Diagonal Clutch

The Duo

For months I've been tossing around a mental image of a clutch that had a flap in a strong diagonal.  As I continue to work out the most successful presentation of this, you'll likely see a few clutches.  These two works are largely works of experimentation and they still need some work for perfectionist me! 

That stupid eyelet...

Interior has one simple, long pocket for separating the cellphone

In both versions, I envisioned holding onto the clutch with a wrist strap fed through an eyelet set into a corner.  Turns out the eyelet you can buy at places like JoAnn's are ridiculous.  This level of product fail hasn't been seen since the terrible crystal zipper fail of 2011. Though that eyelet looks secure, trust me, it's not.  Also tackled in that first version were the traditional magnets available in craft and quilting stores.  As I've written before, I am not a fan of these magnets.  Without substantial reinforcing, they tear out of bags very easily- ruining something you've spent a lot of time and love building.  Once I discovered the beauty of the hidden magnets housed within plastic, I've never bothered to fuss with these old-school models.  But I have a pile of them in my supply box and because I knew the support material in these clutches could support the magnets, I used them.  While I am happy with the look they provide, I am still frustrated by their very fussy placing.  Even 1 cm off and you have a gap in the front flap- which you can see. 

I'm a bit happier with the second version, in which I did away with magnets altogether. Instead, I used some strapping material and hardware also lurking around the project box.  I'm not going to punch a hole in this model until I can procure some quality eyelets. While this closure allows for more items to be stuffed inside the clutch, the bottom corner tends to flip up...sigh.  

Back to the drawing board!

Second version- with wallet, phone, keys inside