Tutorial #1.0: Felt Clutch

Hello, Riverside Stitchers! Thanks for visiting our page for our VERY FIRST tutorial! For this project, we will be making a bag that can be used as a makeup case,  art supply case, or a small clutch.

If you came to our launch party in time to get one of these pre-packaged projects, you’ll have all the ingredients in front of you. If not, here’s what you need:


• A 9x 14” piece of felt. It can be smaller, but this size will match up with a 9” zipper, so keep that in mind.
• One 9” zipper.
• One skein of embroidery floss. Remove one strand of it to use to sew on your zipper, or use some normal thread if you have that handy.
• One sewing needle or embroidery needle.
• A few straight pins to keep your work together as you sew.
• A pair of scissors.
• Optional, some buttons or other “flair” to decorate the clutch once it’s done.

Step 1: Prepare your needle and thread.
Unravel one strand of thread from your embroidery floss, about 40” long. If you have a spool of thread laying around in a pleasing color, use about 40” of that instead!
Thread your needle. It helps to cut the end of your thread so there aren’t stray pieces sticking out. Put a bit of spit on the end and twist the end of the thread, and then push it through the head of your needle. Pull your needle to the halfway point of your thread, then tie a knot at the end of your thread. If you want to see a video of this, here you go:

Step 2: Sew on the zipper.
Yes, we are going to start out with the most difficult thing about this project, the zipper. Most folks new to sewing are intimidated by zippers, but with practice and some help, they’re not so difficult!

Set your zipper with the zipper pull (right side) facing toward you, and put it on the backside of one of the 9” sides of felt. Line it up so that the edge of the fabric is sitting right up against the teeth of the zipper. Use your straight pins to hold the zipper in place, and don’t stick yourself 5 billion times with your pins, like we do. :(
Sew on your zipper! We’ll show you a couple of decorative, yet simple and utilitarian stitches that are appropriate to sew on your zipper.

• Option 1, Blanket Stitch: Start by putting your needle into the fabric at the left lower edge of your zipper, through the back, so the needle is coming toward you. Pull the thread all the way through, until the knot stops the thread from going through. Then, put your needle back into the zipper above your fabric, about a quarter inch to the right and up from your first stitch. This time, don’t pull the thread tight, but leave it looking like a small loop. Your third stitch will be about a quarter inch below your previous stitch, inside that little loop. Pull your thread through the fabric tight, and now you have an L-shaped stitch! Repeat the second and third stitch until you’re at the end of your zipper and top of your bag.

• Option 2: You can also use a whip stitch to fasten your zipper to the felt. To do this, start your first stitch at the far left of the zipper, from back to front. Pull the thread through to the knot. Put your needle into the zipper close to the fabric, and pull through. Repeat until you get to the end of the zipper.

• Option 3: You can also use an in-and-out or running stitch to fasten your zipper to your felt. To do this, insert your needle into the back of your work at the far left edge, in the middle of the zipper. Pull through, and insert it back into your work from front to back, about a quarter inch away from your first stitch, and pull your thread through until it stops. Repeat until you get to the end of your zipper.

When you finish that side of the zipper, tie a knot at the back of your work to hold your thread in. One side of your zipper is now securely attached to your fabric! Make sure your zipper is zipped, and line up the other side of the felt fabric with the zipper teeth. This should look like a tube of fabric, with a zipper running down the side. Sew the other side of the zipper to your felt in the same manner you used to sew the first side.

Coolness! Let’s get this bag finished and ready to go!

Step 3: Stitch up the sides of your fabric.

Line up the sides of your bag together so the edges line up with each other. Then, sew them together using the whip stitch, running stitch, or blanket stitch. 

 When you get to the bottom of the side of the bag, knot your thread.

Now, sew up the other side of your bag, tie a knot in your work, and you're finished! Once you're finished, try gluing or sewing a few buttons on the front of the bag for decoration, or keep it as is.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at riversidestitchsociety {at} gmail {dot} com.