Recycling ideas: Skull Clutch tutorial

Alexander McQueen Studded Leather Skull Clutch
Saks Fifth Avenue. $1,595.

I loooove these clutches. The price tag? Not so much. I completely understand that this is McQueen we’re talking about, one of the most legendary fashion designers ever…But I really don’t have $1500 laying around. So this DIY was born, inspired by McQueen, along with a little twist. You can either leave it at a clutch or make it into a small purse…totally up to you.I suggest reading through the entire DIY before starting. There’s so many ways you can go about doing this – especially with the endless amounts of eyeglass cases out there, you can get really creative with this.

Supplies:

- Eyeglass case of your choice….$8
- Skull (or whatever) bead…..$8
- Metallic spray paint, if needed….$3 
- About 45 inches of chain, optional….$1.40
- Some elastic, optional…..<$1
- Not shown above: sewing thread, needle, E6000 glue…….<$2

I’ve been searching for a large silver or gold skull bead, but haven’t had any luck. I’ve had this natural bone skull bead for a while, though…and figured it could probably work, given a good coating of metallic gold spray paint. This type of bead will be probably easier to find on Etsy or Ebay, but you don’t even have to use a skull bead if you don’t want to.

1) Spray paint your bead in a well ventilated area. Let dry, as indicated on the can’s directions.

2) If you’d like to make your clutch into a small purse, keep reading. If you just want it to be a clutch, skip to Step 6 ! ……. Cut two strips of elastic, about 2 inches long.

3) Slip one piece of elastic through one end of the chain. Sew the ends together.

4) Repeat on the other end of the chain.

OPTION: To make your clutch convertible, sew the elastic into loops just as I did, but use large jump rings to attach the chain to the loops. This way – you can easily remove the jump rings/chain if you want to convert between clutch and purse.

5) Glue the elastic pieces to the interior of the eyeglass case. You may have to press down on them for a bit before they actually stay in place. As always, when using E6000, do this in a well ventilated area.

Close up.

Once the glue dries…

6) …glue on your bead. Let dry.

7) Done!

 Source: studs-and-pearls.com

source: studs-and-pearls.com