Easy Handmade gift #3 - Zip Clutch

For that rock chick girl I made this easy little pouch with a little handle

Materials: front and back 28cm x 20cm (I used a stretch pleather with a black backing piece that is already attached - from Darn Cheap Fabrics)
zip


My zip was too long so I simply cut it off - from the bottom. Make sure your zip is done up before you chop it because if you lose the head of it, it is useless.
I sewed little pieces of fabric about 2cm long and as wide as the zip over the top and bottom of the zip.

Then I sewed the zip on the outside for effect. My fabric doesn't fray so I had a few more options.

Make sure both sides are even when you sew both pieces to the zip it should look like this below.

To sew the seams of the bag, put right sides together and pin. Just make sure that you leave the zip open a bit so you can turn it back in the right way. Sew along the three edges.

Turn bag the right way out through the gap in the zipper.

And your bag is almost done - I added some top stitching for detail - but you need to make sure all of your corners are pushed out. The points of the scissors are great for this.

I did a double row of stitching along both edges, and this hides my side seams nicely.

But it still needed a little something so I made a handle which attaches to the zip pull. 

I used black pleather which was 14cm long and 4 cm wide. I sewed it in half lengthwise.

Turned it out the right way using this tool.

And added two rows of stitching

Then using a ring and a leather end piece from my jewellery stash I finished it off. 

And it looks great! I may have to make myself one too!