This project is designed by Little Miss Fancy Frocks, the dynamic mother and daughter duo who lovingly create handcrafted clothing for adults and children. Visit their Facebook page here.
Beaded Clutch Bag Project
Be as proud as a peacock with your new clutch bag, designed to add glitz to a special outfit for a wedding or a summer ball.
You will need...
Main fabric – 1 piece 30cm x 28cm, 2 strips 28cm x 4cm, 2 strips 30cm x 28cm
30cm of fabric to line the bag
30cm x 40cm fusible (medium/heavy weight)
1 bag clasp
7mm twisted graphite bugle beads (Gutermann 9395)
7mm straight green bugle beads (Gutermann 8535)
4mm pearl beads, ice blue
Seed beads, graphite
Seed beads, turquoise
Fluorescent beads, blue
Beads, green
8mm sequins, royal blue
8mm sequins, turquoise
8mm sequins, green
5mm sequins, royal blue
4mm sequins, turquoise
1cm squared paper for the design
You will also need a pair of scissors, tacking thread and a needle for embroidery plus a beading needle and a transfer pen. You will need a sewing machine to make the bag.
Minerva Crafts stock many of the items you need for this project.
Instructions
The sketch has been produced using centimetre squared paper. Draw out your own template using our design above as a guide.
Preparing the fabric for beading
Transfer the image onto the fabric using a transfer pen.
Iron the fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric.
How to - Sewing individual bugle beads/couching bugle beads
Using double thread and a knot to start, bring the thread onto the surface of the fabric and thread it through the bugle bead. Take the thread back to the underside of the fabric - the stitch should be the same width as the bugle bead.
For the radiating lines on the peacock we couched the bugle beads. Bring the thread onto the surface of the fabric and thread the beads along the length (we used approximately 15 bugle beads to fit each line). Take the thread to the wrong side of the fabric at the end of the line and catch stitch the thread of beads to the fabric every two beads.
Beads are sewn in place in the same way as the bugle beads, keeping the length of each stitch the same length or width of the bead.
How to - Sewing sequins/beads
Bring the thread onto the surface of the fabric, through the sequin and the bead and take the thread back through the centre of the sequin to the underside of the fabric.
Beading the peacock design
Step 1 - Twisted graphite bugle beads
Beginning at the centre and radiating out to the edge, couch the twisted bugle beads in place.
Step 2 - Straight green bugle beads
Sew the straight green bugle beads in place individually along line 1 and line 4.
Step 3 - Sequins
In area 4 stitch the 8mm royal blue sequins in place with the turquoise seed beads in the centre of each sequin.
In area 3 stitch the 8mm green sequins in place with the ice blue beads in the centre of each sequin.
In area 2 stitch the 8mm turquoise sequins in place with the blue beads in the centre of each sequin.
In area 1 stitch the 5mm royal blue sequin in place with the blue beads in the centre of each sequin.
Complete the sequins by stitching the 4mm turquoise sequins in place with the graphite seed beads.
Step 4 - Fluorescent blue beads
Couch the fluorescent blue beads in each section above and below the outer line of green bugle beads and above the turquoise sequins.
Step 5 - Large turquoise beads, 1st row
On the outer edge, next to the fluorescent beads couch the turquoise beads in place.
Step 6 - Large turquoise beads/ second row and peacock body
Couch a second row of turquoise beads along the outer edge of the peacock and fill the body and outline the head of the peacock.
Step 7 - Strips of turquoise seed beads
Couch turquoise seed beads either side of the sequins extending from line 2 to line 4.
Use two graphite seed beads for the peacock's eyes, and four turquoise beads to complete the head.
Step 8 - Graphite seed beads around base of peacock and final rows of graphite twisted bugle beads
Fill the base of the peacock with graphite seed beads and stitch two graphite bugle beads for the feet. Couch a second row of graphite bugle beads along the base and two rows on the outer edge of the peacock.
Making the clutch bag
Assemble the beaded design, lining and fabric edging strips to bind the edges of the bag.
Binding the top/bottom edges of the clutch bag
Tack the lining to the wrong side of the main beaded piece.
Use the shorter strips with right sides together stitch the shorter strips to the top and bottom of the bag. Use a 1cm seam allowance.
Hand stitching the binding in place
Fold over the raw edge of each strip and place the folded edge onto the row of stitching. Secure with hand stitching.
Binding the sides of the clutch bag
Fold over the end of the bag 12cm and pin in place. Pin the longer strips in place, right sides together and machine stitch using a 1cm seam allowance. Complete the binding in the same way as the top and bottom edges.
Binding the corners
Fold the bottom of the binding up before you turn the side over - it will give a neater finish.
Hand stitching the binding in place
Adding the clasp
If you enjoy hand embroidery, see our other free projects here.
