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How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse

September 4, 2012 3 Comments

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

I finished my library science Master’s last December and am really excited about not being in school this fall. In honor of the start of the first year in several that I haven’t been enrolled in school, I designed a cute academic-y clutch purse using wooden yardsticks, ribbon and felt.

Supplies

3 yardsticks
hacksaw
drill & a 5/64″ drill bit
spool of 1/8″ ribbon
1/4 yd. felt
tapestry needle
thread in color coordinating with your ribbon & felt
regular needle
sewing machine (optional)
scissors

Directions

Cut each yardstick into four 9-inch lengths with a hacksaw – 12 total pieces. Drill two evenly-spaced holes on each end of each length, for four holes per piece.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

Sew all of your piecestogether with the 1/8″ ribbon and a tapestry needle, knotting each end.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

If you want to ensure all of the rulers lay right side up on the front & back of the purse, have four rulers point one way and five the other way. The group of four will be the clutch’s flap, and the five will be the clutch’s back.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

Cut a rectangle of felt that’s about 9 1/4″ wide by 18″ long. Hem each of the short sides of the felt by hand or with a sewing machine.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

Fold over and sew 6″ of one end of the rectangle, forming an envelope shape.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

Sew your strip of rulers to the felt pouch, starting at the hem of the flap, as shown. I used a metallic red thread so the hand sewing would blend in with the ribbon & felt. Sew right through the felt pouch, and sew down both ends of each ruler.

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

This clutch is a great size for fitting a phone, lipstick & wallet in – just what you need for hitting the clubs and not the books this fall! ;)

How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse | HandsOccupied.com

 

Filed Under: Back to School, DIY Style, How-to, Sewing Tagged With: clutch, diy, felt, purse, ribbon, Ruler, yardstick

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Cat T

    February 21, 2016 at 5:14 am

    Love your project! If you wanted to make it vintage-y looking, you could apply a medium to dark or even a gray stain to your rulers 1st. Congratulations on getting finished with school. I remember that joyous feeling as well.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Geek Crafts: Back-to-School Ruler Craft Roundup says:
    July 24, 2014 at 11:14 am

    […] How-to: Ruler Clutch Purse from Hands […]

    Reply
  2. DIY Pencil Clutch Tutorial at Hands Occupied says:
    August 25, 2014 at 6:01 am

    […] and my alarming level of nerd love for school supplies has yet to wane. A couple years ago, I made a clutch using rulers and felt that I am still pretty excited about and use all the time. Since I can’t get enough of […]

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style . How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style 
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In knitting, there are a few common knitting styles. Most often you’re going to encounter continental style and English (throwing) style on your knitting journey. I recently had an old video teaching continental style get a lot of views. Based on the comments, it was clear the people wanted to also see a throwing tutorial, so here you go! 🧶
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Please note that there is a LOT of variation in knitting styles, and one isn’t necessarily better than another. Most often, I’ve found it comes down to two things: how you were taught and whether or not you’re really into colorwork knitting (which can involve a mix of styles). 
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Longer-term knitters who’ve made it this far: do you prefer one over the other? And why? 
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#handsoccupied #englishknitting #learntoknit #knitting #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitting_inspiration
How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on / a.k.a. crochet provisional cast on, scrap yarn cast on
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I read recently that tiktok and Instagram are being used as search engines more and more. 🤔 I thought since I’m going to all the work of making tutorials on YouTube, I should experiment with making a quick version of them for other platforms. There are obvious teaching limitations to vertical video, short-form content like this, but I think I covered the gist of this cast on in a minute. The YouTube version also covers how to unzip this cast on because there was time for it 👍🏻 L1nk is in my profile. 
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I’m very much looking for feedback as I continue to make instructional knitting & craft videos. Sometimes good tutorials are hard to find, and (ideally polite) feedback helps me improve. 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #knititngtutorial #knittersofinstagram #crochethook #knittingtutorial
For the first time in a long time, there’s a new For the first time in a long time, there’s a new tutorial from Hands Occupied! 🎉 The video is live on YouTube & the blog. 
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The post covers what provisional cast ons are & how they differ, and the video covers how to work a one-step provisional cast on using scrap yarn and a crochet hook. (This is a great one to save for future reference.)
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I learned several names for this method while researching this video & post. Crochet provisional cast on, one-step cast on, scrap yarn cast on - if you know even more names for this technique, please share! 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #scrapyarn #crochethook
Working on a sample for some upcoming videos. It’s an overcast day with intermittent sunshine & I have a scruffy little sidecar. 🐶 Can’t complain! 
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What’s on your needles this week? 
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Yarn: @debbieblissknits Cashmerino Aran 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #knittinglife
Peg boards and craft room organization go together Peg boards and craft room organization go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, as you can see, do latch hook tools and screwdriver organizers! 🪛 
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I think this trick translates to any tool with a thick handle, so leather working tools, punch needles, print making tools, etc. should work! What other tools am I, a needlecrafter, blanking on right now? 
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#craftorganization #handsoccupied #latchhook #latchhooking
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