Make your own flirty envelope clutch from cloth napkins

Your purse probably looks like most — full of old receipts, loose change, maybe a piece of gum, miscellaneous junk — and weighs a ton. Simplify your life with an easy, envelope-style clutch made from a cloth napkin.

Although it may seem intimidating, this is actually the perfect project for a less-experienced sewer. Pick your favorite pattern instead of wandering around a store hoping to find a small purse you like. This soft, easy-to-grab clutch is the ideal size for a wallet, phone, keys and maybe a lip balm or lipstick — everything you need without the weight of that junk-collecting purse.

Materials
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- 2 cloth napkins
- Rotary cutter
- Fleece
- Fabric marker
- Fabric scissors
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Iron-on interfacing
- Magnets
- Iron and ironing board

Instructions
1. Put the two napkins flat on the cutting mat and fold them in half, keeping them together.

2. Trim off the side seams with the rotary cutter, as well as the top seam. (The fabric in the tutorial is 13 by 18 inches.)

3. Lay out the fleece and put the unfolded napkins on top. Cut around the napkins with scissors to create a lining.

4. Keep the fabric in layers, but fold in the corners of the shorter side of the top piece to create the envelope's point.

5. Mark the creases and connect the dots with the ruler. Cut along the lines with scissors through all three layers.

6. Layer the pieces so you have napkin fabric, napkin fabric and fleece. Pin the pieces together with straight pins around the edge.

7. Starting at the bottom, sew around the edge of the piece, leaving an open space of a couple of inches at the bottom to allow you to turn the piece right-side out.

8. Flip over the piece so the fleece faces up. Use scissors to round off all corners above the seam as close as you can.

9. Cut out two small squares of the iron-on interfacing.

10. Put the fabric on the ironing board, fleece facing up, and place a magnet at the point of the envelope.

11. Cover the magnet with a piece of interfacing, and press down on the interfacing with a hot iron. (Follow the interfacing instructions regarding iron temperature and time.)

12. Fold the bottom edge of the clutch upward, and use the magnet in the envelope point to determine its placement. Use a needle to mark where the middle of the magnet will be.

13. Unfold the clutch and put the magnet in place. Repeat step 11 to secure it.

14. With the interfacing applied and cooled, turn the clutch inside out using the open space along the bottom edge. Flatten out the corners on the inside before closing up the clutch.

15. Top-stitch the top and bottom edges on the sewing machine.

16. Fold up the bottom of the clutch, and pin the sides together. Sew the sides shut on the sewing machine.