I’m not sure how many dog lovers we have out there, but one of my favorite pooches to see all dressed up is Swatch of Mood Fabrics. His nonchalant and carefree trot between departments always makes me grin when I’m there. A true sport in a land of endless wardrobe possibilities, Swatch made me want to commemorate some of my favorite looks he’s rocked. From a funny Valentine to biker Swatch, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that that dog has captured the hearts of SO MANY Mood customers.  So with some colorful vinyl and snazzy zippers in hand, I created a way to carry him around with me — without further ado, here’s my homage to Swatch :)

SUPPLIES: vinyl, rotary cutter, mod podge gloss lustre, magna-tac glue, iron, measuring tape, thread, needles, straight pins, scissors, pen, transfer paper for dark shirts, zippers, silk, images you want to transfer, and a wash cloth.

How-To:
1. Using the rotary cutter, cut out 2 rectangles from your vinyl/faux leather.  (Note: Mine were 11 x 8 inches — 1 inch was added to the length of the teeth of the zipper, and height too.  I used purple on the backside and off-white on side where my images would go).
2. Mark out a half inch seam allowance  (Note: You will re-mark this when silk is applied).
3. For silk lining, I marked out a 10 x 8 inch rectangle.
4. For less fraying, make a small snip with scissors to begin with, and then I hand rip out the rectangle.
5. Putting right sides together, add straight pins to hold vinyl together.
6. Across the bottom, hand stitch along one horizontal. (Note: For neatness, sew along the half inch seam allowance line you marked out — be sure to bring needle back through, last place you inserted it).
7. Cut off excess.
8. Apply Magna-tac glue to the whole back side.
9. Lay silk directly on top of the glued side.
10. Re-mark out half inch seam allowance along sides.
11. Add straight pins to hold sides together.
12. Flip whole thing onto correct side.
13. Apply damp cloth over clutch, and then iron it to flatten it out.
14. For a center point for the double zippers, mark a mid point on the inside of the clutch.
15. Add straight pins to hold zipper in place, and then hand stitch both into position.
16. Lay clutch on top of back side of iron-on transfer with images already printed on it and outline it. (Note: For printing, follow instructions that come with the paper).
17. Cut form out.
18. Peel off images from transfer paper backing, and lay it on to the clutch.
19. Laying something like a t-shirt on top, iron on the transfer paper images.
20. Using a napkin/sponge, apply Mod-Podge to seal it.

Brandhyze Stanley is the chief voice of Frugal-nomics.com; a platform designed to share with women how to live and look fabulous on a dime. A DIY girl at heart—Brandhyze has been featured on The View, The Early Show, The Today Show, InStyle Magazine, Essence Magazine, and MTVStyle. A Wilhelmina Model for nearly a decade, with a Business Degree from Loyola University Chicago, Brandhyze is a Fashion & Style Writer and Video Contributor for Newsday Westchester, and provides DIY content to the popular How-To Site, eHow. Brandhyze is a huge thrifter and a lover of all good deals, follow her on Twitter @MyFrugalnomics and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Frugalnomics.