As promised, here’s the tutorial for the heart wrist bag/clutch I teased earlier this week. I think it turned out really cute, and it would be perfect for any special romantic dates you have planned. It’s just big enough to hold the essentials, and there’s plenty of time to whip one up in time for Valentine’s Day.


Materials:
Red vinyl (or leather), 1/2 yard
Matching zipper
Sturdy chain (16 inches)
Swivel clip
3/4 inch or 20 mm split ring
0.5 inch or 12 mm split ring
Sewing machine
Thread
Leather/vinyl needle
Scissors
Paper
Marker
Alligator/bulldog clips
Non-stick sewing machine foot (optional, but it helps when sewing vinyl or leather)

1. Fold the sheet of paper in half lengthwise and draw half of a heart. With the sheet still folded, cut it out. If necessary, trim it until you have a heart shape you’re happy with.

2. Unfold the paper heart and place it on the back side of your vinyl. With a marker, trace around the heart twice, then cut out the two hearts from the vinyl. Make sure to cut inside the marker line, so that there’s none left on the edges of your vinyl.

3. Place one vinyl heart with the straight edge right-side-up on the zipper, lining up the top zipper stop with where the heart begins to curve. Sew the heart to the zipper, leaving 1/2 inch from the point of the heart unsewn. Line up the other heart on the other half of the zipper, and sew in place.

4. Cut a piece of vinyl 5 inches by 1/2 inch. Fold it in half wrong sides together, and sew together along each long edge. Fold in half again and loop it around the large split ring.

5. Line up the hearts wrong sides together, and clip in place. Trim the zipper, and fold the ends into the inside of the hearts. Sandwich the vinyl loop between the two layers of vinyl on one arch of the heart.

6. Sew around the perimeter of the heart, starting and stopping at the zipper ends.
7. Create a wrist strap by attaching the ends of the chain to a small split ring, and then attaching this to the swivel clip. Clip to the ring on the bag.