D.I.Y. Faux Fur Clutch

After buying a yard of faux fur at the flea market a few months ago, I struggled to come up with the perfect use for it. Then I saw a page full of fun furry items in Marie Claire and inspiration struck. I knew I wanted to make a clutch or small handbag, but put off buying any of the other necessary materials. As luck would have it, I found the perfect bag to use as a base at the Goodwill outlet. Read on to find out how to make your own.You will need a bag, faux fur, ribbon, thread, a needle, a thimble, pins and scissors. A sewing machine is optional. First, fold your fur in half, right sides together. Place your bag on top of the fur with the bottom of the bag on the fold line of the fur. Trim the fur, leaving one inch of extra fabric on each side and at the top. Pin the sides together and sew using a one inch seam. Turn the fur right side out and use a pin to pull the fur out of the seams. Slide your bag inside the fur pouch, turn the upper edges underneath and hand stitch to secure them.To make the bow, fold your ribbon back and forth until you have the desired number of loops. Sew through the middle and wrap a short piece of ribbon around the middle and secure in the back with a few stitches, then sew the bow to the faux fur. Now attach the upper part of the faux fur to the bag. This was the hardest part for me because the bag I was using was pretty thick near the top where I attached it. That's where the thimble comes in.All together this cost about $3, as all my materials were second hand. I'm very pleased with how my fur clutch turned out and I can't wait to style some outfits around it!

Edit: Wondering how to turn a flap-style clutch into a furry place to stash your essentials? Head on over to Bye Bye Soccer Mom for another faux fur bag tutorial! Hers even has pockets, which we all know make anything approximately 75 times better. Great minds truly think alike. 

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