Pleated Clutch Bag / Purse With Concealed Zip

You don't need much fabric to make a stylish clutch bag with enough space for your essentials on an evening out. This one has pleats across the front and a toning lining with a pocket that will take a couple of credit cards and a bank note or two. The zip / zipper is hidden and there's the option of adding a detachable wrist strap. The lower corners are squared off to give the bag depth.

A PDF pattern is provided in the next step. Unless otherwise stated, all seam allowances (included in the pattern) are ½”.

The fabric requirements below are for a bag of the size shown in the photos, 10” wide by 5” tall and 2" wide at the base.

A piece of outer fabric at least 17” wide by 21” long

Lining fabric measuring 17” wide by 13” long

Heavy weight iron-on interfacing or iron-on buckram, 11” x 14”

Medium weight iron-on interfacing, 11” x 17” (more if the pocket is interfaced)

A 10” zip

Matching sewing thread

A sewing machine, pins, needles, scissors, etc

Paper and pencil to make patterns

Optional, a ½” D-ring and a spring clip (dog lead type)

Print the PDF pattern for the bag front that’s attached to this step. If you want to end up with a bag of the same measurements as given in the Introduction, adjust the scale as necessary to make the left hand edge measure 7”. It will fit on a sheet of A3 paper. (If you choose to make a bag of a different size, don't forget that you'll need a zip of a different size too.)

In addition, make paper patterns for the back, the zip facing and the internal pocket. The back is a rectangle measuring 11” x 7”, the zip facing is an 11” x 2” rectangle and the internal pocket is a 5” x 6½” rectangle.

From the main (outer) fabric cut 1 front, 1 back and 2 zip facings. Place them with the straight grain of the fabric running down the bag, ie parallel to the short sides of the pieces. If your fabric is patterned, be sure to match front and back at the left (when viewed from the front) side seam.

From heavyweight iron-on interfacing or iron-on buckram cut 2 backs. These will be used on the front and back of the bag outer.

Fold up 1” along one long edge of the back pattern and then use it to cut 2 lining pieces (back and front). Also cut 1 internal pocket from the lining fabric.

From medium-weight iron-on interfacing cut 2 backs (with the long edge of the pattern still folded up) and 2 zip facings. These will be used on the front and back of the lining and the zip facing. If your lining fabric is firm then it won’t be necessary to interface the pocket, but if you think it is necessary then fold the pocket pattern in half (so it measures 5” x 3¼”) and use it cut another piece of interfacing.

Transfer the black and red lines denoting the pleats to the back of the main fabric front piece and then tack along them so that the lines are visible on the right side of the fabric.

Trim away the ½” seam allowance from all 4 edges of the two pieces of heavy interfacing/buckram, then cut a 1” square out of the two lower corners of each piece (see photo).

Trim away the ½” seam allowance from all 4 edges of the pieces of the medium-weight interfacing and apply them within the seam allowance on the wrong side of the lining pieces and the zip facings.

For the optional wrist strap, cut a strip of the main fabric 1¼” wide and 15” long.

Working from one side to the other, fold along each black pleat line in turn, wrong sides together, and press with an iron (using a damp cloth if appropriate) to make a sharp crease along the fold. Then, right side facing and starting with the right-most pleat, bring each black line across to the associated red line. This should result in a rectangle the same size as the back pattern – make minor adjustments to the pleats if necessary, and/or trim the edges of the pleated fabric, to achieve that. Press well on both the right and wrong sides of the fabric.

Stitch across the top and bottom of the pleats close to the raw edges to secure the folds, then remove the tacking that marked the pleats.

Apply the heavyweight iron-on interfacing or buckram to the wrong side of both the back and the front, within the seam allowances.

With right sides together, stitch front to back along the sides and base, taking a ½” seam. Press the seam allowances open.

With the bag outer still inside out, arrange each lower corner so that the side seam lines up with the seam along the bottom, forming a small triangle (see photo). Stitch just outside the edge of the interfacing/buckram to form the base of the triangle. Trim away the excess fabric.

If you’re interfacing the pocket, apply interfacing to half the pocket piece. Then fold it in half right sides together and stitch all the way round in a 3/8” seam leaving a turning gap of about 2” in the middle of the lower edge.

Trim the seam allowances and turn right sides out. Press, tucking the seam allowances inside at the turning gap and tack the gap closed.

Pin the pocket in place on one of the lining pieces with their centres lined up horizontally and the folded top edge of the pocket 2” below the top raw edge of the lining. Stitch close to the pocket edge from the top of one side, across the base and up the other side, closing the turning gap in the process.

For a right-handed bag owner it is best to have the pocket inside the bag’s back and the zip pull at the left hand side when the zip is closed.

With one of the zip facings lying right side up, place the zip right side down on it, centred horizontally and with the zip teeth 5/8” from the upper edge of the facing. Then place a lining piece face down on top, with its upper edge lined up with the facing’s edge. The zip tape should be sandwiched between the facing and the lining. Sew through all 3 layers (in a 1/2 ” seam) using a zip foot. Start with the zip fully closed then open it when you are near to the end of the seam – with the needle in the fabric, raise the presser foot to make enough room - to avoid the zip pull getting in the way.

Repeat, sewing the other side of the zip to the upper edge of the second facing and the second piece of lining.

Press the zip facing seam allowance and the zip tape towards the zip facing and the lining seam allowance towards the lining, being careful not to let the iron touch the zip teeth. Still using the zip foot, top stitch along the zip facing on both sides of the zip, close to the seam and through all 3 layers (facing, facing seam allowance and the narrow strip of zip tape trapped between them), keeping the lining and its seam allowance clear.

Open the zip half way and then place the lining/facing right sides together with the top, bottom and side edges level, ensuring that the zip teeth are pointing downwards towards the base of the bag. Pin or clip front to back all around the sides and lower edge, matching the seams at each end of the zip. Move your sewing machine needle from the centre to the left so that the seam will be slightly wider than for the bag outer, allowing the lining to fit within it. Stitch from the top edge of the facing at one end of the zip down to the corner and across the base for about 2½”. Do the same at the other side, stopping 5” from the end of the previous stitching to leave a turning gap. Press the seams open and press the seam allowances under at the gap.

Fold the corners to form a triangle as for the bag outer. Stitch across where the base of the triangle measures 2”. Trim away the excess fabric.

Oversew one long edge of the strap piece to stop it fraying, then fold it lengthwise into 3 with the overstitched edge on the outside. Topstitch on the right side around all 4 sides about 1/8” from the edge.

Cut a 2½” length from the strap and insert it through the D-ring, folding it in half with the oversewn edge inside. Clip it in place over the side seam at the end of the facing where the zip pull will be when the bag is closed, on the right side of the facing with the raw edges even. Stitch it securely in place within the seam allowance.

Oversew the ends of the remainder of the strap to neaten them. Then pass one end through the ring attached to the spring clip by about 1”. Fold it back on itself and stitch securely. Fold the free end of the strap back on itself also to form a wrist loop, placing the neatened end against the other neatened end. Stitch in place.

With the bag outer right side out and the lining inside out, place the outer inside the lining. Check it’s the right way around, so that the zip opens from left to right when looking at the front of the bag. Line up the side seams and the raw edges, then clip or pin the raw edges together. Stitch.

Grade the seam (ie trim the seam allowances by different amounts to reduce bulk) then turn the bag through the gap in the bottom of the lining and tuck the lining and facing inside the outer bag. Press the top seam then topstitch around it close to the edge to hold the facing inside the bag.

Slipstitch the gap in the lining closed by hand before giving the finished bag a thorough press.