I know. Where do I get this stuff. Mostly from StumbleUpon – but today’s post is an old favourite of crafters – making a clutch from a place mat.
In university, my roommate who’s now my MoH had a rip in the cuff of her favourite sweat shirt. She was sad and I wanted to fix it for her – so I picked up the glue gun and glued it back together. And you know – I think that sweat shirt cuff is still hanging on. The lesson? When you have an idea that you are 80% sure will work, don’t let the funny looks of other people stop you from doing it.
The key to this craft is finding a place mat that isn’t just a dingy old one you found in a kitchen drawer. Try and find a nice one – after all, you would spend $40+ on a store bought clutch, right? So why not SPLURGE and walk out of IKEA and go to a fancy store, like Pier 1, and spend $10 on a place mat. Come on – live a little.
Tools:
- A place mat you actually like and would carry around – $10
- Scrap fabric for lining – on hand/$2
- Hot glue gun - on hand/$3
- Ribbon – on hand/$2
- Optional: buttons or other embellishments – on hand/$3
Total Cost: $20
Total time: 30 minutes
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| Start with your place mat. I got this one for $4 at Country Living, which I love, and it was on the sale shelf in the basement. Get your hands dirty – go looking in nooks and crannies. |
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| So for this bad boy, I used left over linen from this little project of late, and then a $2 spool of ribbon from Michaels. |
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| So step one is to attach the lining to the place mat. This is rocket science to read carefully. Cut the lining to the same size as the place mat, take your hot glue gun and glue the edges together. Wait for mmmm a minute (?) til it cools and hardens. V.o.i.l.a. |
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| Next, use the ribbon to line the edges to hide any imperfections of your actual lining and to perk up the inside a little bit. |
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| To hem to edges of the ribbon (or whatever you call it when you don’t want the edges to fray), fold the edge of the ribbon over and glue it. Yes, just glue it. |
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| Next, fold the place mat into thirds, like you would fold up a letter to put in the mail, leaving the top fold about 1/3 shorter than the other two sides (does that make sense? It’s so that the top fold will be more like a flap, unless you want it flush at the bottom). With the bottom two flaps, line the side edges with hot glue and then press them together, pinching them with clothes pins. |
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| So I decided to give my purse an embellishment that had a functional purpose as well. To hold the clutch closed and secure, I am going to use a bottom and a skinnier ribbon. First I sewed the button on (which I have no idea how to do, if I used the right thread or the right stitch but I suppose it doesn’t matter, does it) |
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Once the button is sewed on, I took the skinnier ribbon and glue about 3 inches of ribbon to the inside of the top flap. Then I made sure the ribbon itself was long enough to go the full way around and a few inches left to wrap round the button to secure it.
Voila. C’est fin. For UNDER $20. Cute eh??? |
