I am absolutely embracing the post-Covid “dress up whenever you can” attitude. Cute earrings? Adorable shoes? Summer dress? Yes please! Give it to me! But what I don’t have much of are clutches. So I decided to make a DIY placemat clutch purse. You heard that right- I’m taking a round placemat & making a purse! It’s so easy too! Here’s how you can make one.
how to make a placemat clutch purse
Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:
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SUPPLIES
- 15″ Placemat
- Magnetic Snap
- Pom Pom Trim– 3/8 yard for dark pink, light pink, orange, yellow and green. 1/3 yard for teal, and mint. 1/4 yard for purple.
- Binding Clips
- Hot Glue Gun
price breakdown for this project
For the placemat clutch purse I spent $17 on 6 placemats, $7 on the magnetic snaps, and $9 on the pom pom trim. The grand total for this project came to $33.
step 1- start creating the clutch
Start by laying the placemat flat and then fold over two sides 2″ over towards the middle. Tip- fold the sides over and hold them in place with clips. Then, measure to make sure it’s exactly 11″ wide from top to bottom. This will help to ensure the folds are straight and run parallel. This is important, if they’re crooked, the whole clutch will look sloppy.
Begin on one side and hot glue the edge down. Use a good amount of glue to make sure it holds. Repeat on the other side. The clips can be re-attached to hold the sides in place as the glue dries.
step 2- pocket
Next, this is an optional step, but I thought adding a pocket would be helpful for holding a card or some cash (or both). To do this, I cut out fabric for the pocket that is a 6″x5″ rectangle.
I ironed over the cut edges to create a clean hem.
After ironing, I next stitched the hem on the top of the pocket.
Them I sew the pocket onto the middle of the placemat.
step 3- finish the clutch shape
And now, fold the bottom of the placemat up 2-1/4″ (measure on the sides). Use clips to hold it in place.
Hot glue the edges of the bottom flap so that it now has the shape of a clutch. Replace the clip while the glue dries.
step 4- add the snap
For the next step, add the magnet. This is what holds the clutch closed. They’re super easy to install. Measure over 5 1/2″ over from the edge so the magnet will be centered.
Push the bottom one through the placemat. Add the metal plate and push the metal prongs out so they lay flat. Once the bottom snap is installed, connect the top part of the snap to the bottom snap with the magnet holding them together. Close the clutch and push the top section of the snap to the clutch.
Push the top prongs through the placemat. Add the metal plate and push the metal prongs out so they lay flat. Note, it’s easy to see where I installed the snap the first time too high on the clutch. The bottom of the bag flapped over so this lower placement is better.
Use clips to train the top of the clutch to fold over flat.
step 5- embellish the clutch
Now that the clutch is created, decorate it with an embellishment. I choose Pom Pom trim in rainbow colors. Rick rack, ribbon, or any decorative trim would work too.
Cut the trim to size and attach to the clutch with hot glue.
After cutting the Pom Pom trim, the edge frays easily. I suggest to fold it over and glue it down to create a clean edge.
Once the edge is cleaned up, attach it to the clutch with hot glue. Tip, make sure to cover the back of the snap with trim. My snap is at the bottom of the flap, so that’s easy. But this is something to consider when placing the snap.
after
Aww! Look at how cute the the clutch turned out!
It doesn’t look like a placemat, does it?!
I think this is a fun project that can be customized in lots of different ways. I’d suggest running to Joann and having fun in the trim aisle and seeing what you come up with! Or just do rainbow too, because that’s always fun! Anyway, how do you like the placemat clutch purse? Any questions? Let me know in the comments.
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