Crocodile pleather clutch

This pint size clutch is a little challenge, but easier to make than you may think.

Its small size makes it perfect to make in bright colours or with statement fabrics. It’s a brilliant accessory with which to cheer up a light summer outfit, or bring a pop of colour to deep winter outfits.  

We used embossed pleather for the bag. You can replace this with any firm but pliable fabric like oil cloth or thick upholstery fabric. The lining is quilting cotton or anything alike – but avoid slippery fabrics for easier construction.  

The zipper can be a chunky zipper or a nylon coil zipper. We’ve sewn this bag with a lining and contrasting piping all around. You can use store bought piping or make your own to match the lining or zipper. The contrasting wrist strap attaches with a swivel hook so can be removed or swapped out with another.  

Have fun customising your bag!

Materials needed 

• Yellow pleather with crocodile skin embossing: 25 x 60cm 
• Lining fabric: 25 x 55cm 
• Piping in contrasting colour: 1m 
• Zipper – wider handbag style: 30cm piece with one puller 
• Small swivel hook: 1 or 1.5cm approximately 
• D-ring, O-ring or triangle ring to suit the swivel hook. You can also use strong cord in the same colour as the piping: 10cm 
• Vinyl for strap: two pieces of 50 x 5cm 
• Matching thread: yellow and blue 

Equipment needed 

• Sewing machine
• Super Universal or non-stick machine needle 
• Narrow zipper foot with non-stick coating F079 or non-stick foot F007N 
• Temporary glue stick (like 505, SewLine or Bohin) 
• Wonder clips (sewing clips) 
• Rotary cutter, cutting mat and ruler 
• Flat metal ruler 
• Point turner 
• Hand sewing needle 
• General sewing supplies 

Notes

• Finished size: 24.5 x 27.5cm 
• This project is suitable for confident beginners. 
• Seam allowances are 1cm unless instructed otherwise.

How to

Step 1

Cut from yellow pleather and lining:

• one piece of 26 x 19cm (back) 
• one piece of 26 x 21cm (front) 
• two pieces of 3.5 x 6cm each (zipper tabs) 

Step 2

Cut the front piece of the vinyl and lining: carefully measure and draw a line parallel to and 5cm from one of the long edges. Slice the piece along this line. Do the same with the lining.  

This is to ensure that the pattern will be uninterrupted from below the zipper to above the zipper.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Close the zipper. Smooth the lining down on the pleather (you can use a piece of double-sided tape or temporary glue stick to keep the layers together) and then trim the piece through all layers to 26 x 19cm. 

Step 6

If you’re using a D-ring, O-ring or triangle ring, make a tab from pleather by measuring the width needed on the hardware. Multiply this measurement by two. 

Cut a 15cm long strip with the width you just calculated. Lay the tab with right side down. Draw two lines, the distance you measured apart on the wrong side of the pleather.

1. Score and fold the raw edges towards the centre.  
2. Clip and top stitch in place.
3. Thread the D-ring onto the strip. 
4. Fold the tab in half, catching the hardware in the fold, and sew the ends of the tab.  
5. If you are using a piece of cord, form a loop of approximately 1.5cm and sew over the ends to keep it in place.

Clip your choice of tab in place on the side seam, in line with the zipper. The hardware or the loop should face towards the zipper.

Step 7

Clip the piping all around the prepared front. Snip into the piping to shape it at the corners. Baste all around on the piping, forming it as you go. Join the ends. To get a better understanding of how to perfectly add, shape and sew your piping, watch our instructional video on how to join piping here.

Open the zipper.

Step 8

Place the vinyl back piece on top of the prepared front – right sides facing and edges of pleather aligned. Clip all around. 

Turn the piece over so the lining side of the front is facing up.  

Place the back lining on top, right side facing down. Align the side and bottom edges, then fold the top edge back over by 1cm.  

Clip securely all around. 

Step 9

Sew through all layers along the sides and the bottom. At the top edge, make sure not to sew through the folded back lining piece. Sew right next to the piping cord.  

Trim the seams and turn to the right side. First turn the back lining with the unsewn to edge down and around to the back, so the back lining and the back pleather are facing.  

Now turn the bag out to the right side through the zipper. Push the corners out and finger press the piping and folds. Push the top section open and hand sew the opening in the lining closed.

Step 10

Make the strap.

Measure the flat part of the loop and double the measurement. Cut two strips of 50cm x the value you calculated. Adhere them to each other with wrong sides facing, using a few dabs of temporary glue. Draw a line with a pen 1cm from one edge. Draw a line parallel to this line, 2mm more than the distance you measured.

Sew running stitches with matching thread 5mm inside each line. Try to keep the two layers of pleather very flat. With a rotary cutter and ruler, trim just inside the drawn lines – so the lines are only just cut off. Tidy one end of the strap by cutting a neat 90-degree end.

Step 11 

Thread the trimmed end of the strap through the swivel hook, leaving about 5cm free. Measure where you would like to have the fold (normally around 20cm from the hook), fold the strap back towards the hook and trim it 5mm before the hook. Clip in place.

Fold the end that was threaded through the hook over this end, making sure the ends overlap at least 1cm, and clip. Sew over the overlapped part twice or insert a rivet to hold the strap in place.

Clip the swivel hook and strap onto the loop or ring on the bag, pop your lipstick inside and close the zipper – you’re ready to go!