Summarized:
We love patchwork !

The clutch bag is a small, flat handbag. The handbag is usually without handles or straps. Sometimes the larger clutch do have handles or detachable straps.  The clutch is made a some sort of envelop and designed to be handheld or carried under your arm.The Clutch is compact and is usually used for evening occasions to carry minimal essentials like a phone, credit cards, or cosmetic items.

Clutch bags are very old!
Bags and purses are known from very old paintings and tapestries. But just a few survived history and are shown in musea.  The materials were often not good enough to save the clutch bags for centuries.
A seven hundred year of bag owned by the Courtauld Gallery in London may well be the oldest surviving example of a clutch bag. The bag is originally from the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq and is a clear indication that such accessories were, from the outset, signifies of wealth and status. Extraordinarily modern in design, the bag has a solid brass body and is inlaid with scenes of courtly life in gold and silver. A front flap is fastened with a catch, just like a contemporary ‘envelope clutch’.

In Medieval Europe, women wore small bags attached to a belt.  Bags and purses were mainly concealed for reasons of security but a change in fashion led to the purse/bag becoming a beloved object.

Last centuries clutch bags were mostly a combination of some sort of jewellery and bag.  Metals, exquisite gems and fabrics were used to create clutches. More recently the clutch is mainstream. Cheap, comfortable or very exclusive and expensive.

How to wear a clutch bag?
One of the attractions of the clutch is its theatricality. A clutch bag means you do not have to carry your own stuff, you only need to worry about your lipstick, a small mirror or whatever.  Somebody else is probably carrying your other stuff. A P.A. (= personal assistance)? Yes, you are probably a star and it shows because you only need to wear a clutch.

Clutches are designed to focus on your middle-waist, your hands and the clutch itself. They are mostly small jewels, carrying under your arms or with both hands. Wearing them with both hands also indicates, you are not going to shake hands. That's looks very upper-class, and nowadays (2020) also very Corona-safe.

Nowadays clutches are also more handy than ever; you can wear a face-mask in it and be prepared if it is necessary to wear a face-mask for your own safety or somebody else safety.

Modern clutches are not jewels anymore, and not only exclusively made for the rich and famous. Clutch bags are mainstream and sometimes even very sustainable because they are made of fabric leftovers. Or recycled plastics, paper or environmentally friendly materials.

Chanel clutch bags:
Chanel has been making clutch bags for some time. Often these are very similar to the famous bag the 2.55. But with fewer compartments, lighter weight, even more handy and with or without a chain. Some larger wallets are also called clutch bags because they can easily pass for a graceful evening bag.
The real authentic vintage Clutch bags are worth gold and very beautiful. These are often more 'jewels' than bags.

The leather variant is no longer alone. The clutch is also increasingly made in tweed fabrics and even in plastic and other futuristic fabrics. Characteristic: the perfect finish, the symbols and the logo. And the hefty price for an authentic or vintage Chanel Clutch bag.

How to make a clutch bag?
It is not that difficult to make a perfect clutch bag. Certainly not for an 'advanced' seamstress, but it is also fine for a beginner seamstress. If you only work step-by-step, take the time for it and ensure a nice finish. Take a good look at google and tutorials and even better: an example of a clutch nearby in sight, to study and copy.

Which materials do you need?
The outside fabric: a nice tweed, Bouclé or something more easy to sew: goblin or another sturdy fabric. The lining: go for a real silk fabric, taffeta silk or a fabric that folds nicely and is not too flexible. Inner lining: flannel fabric or thinly padded fleece liner. In addition, you need a larger press stud, a metal closure or a decoration.

Let's start!

• Cut out the fabrics according to the dimensions: 64 x 29.5 cm.
• Quilt the outer fabric on the flannel or the quilted fleece line in a check pattern or stripes.
• Make inner pockets, a label and possibly even more pockets in the lining fabric.
• Attach a flap of the outer fabric and the inner fabric to each other and secure this flap to the outer fabric.
• Now sew the outside fabric and the fabric lining, each on the sides.
• Sew the outer fabric and lining together but leave a small opening to allow the fabric to be turned.
• Finally sew the small opening neatly by hand again Iron or crush the bag in a nice flat shape.
• Fold the bag in half and fasten the snap button on the flap and on the underside, in the middle of the outer fabric.
• Finally: finish the bag nicely: put all the loose threads back with a needle in the fabric, push the corners well out and gently iron the bag into shape.

