Envelope Clutch (In-the-Hoop)

Add glamour to your wardrobe with this classic envelope clutch! Faux leather and lavish embroidery combine to create a beautiful accessory that can adapt to a wide variety of outfits and occasions. Follow these step-by-step instructions to stitch your own clutch in-the-hoop!

In-the-hoop clutch purse designs have multiple files. Two are full embroidery files. The others are dieline files marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size.

Open the dieline files with an embroidery software. Wilcom TrueSizer is a free program to use.

Take the printed dieline for the front "a" fabric piece, spray the back side of the paper with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the wrong side of the vinyl or leather.

Placing it on the wrong side of the fabric will prevent the sticky residue from building up on the right side of the vinyl or leather.

Cut around the shape, and repeat to cut out all the other dieline piece.

Make sure to print each of the dielines twice, and cut one outside fabric piece and one lining fabric piece for all the dieline shapes.

Once all the fabric pieces are cut to the correct shapes, it's time to embroider the design.

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Madeira E-Zee 1.5 oz or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less like paper, and will tear more cleanly.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the first embroidery file labeled with an "a" (not the dieline files).

Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.

Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer.

Spray the wrong side of the "a" front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the tackdown for the front fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

Once the front fabric piece is stitched in place, embroider all the inner details. Make sure to stop before sewing the "lining tackdown" step.

Before sewing the "lining tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up.

Then spray the wrong side of the lining "a" piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

As all the embroidery from here on out will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match the thread color used in the rest of the design.

Place the bobbin into the machine, and follow the color change sheet to embroider the rest of the "a" file design.

The final things to sew will be the "lining tackdown" and then the "finishing seam," which will bind the fabric in place and sew two of the final borders onto the flap.

Once the embroidery for the flap (file "a") is finished, carefully tear the excess stabilizer away from the outside edges of the design.

Then hoop another piece of tearaway stabilizer, and load the second embroidery file (labeled with a "b") onto machine. Begin to embroider the design. The dieline for the front piece will sew out first.

Spray the wrong side of the front vinyl or leather piece, and smooth it into place (the front piece is the smaller rectangle shape). Then follow the color change sheet to embroider the "front piece tackdown" and all of the inner details.

Before sewing the " front lining tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine, and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up.

Spray the wrong side of the front lining piece (the smaller rectangle) with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

As all the embroidery from here on out will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match the thread color used in the rest of the design, and use it for all remaining steps.

Place the bobbin into the machine, and follow the color change sheet to embroider the "front piece lining tackdown" as well as the "top pocket finishing seam".

Then embroider the "back piece dieline" which will show the placement for the back piece and back lining of the clutch purse. Stop before sewing the "back piece tackdown".

Spray the wrong sides of the two back pieces (the outer fabric and the lining) with temporary adhesive. Match up the edges, and adhere them together back to back with the wrong sides of the fabrics touching.

Once the two back pieces are adhered together, spray the lining side with temporary adhesive just around the four edges. Then smooth it into the "back piece dieline" on the back of the hoop over the front lining piece.

Place the hoop back onto the machine, and embroider the "back piece tackdown" which will hold the back piece in place on the back of the hoop.

Then embroider the "finishing seam" step which will sew a final border along the sides and bottom edge of the purse.

Stop before embroidering the "flap tackdown" step, and remove the hoop from the machine without unhooping the stabilizer.

Line the top edge of the flap (file "a") up with the top edge of the sewn dieline (the edge without a border). Tape it securely in place, making sure none of the tape goes over the top edge, so it doesn't get sewn into the "top finishing seam".

After the flap is securely in place, embroider the "flap tackdown" and the "top finishing seam".

These steps will sew the final outer border, and bind the flap onto the front of the clutch purse.

Once the embroidery is finished, carefully tear the excess stabilizer away from the outside edges of the design.

Then tear the purse open by removing the small strip of tearaway stabilizer left underneath the flap.

Add a snap, magnet, or other chosen closure to finish the clutch purse. Using one that is sewn or glued on works best, because it won't been seen on the front of the flap once it's attached.