Anthro Inspired "Sea Urchin" Clutch Tutorial

I know, all you faithful post readers ;) that you were anticipating a blog about my additional powder room decorations, but that little project currently has me on a search for one last item, and this project came up in the meantime.  :)  Hope you don't mind.

So a couple weeks ago whilst browsing at one of my favorite-but-can't-afford-anything stores (aka Anthropologie,) I spied this little clutch and thought, "I think I could make that!"

 I was excited for the challenge!  And truly, I did challenge myself.  I looked up no instructions, only tried to exercise this poor pregnancy brain of my mine to put together this cute little clutch.  And: success!

Here is my tutorial on the "sea urchin" clutch. 

Materials you'll need:

Paper, pencil, and 4" dia bowl/cup (for drawing the pattern)
1/2 yd  fabric
3/4 yd lining fabric
7" zipper

Start by drawing a pattern that you'll place on the fold of the fabric that looks like this: 

I wish now that I had rounded the bottom, so feel free to do that if you'd like.  I also didn't remember seeing a little bit of gathering that the clutch looks like it has in the photo from Anthropologie above.  If you'd like to add some pleats to the top, extend beyond 4", sew in the pleats the way you'd like, and then follow all the instructions below.  Just some extras!  :)  I also drew my pattern on the computer, so you can do that too if you having a drawing program you like!

First, cut two pattern pieces from your outer fabric and two from your lining on the fold.  Then cut two, 6.5" W x 21" H strips from your lining fabric or another coordinating fabric of your choice for the ruffles.

Next, turn the short ends of your strips 1/2" towards the wrong side of the fabric and pin right sides together down the long length.  Stitch the long ends, leaving short ends open, and turn right side out.  Stich the short ends with a small seam allowance.

Now create your strips into ruffles by making little pleats.  :)  I'm not going to lie, I totally eyeballed mine, but I pleated about every inch, pulling each little length to the pleat before it until I came to the end.  You want to have a finished length of 8".  This seemed to work out pretty well!  Stitch along the bottom with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Here comes a smorgashboard of sandwiching layers... but I promise you can do it!  I stitched each layer individually so that everything would stay in place.  Begin with your outer fabric right side up.  Lay your ruffle across the top, right sides together, and stitch across the top with a 1/4" seam allowance.  (The stitched side of the ruffle should be laying across the top, where the fabric is pinned in the photo.)

 Next layer is the zipper.  Lay face down across the top of your ruffle and stitch as close to the zipper as possible.

 Lastly, lay your lining fabric, right side down (so the wrong side of the fabric is facing you) onto the top of the zipper and stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Be careful not to stitch over your zipper!

 Repeat each of these steps on the other side of the zipper with the remaining fabric and ruffle.

Ok, now first things first, UNZIP YOUR ZIPPER HALF WAY.  You'll be stuck if you don't!  :)  Now pull your outer fabric together, right sides facing, and lining fabric together, right sides facing, looking somewhat like a butterfly (see picture below.)  Pin all the way around, being careful to tuck in the edges of the ruffle so they don't get caught in the seam allowance.  Leave a 3-4" opening along the bottom of the lining for turning.  Starting at one edge of the opening of the lining, stich a 1/2" seam allowance ALL the way around the clutch, ending at the other side of the opening, (and being careful stitching over the zipper.)

 To creat a little "bottom" on the bag: on both the outer fabric and lining, open your seam allowance on each curve and pinch the fabric out and flat.  Measure 1-2" along the seam, mark with a pin, and pin in place.  Stitch horizontally across the flat section.  (Exactly where the horizontal pin is placed in the photo below.)  Trim excess fabric.

 Turn the bag right side out through the opening and stitch the opening closed.

Voila!  A little sea urchin clutch!

Doesn't the opening where the zipper is look like some sort of sea creature?  I couldn' t help but think of some sea urchin or clam everytime I open it up.  So cute!  And now it's housing all my makeup.  :)  I hope my directions were clear and that you enjoy! Thank you for reading!  :)

Feeling Festive: The 4th

I found a tutorial last year on how to make a fabric star garland.

My mom LOVES patriotic decor and the 4th of July, so there was no way I could pass by the tutorial when a red, white, and blue star garland could be oh so cute! 

I think I sent her the tutorial last year, but I made her one this year for her birthday anyway.

And if I'm making one for my mom, I gotta make one for me, right?  :)

You can make one too, if you like it, by going to

http://blog.maggiemakes.com

Click on her link to 'tutorials' and you'll see a picture of the star garland.

