Suede Clutch Bag

I fell in love with this bag I saw online.  It was suede and had lovely beading.  Sadly, it was too costly for my budget.  Even more sad, it was sold out.  So I thought, well, I can make one.  In better colors.  With better beading.  Right?

But it was suede.  Hmmm... haven't worked with leather before.  Well, except when it was still on the hoof.  And on the other side of the lens.

So what to do?  I got the bright idea of hitting the thrift shops.  I have seen lots of leather jackets, but maybe there would be some skirts.  They would have relatively large pieces of, um, material.  Right?  Well, I scored.  I found three fairly large-sized skirts and threw them in my washer and dryer.  Yep, even the one that still had its tags.  

I made a pattern with freezer paper and found this outstanding brocade for lining.  

I wanted to edge the inside pockets with the leather.  I discovered that paper clamps worked well to hold things together while I sewed.

I used a magnetic snap to secure the flap.

And made a large zipper pocket using some of the skirt lining for pocket lining.

Here is a view of the inside.  Fully lined.

And the front with the flap flipped up.

And the finished bag.  It's 9 1/2 by 12 inches.  I plan to add another tassel to the side -- can't have too much fringe.  And after I use it a bit and ascertain that I like the size and all, I'll make one with beading.