DIY an Art Deco-Inspired Pearl Clutch
1/9What You Need
One small leather clutch from American Apparel
One ruler
About 65 7mm or 8mm half pearl beads, also known as Cabochons.
One bottle of strong craft glue that will work on leather, like Glass, Metal & More Premium Permanent. Ask the salesperson at your craft store for a variety that dries clear and is permanent.
One pencil
One bottle of silver fabric paint
One thin paintbrush
A couple of toothpicks
One small disposable plastic plate
2/9Create Your Pattern
First, measure the width of your pouch, divide that number in half, and make a small pencil mark at the halfway point. Then, make small dots one centemeter away from the halfway point on both sides, and again two centimeters away from the halfway point. When you're finished, you'll have five marks, each one centimeter away from each other, with the third mark on the middle of the bag.
Next, you'll want to make symmetrical markings around the outside of the bag, which will show the end point for each of the "sun-rays." First, measure a point on both the left and right seam of the bag that's the same distance from the bottom of the bag on both sides. You'll want this point to be roughly halfway up the sides of the bag. Then, on the bottom seam, measure the halfway point again and draw a dot. Measure the same distance from both the left seam, and the right seam along the bottom of the bag, and mark those points with dots. When you're finished, you should have symmetrical markings on the side seams, and on either side of the halfway mark on the bottom seam.
3/9Plan Where to Place the Pearls
Use the centimeter side of the ruler to connect the dots. The farthest left dot along the top seam connects to the dot on the left seam. Moving down the ruler, make small tick marks at each centimeter. This marks where you will place the pearls. Repeat this process by connecting the rest of the dots on the top seam of the bag to their corresponding points on the other seams, making marks at every centimeter.
4/9Be Gentle with your Markings
If you're having trouble getting the marks to show up, don't dig the point of the pencil into the leather. Instead, rub the long side of the lead lightly where you want to make the mark.
5/9Prepare the Glue
Gather up your toothpicks and pearls, and put a small glob of glue on your plate.
6/9Glue the Pearls to the Bag
Using the toothpick, apply a small dot of glue to one of the pearls. Working down the farthest line of dots, stick a small pearl on each of the centimeter markings using the toothpick to apply glue to each pearl. If the glue starts to get stringy or thick, squeeze out a fresh dollop.
7/9Have a Glue Strategy
You want to move across the bags from the farthest line to the nearest line so that you don't accidentally smear the glue and move the pearls out of place. The glue takes a few minutes to set, so if you place some off center, you'll have some time to fiddle with them before they stick.
Once you've finished moving down the lines and applying pearls, allow the bag to sit overnight for the glue to set.
8/9Let the Paint Dry
Allow the paint to dry, and voila! You're finished!
9/9Finish with Your Initials
Pour a small amount of the silver plate into your dish. On a scrap piece of paper, use the paint and paintbrush to practice drawing your initials, or any small design you'd like to make one the corner of your clutch. Make sure you have the style and technique down before you move on to the real thing! When you're ready, draw whatever you've chosen in the lower right corner.
