Placemat Purses

Okay, I have to tell you about my addiction to placemats. Scott can tell you that every time we are in Pottery Barn or Target, or any department store, I simply must check out the placemats. So, it was inevitable that I would get the notion to turn placemats into clutch purses! This one is cotton twill that reminds me of khaki pants. The wooden buttons were already bordering the edges. All I had to do was sew the edges together and add the huge wooden button. A little velcro closure is all that's needed to finish it.

I really scored with this placemat I found with the square shell buttons around the edges. I cut a branch of leaves from grey wool felt and glued onto the front. Then I sewed men's shirt buttons onto each leaf with a platinum bead in the center. This one was long enough to fold over far enough that I didn't need a closure.

Layers of Wright's trim are what make this clutch so cute. I add layers of felt flower cut-outs with a few beads and pinned it to the clutch with a safety pin. The cottony placemat has fringed ends, which I just love.

The bohemian satin ribbon is scrumtious on this one. There is trim along both edges and I made a rosette with the ribbon and sewed beads along the middle of the ribbon and in the center of the rosette. The placemat is suede, and feel so good to carry. I added a magnetic closure and it works perfectly.