Beaded Wool Clutch

I've been wanting to make this clutch since I had the idea last fall. The wool makes it a perfect texture for fall and I'm crazy about the olive green... maybe it's because I'm seeing so much of this military trend in clothing right now. The design is so simple it could almost be plain, but the beading gives it some interesting detail as you can see in this close-up of the back.

It's lined with an olive green satin and I used heavyweight fusible interfacing to help it keep it's shape. The clasp is made from two D rings and a clip I actually cut off an old wallet.

The next two pictures, back and front, give a better idea of the scale. It's a big clutch, perfect for my basics of cell phone (with it's own pocket inside), keys, wallet and mini-make-up bag.

My inspiration? Surprise! A thrifted wool sweater:
Someone had apparently washed it in hot water, shrinking it to an unwearable size and stiffness before I got my hands on it at the thrift store. I LOVE felted wool and the beading detail was still beautiful. The minute I saw it I knew exactly what I wanted it to become. When I showed my sis the finished clutch she thought I'd done the beading. I wish I could take credit for it, because it is my favorite detail. It took enough time just to reinforce the lines of beads as I cut the sweater to keep them from coming loose. So there it is. One less project on my to-do list.

It was raining today when I was taking the pictures. The colors of fall are so pretty, but even more vibrant with a little rain. Since I had the camera out, I couldn't resist taking pictures of everything else around. This bright yellow flower was my favorite, so I'm just throwing this in here so you can enjoy it too.