It has been a rather long time since we have posted anything, but we have been doing a ton of projects! Hopefully we will get better at posting more frequently and to kick things off we are presenting a leather crossbody purse.
I can't pretend to be an expert at working with leather, or at making purses. This was my first and I was pretty much just making it up as I went along. If you happen to follow Amanda's Instagram (located in the right sidebar) you may have seen progression pictures of this purse as it was being made.
To start, I cut out a template of the size and shape I wanted the purse to be. I actually took the major items out of the purse I was already using and I made sure that everything at least fit within the boarders of the template. I also cut out a template for the pocket I wanted to attach to the front of the purse, and for the strap and two tabs that connect the strap to the body of the purse. Next I traced the patterns from the templates and onto the leather, and then started cutting.
After cutting out all the pieces that would make up the purse, it was time to start adding the details. Yes, the details come nearly first...not last! I started with the pocket and tooled a bird sitting on a branch. There are tons of videos on the Internet that can show you how to do leather tooling. After the designs had been stamped out, I went over it with a leather dye.
Next, I lightly outlined where the pocket would be placed on the front of the purse. This allowed me to see where I should place the tree design that I was going to be using as a secondary image at the sides of the pockets. Since I'm still learning how to tool leather, I knew I wouldn't be able to make the small branch design that I wanted for the trees, so I used my wood burner instead.
After all the design work was finished, I punched holes along the sides of the pocket and the sides of the body pieces of the purse. I went around all the sides because I knew that I wanted to have a boarder around the top rim of the bag and the pocket. To attach the pocket I used a little "V" stitch. I'm not sure if there is a real name for this kind of stitch, but in my mind I thought it fit the style of the bag. The rest of the bag was sewn together (by hand) using another stitch that I don't know the name of. I'm sure that isn't very helpful at all, but I did mention that I was making this all up as I went.
The bag has a simple lining. No pockets or anything on the inside. I used rivets to attach the tabs onto the body of the bag and then got some simple hardware to attach the strap to the tabs. The construction of this bag was all about keeping it simple and easy since it was the first purse I had ever made. Also, I was sewing everything by hand so I tried not to create more work for myself that what was necessary.
I've been carrying this bag around for about a month and so far I love it. It hasn't fallen apart and it holds all of my stuff. The leather is beautiful and I feel very proud to tell people that I made the purse when they ask me about it. There are a few imperfections, and I'm sure you can see them in the pictures. I know I can see them when I look at the purse, but that is what makes it handmade and special. Those are my little learning mistakes and as I continue to do more projects like this I will probably make more, but at least I'm making something awesome at the same time!
