Space Invaders Clutch Purse

Latest project: a Space Invaders clutch purse.

the front...

...and the back.

I talked about this before in my interfacing post, but I was trying a few new things with this bag. First, I tried really hard to line up/match the fabric. That was actually pretty easy - I just had to strategically place my pattern pieces before cutting them out. The sew-on interfacing made things a little more difficult, though. The fabric felt stiff, but there actually was a lot of movement in the center of the fabric (away from the stitches) that I didn't take into account, so things got slightly off on the back. I feel like fusible interfacing would help solve that, provided you make sure the fabric is straight before fusing.

The different types of fabric were interesting. I do like corduroy... I see why my sister is always using it in her bags. But it didn't occur to me that the texture and thickness would cause the fabric to pull slightly as it passed under the presser foot, so my corduroy band on the front is slightly diagonal.

The front band is also supposed to have a bow on the right side, but I got lazy and didn't feel like hand sewing on a bow. (It was also going to be in black corduroy.) I think the clutch could use something on the band... maybe not a bow, but a corduroy space creature? Or a cross stitch medallion?

I liked using lining fabric. I did not hand stitch the lining fabric closed, so there is a very big and visible machine seam on the bottom of the bag. Laziness. The lining also seems too big for the interior... maybe I'm missing something in the pattern (like sewing larger seam allowances for the lining?) but this always seems to happen to me. My goal for the next bag I sew is to improve the lining - both in the fit and the seam.

I used a lot of hardware on this bag too. It called for a magnetic clasp, which was super easy to install, a ring and a wrist band. I had the hardest time finding the fixture to attach the wrist strap, and when I finally found a store that carried them the only color they had was a dirty bronze, not silver like the rest of the hardware. Note to self for next time: find all the supplies before sewing. Do I really need a wristband? (Especially an overly large one that can probably fit three or four wrists?) I might cannibalize it for another project.

Overall verdict for the bag: I love the fabric. The form is a little clunky. It seems like it either needs much more structure or much less, but I think that's largely because of the materials (namely, cotton fabric) I used. Not sure if I would use this pattern again, but it's cute.