Yesterday I made this clutch just to try out the concept. The fabric is a vintage tablecloth from Indian Head Mills.
This was fun to make because I didn't make any pattern pieces and cut it free hand, and then trimmed it as I went along. Sometimes I need that kind of freedom.
Many months ago, I tried making something similiar, but with a zipper for each the top and bottom. It didn't turn out well and ended up in the trash. Now I wish it was still around to get a picture! The basic idea was the main pouch had its own zipper and then the top/flap part did too. So where this one has one zipper, there were two next to each other with a small fabric strip between them.
The two zippers seemed like a good idea at first, but it was tricky to sew them so close to each other and have them look neat. Then when it came time to fold the top down, the two zippers created too much bulk in the fold. So anyway, it got tossed out.
But this idea of having just one zipper was super easy and ends up working well. I can get my wallet, phone and a few other things in the bottom half. Then the top/flap part is good for smaller items.
There are sew-in magnetic snaps on each half to hold it together when it is folded. I really like the sew-in magnets and feel sort of over the other kind. The ones with prongs will always be useful, but the sew-in ones are definitely my preference lately.