Summarized:
Do you have a nice piece of gobelin, Bouclé, tweed or jacquard fabric? And a silk lining or regular lining fabric? Make a nice clutch to give away during the holidays or make one for yourself. A clutch is always chic, handy and you really can't have enough clutches...
If you also make them from  fabric leftovers, or 'upcycling' a curtain, jacket or tablecloth; then you are completely good and creative!

The holidays will be different from 'life as we know it' this year. City trips to the big cities for Christmas shopping, going on a skiing holiday or large dinners with family and friends, these are all impossible because of the corona-crisis....

But people are creative and so we are going to celebrate it differently. But how? We have found some nice suggestions and ideas, beautiful sewing patterns (achievable in terms of deadline!) and above all: beautiful (affordable) fabrics!

Sense and Sensibility: a romantic blouse
We came across a beautiful blouse from Sense and Sensibility sewing patterns on the website of the online sewing pattern shop. This blouse is striking and beautiful and has three advantages that we would like to mention.

Three benefits!

1. The blouse falls under the category: Historical clothing and is therefore suitable for L.A.R.P. (= Life Action Role Play) and Cosplay. It is a Victorian blouse that is actually a kind of basic garment. You can wear it with vests, but also corsets, coats, capes and dresses. The blouse is an eye-catcher but also a great basic garment.

2. The blouse is quite easy to make. The sewing pattern is clear and has no pitfalls or really difficult things that require a lot of sewing experience. It looks like a difficult-to-create blouse because of all the ruffles attached to it, but the basic pattern is quite 'basic'. You can also create a lot of extras with it.
For example, tailoring even more by adding more pleats and darts, or making it even more 'Victorian' by working with many ruffles and lace.

3. The blouse is timeless and is very comfortable to wear. Ideal for holidays-series. This blouse seems very 'dressed' but is really just a blouse that fits and wears comfortably. The holidays 2020 will, in most cases, be celebrated at home in a limited social circle. Wear a nice blouse, a skirt or jeans underneath and you will look festive without too much fuss!

A short jacket, a half-long jacket or a really very long jacket. You might think turning a short jacket into a long jacket is not thát difficult. Extend the fabric and you have the same jacket but then longer. But it is a bigger deal...

Long coat = other function
A long jacket has a completely different function. Long coats are usually meant to be worn over clothing to go outside. Hey, hey, doesn't everyone know that? That's right, but sometimes ugly mistakes are made in the sewing world. More spacious and wider Jackets are often underestimated in terms of sewing techniques. Sewing patterns are taken a little less seriously when it comes to long coats. Many seamstresses who have often made a long jacket, know that sewing a long jacket is just as meticulous work as making a short jacket. And that making a long jacket is not that simple at all. How often did we experience a long jacket is 'just not right'? Sadly, too many times.

A coat or a long jacket?
A coat always refers to an outer jacket. Usually it is a long classic model made of wool, loden or tweed. An outdoor jacket is more like a sporty (long) jacket made of waterproof fabrics, or a quilted jacket with a hood. In the sewing world, people talk about coats or simply: jackets. The shorter (Chanel style) jackets are often categorized with blazers or 'jackets'. Often it is confusing but follow the golden rule that coats are the outer coats and 'jackets' often the inner jackets.

Sewing and cutting:
You have to pay attention when you are going to cut the fabric. Do not fold the fabric double, but put it in its total width on a table or on the floor. The front piece needs plenty of room just because it is cut in a wide arc, because of the wrinkles. Take a good look at how often you need to cut the fabric. Most sewing pattern parts do not have to be cut twice, only once, even the back panels. A different cutting schedule applies to the lining. Make sure you have cut enough fabric because the pattern does contain a lot of fabric. Stretch velvet or velor panne is not easy to cut. The fabric slips quickly. Pin the pattern pieces to the fabric with extra pins and use weights in the middle of the pieces.

The same for sewing: use lots of pins. This prevents a lot of frustration. Make sure you use a stretch needle and a special foot for smooth fabrics.

There are no pitfalls or difficulties mentioned. With a little sewing experience you can do the job, as long as you take the time to work with the  highly stretchy fabric..