This wasn't a quick, one afternoon project, but you can end up with an adorable garland to hang up year after year.  I love that she mentions that you can make this in any color scheme for things like birthday parties or baby nurseries... so cute.

So here's my patriotic stars:

You start out with five diamonds that get sewn to make the front and back of each star.

Big Brown Eyes

 My projects aren't complete without other little projects for littler hands lying around too :)

here are some pre-stuffed stars

 And voila!  I'm so ready for bbq's and fireflies and swimming time and fireworks and watermelon and just all the fun that comes with the 4th of July!!

I absolutely love the gradation of size in the stars.

click on the photo to see a larger image

gotta love the wii going on, right?... this is what's giving me my bloggin time ;)

 And I've got a little festivity hanging on the front door too :)

Can't wait for the 4th!  :D

Next on the list of things to do: a little powder room decor

In my Garden (er... someday garden)

I've always dreamed of someday having a beautiful garden...

Right now all we have is a little patch of grass (stained by everyone else's dogs... I won't even go there...) but we've tried to make our little patch beautiful. 

And I think we're off to a good start.  :)  I keep thinking, someday, when we have our own little house and a real yard and garden to start, we'll have some good stuff ready to put in it!

So today we made a trip first to Homegoods (I think we've been to Lowes almost every Saturday this summer) finally found a pot and a trellis that we like (at a decent price, hoorah!) and then we went to Lowes again.  For beautiful flowers.  :)  That make me so happy. 

Now someday I need a fountain.  ;)

Isn't the trellis and pot pretty? The trellis matches our wooden planter boxes by the front door, and the pot actually shines kind of deep blue/black/and brown all at once. I love it!

This whole plot began with the wisteria plant Brian bought in the spring. It was growing up our balcony, but we thought she'd do better out front on a beautiful trellis. We've literally been looking for weeks and weeks for a new home for this poor girl (she was definitely outgrowing her plastic planter pot.) I'm so glad we found something for her to climb up and spread out of! Plus I LOVE the other flowers and the Creeping Jenny down the front... Ahhh... Someday, I WILL have a beautiful garden.

We had a not-so-small friend come visit us during our potting session! Ok, he wasn't huge, but he's wasn't a tiny little lizard either. He had to have been about 6 in. long. I've never seen one like this around here before! I was glad to catch a shot of him before he hid away in the bushes.

pretty Foxglove

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can't remember what these little beauties were called, but I love how they feel a little bit tropical

pretty pink geranium (these are pretty easy to keep alive, right?) haha- because that's the kind of plants I need

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I hope I saved my best/most artistic shot for last.  ;)  I still need to have Leilani take me out and give me a photography lesson!  And then a photoshop lesson, haha.  :) 

It would be a dream come true to someday have a garden that looks like it could be plastered across the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.  *sigh*  A girl can dream, right?  :) 

Vintage-esque Summer Pillow Covers

I don't think I ever really clarified what my real intent is behind this blog...

My biggest hope is that it inspires a project for you to do!  I love looking at other people's work and thinking, "Hey- I would love to do something like that, but maybe in this other way?"  So I hope this blog is always an avenue for inspiration!  I've thought about writing out tutorials for things, but I think I'll leave that on a 'per request' basis.  If you really like something and want step-by-step instructions on how to do it, I'd be happy to write up a tutorial!  I think most everything is pretty simple- so hopefully just seeing things put together can inspire you on how to make your own.  :)

I had my spring pillows out on the couch and felt that times were a'changin'...

90+ degrees can stomp spring out of your mind pretty quickly.  ;)

So I made some summer pillowcovers!  My goal was mellow, soft, and vintage-y feeling.  I knew I wanted to applique some stuff onto the blue linen I had.  And I wanted to try making them 'envelope' style.  So here's how they turned out!

Thank you Michaels for your assorted collection of mini doilies  :)  That's definitely what put these over the edge for a 'vintage' look to me.

I had fun making the flowers out of the same fabric as my larger pillows on the couch.  It all feels very unified.

I <3 buttons!

The pillows have already been put to some good use.  What's fun is that the large pillows are reversible too.  I haven't had the stripes facing forward for a while, and I really like it with the new pillows!

Here is the 'envelope' style back I was talking about.  I think pillowcovers are about the greatest thing ever.  Cheap IKEA pillows that can be changed every single season?  Yeah, that rocks!

Ahahaha goof ball.  If the camera is out, there must be pictures taken of "ME!!"

He's so dang irresistable.

 So go get some pillow inserts and have a blast making cute pillow covers!  :)  Next project on the line:  A patriotic stuffed star garland that is ADORABLE.