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Purse Palooza :: Pattern Review: Charlie’s Aunt Casablanca Clutch

This post is part of Purse Palooza 2012.
For full schedule of guest post pattern reviews and prizes, click here!

Sara of The Pretty Pickle is someone that I am secretly very jealous of…besides all of the other projects she sews, she is just a master at sewing all kinds of dresses, pants, and tops for herself. She is just extremely stylish! Check out her blog and find out what I mean!!

Hello y’all!  I’m Sara Upshaw and I blog over at The Pretty Pickle.  Thanks, Sara, for inviting me here today to review a perfectly adorable pattern called the Cassablanca Clutch. This pattern comes from an etsy shop I recently discovered called Charlie’s Aunt.

What materials are needed to make the bag? 

It takes a yard and 1/4 total to make the bag.  I used three fabrics: one for the main outer fabric, another for the contrast and lining and one scrap for the pocket.  I was drawn to the example bags using suiting, wool and other non-quilting cotton fabrics.  I had some brown suiting fabric in my stash and decided to experiment with that and use some Heather Bailey quilting cotton I loved.


What type of interfacing did you use?

The shop proprietor and designer, Emma, recommends a quilted calico or sew-in interfacing for the body of the bag and a stiffer fusible interfacing for the flap.  I used a medium weight sew-in interfacing plus a layer of batting I had laying around to give it some extra body. I used a lightweight fusible for the flap, just because I didn’t want it to be too stiff. 


Pattern Pieces:  There are only 6 paper pattern pieces.  There are 15 pieces of fabric/interfacing to cut out.  That sounds like a lot, now that I’m writing it down, but I cut out three of these bags at once and didn’t feel it took very long.
Illustrations/Instructions:  Oh my goodness… everything was clear as a bell.  Wow, the instructions were great!  There are explanations of all the skills you will use before the pattern instructions begin and the instructions complete with very clear illustrations.  I think the quality of the instructions make this pattern a thumbs-up for the adventurous beginner.  Obviously, things like interfacing and magnetic snaps might make this pattern a bit tricky, but those are skills that you build by doing and this pattern is a great one to guide someone through their first try at these skills. 

The pattern is well drafted, which means that everything lines up and goes where you expect it to go.  This is another reason why I think a beginner could try it, because there won’t be any surprises where you might have to fudge some seam allowances or cut off some extra fabric because the edges don’t match up after sewing.

As far as the bag itself, I think it’s a great shape and it was just the size I was looking for.  It’s right on trend with the oversized clutch style that has become popular lately.  This one was perfect for me because of it’s roomy interior, stylish curves and built-in option to mix and match fabrics, which is my passion in bags.

I was so excited after I made it, that I immediately transfered everything (that includes diapers!) in my regular purse to my new clutch so I could carry it at a jazz festival we were attending the next day.

See?  There it is, all ready to go.

I thoroughly enjoyed carrying it and look forward to making the others I already have cut out.  I can’t recommend this pattern enough.

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9 thoughts on “Purse Palooza :: Pattern Review: Charlie’s Aunt Casablanca Clutch

  1. Gill says:

    I love this clutch!
    Thanks for the review – I’m off to check out the pattern!

  2. Rosa says:

    Beautiful cluth.Thanks for sharing!!

  3. I Love the clutch, i’m not too crazy about those colors though! Great job putting it together…. 🙂

  4. Carol says:

    Cute! but I would have to add a strap.

    1. Sara says:

      There’s a version of the pattern that includes a strap. Emma has thought of everything! 🙂

  5. Cherie says:

    Such a gorgeous clutch. I’d feel like someone would be about to steal it though without a strap on it =D

    1. Sara says:

      Thanks! There is a version of the pattern that includes a strap. You could also easily add a clip and wrist strap in a side seam.

  6. VERY nice! Love your blog too.

  7. chicastic says:

    Pretty one. I Like it! Can we make such stuff at home anyhow?

    Bridal Evening Bags

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