Embroidery Kaftan Upcycle to Sweet Clutch

On my latest trip to the thrift store I found 2 Indian caftans that were in need of repair. Both have oodles of pretty details. I purchased them with the intent of up-cycling, so once I reached home I carefully seam-ripped them apart.

Coincidentally yesterday I found an easy clutch pattern from keykalou's etsy shop (her Curvy Clutches/Wristlets). I decided the pattern would be perfect for the wine colored caftan.

Here are some of my caftan pieces cut out for the purses, along with some scrap fabric I had on hand as well.

The embroidery on the pink fabric is a bit weird. It consists of bead and sequin embroidery and also silver slick paint. Up close it looks rather cheap. But the design was pretty enough that I bought it anyway. Maybe I can use it as inspiration for a different embroidery pattern.

Also, I'm not using the recommended fabric type for keykalou's the pattern. The caftan fabric is sheer chiffon, so I have to back each piece with a thicker rayon fabric to keep the purse's interfacing from showing through. The scrap fabric is some sort of acrylic blend and is slightly stretchy. I'm applying fray check to all the edges of both fabrics to prevent them from fraying to pieces. The iron-on interfacing called for in the pattern should prevent my scrap fabric from stretching while I'm working with it.

As with all my projects, I'll post the finished project once it's done with a link back to the original post where the project began.