is about 4-1/2 months old in these pics. It fits her pretty well now, as a dress, over a onesie. So she should be able to get use out of it for quite a while. 

What a cutie, huh? Speaking of the onesie, did you notice how perfectly it goes with the top, with the little white flowers on it? I did not plan that. It was totally coincidental that her grandma had gotten it for her shortly before my gift had even arrived. Amazing! I love it!

CUTENESS OVERLOAD!!

If you want to see the other two tops I made from the same pattern, you can find them here. They are also made from Jess’s corduroy, just different prints from that line.