Leather Skirt + Old Belt = New Bag

       I simply love leather. It creaks when it moves. It smells earthy. It reminds me of the smell of barns and horses; two of my absolute favorite things. You can never go wrong with leather, it's timeless and always classy.

        The one problem with leather however, it is expensive. To buy nice, 100%  leather will not be cheap. Unless....

     ...you happen to find a 100% leather skirt for $1 at your local thrift store! In which case, your finances most likely won't pose a problem! You might remember I did the same thing with this bag a few months back.

      I still use that bag quite a bit, but it's a bit too "boho" for dressier outfits. I wanted to try a less distracting version that would be more neutral looking.
      Please pardon the awful working photos...this was an "after bedtime" project. I chopped off the top that was shaped with darts. That left me with a flat panel to work with. I did not disassemble the lining or any of the existing seams.

         I decided to cheat, and use the skirt hem for the top of my bag. (my motto is to skip hemming whenever I can get away with it!)  I cut 2 inch by 2 inch corners into what would be the bottom of the bag.

       Next, I sewed 10 inch casings on the sides. I wanted a bit of a gather along the sides to help shape the bag and to create a bit of a ruffle.

     I slipped the elastic between the lining and the leather and threaded it through the casing.

       I sewed the ends of the elastic down, and it gathered up the sides just nicely.

       Next I closed up the bottom lining by sewing across the bottom seam.

       I flattened the corners and sewed straight across the corners.

      I did the same with the leather, but left a small part open to turn the bag right side out.

     I sewed it that last little bit from the outside once the bag was turned. I used the skirt waist band as straps for the bag. Lastly, an old belt that was needing to be trashed became the closure to the bag. I hid a magnetic snap under the buckle so it just snaps easily into place.

      While I didn't do it on purpose, this bag does fit nicely with equestrian trend I'm seeing all about this fall. I just love all the buckles and bits of leather used in unexpected ways on clothing. What do you think of the trend?

        If you've never tried working with leather, a thrift store skirt is totally the way to go...you can hack it up without worrying a bit about messing it up!

Hebrews 10:38   Now the just shall live by faith...

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Sling Bags - Part 2 (The up-cycled leather version)

        This is part two of my sling bag/boho bag/hobo bag/bucket bag/whatever else you know to call it bag tutorial. If you missed part 1 you can catch up by looking here. All the nitty gritty of measurements and directions for sewing can be found in that post.. This tote bag I am going to show you today is quite possible my most favorite thing I have ever made for myself. I. love. it.

    LOVE.

   
     It makes my eyeballs smile. Really.

        Let me explain a bit about this bag. It started out looking like this...

     ...a size 4, 100% leather skirt I found at a thrift store for $2. Yes, you read that correctly. A 100% REAL leather skirt for $2. Evidently the dear folks at the thrift store don't know how expensive leather is, nor do they recognize brand names terribly well. I was only too happy to oblige them in supplying the wanted $2 and dashing out with my prize. As it is highly unlikely I will be shrinking to a size 4 in the near future, I knew this skirt, was destined to be my new hand bag. Using the general measurements of the bags I showed you yesterday, I cut out my bag. I cut it flat to work around the existing seams. I was not about to spend hours deconstructing this thing!

     I also cut the straps an inch wider. As you remember from yesterday, you have to flip the bag through the straps to get the right sides out after sewing....leather is thicker than canvas, and I wanted to make sure it would fit through!
     My next step was to embellish the outside a bit. If you remember this post, you know how I once turned a vintage crochet table cloth into a skirt. I had saved the scraps from that project, and deemed them perfect to use now! The cut out is not a perfect one, but that doesn't bother me in the least.

     I used a glue stick to lightly press the design onto the bag, and hold it in place. You do not want to use pins when working with leather. They will poke holes that do not go away. Next, I sewed the design onto the bag. I worked very slowly and tried to keep all my seams hidden within the lines of the design. You can see on the back here how that looked. (I found those numbers written on the back of the leather, once I had removed the lining...not sure if it's a date or a pattern marking?)

      I also added a few more pieces of the crochet to back of the bag, cause you know, it's gotta look pretty from all sides.

     Next, I sewed the bag together. Instead of pins holding the pieces together, I used these office clips. They are quite handy to have around when sewing, I highly recommend having some on hand.

     When sewing on leather, it's absolutely necessary to have a leather needle on your machine. You will break needles and skip stitches if you don't. The other thing about leather, is, it won't want to slide under the pressure foot. The back side of leather is sort of hairy, and it grabs and sticks. I used a single sheet of tissue paper to sew over, so that the leather would feed through properly. I have no idea where I learned that, just a trick I picked up from somewhere. It works really well.

     When you get done, you can just tear it off and pick out the bits of paper. It only takes a second to do.

      I did the inside lining and pockets the same way I showed you yesterday. I attached the lining to the outside the same way as well. For the "handle" part, I sewed on a bit more crochet before putting it together.

     I think that it, and the ticking lining, add just the right touch.

      The other thing about leather, be careful with your fingernails, machine parts, and scissor tips. Leather scratches, and you don't want to mess up the finish. Which must be why I thought a scratchy fence post with rusty barb wire was the perfect photo setting. Yup, I'm a smart one.

    Not bad for $2 eh?

     The other thing that made this such a good deal, was, the leather was in perfect condition. There was not a scuff or a scratch anywhere on it! It was also thinner, workable leather, which, unless you have an industrial machine, is pretty important.

    I hope this helps you see how even a simple design like I showed you yesterday, can be translated into any style you wish. Feel free to ask questions if there is something I haven't been clear about...and as always, I love to see your versions!

Psalms 107:1   O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 

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Sling Bag Tutorial - Part 1

      I tend to have a short attention span when it comes to projects, that's why I like making a variety of things. My Etsy shop has an assortment of stuff in it for that very reason...I don't want to make the same style of the same product over and over! Bags are one of my favorite things to make when I feel like changing up the pace a little.

       I whipped up a few of these hobo/sling bags to put in the shop. The fun thing about these totes are they are reversible!

       Fun! So, if you are the sewing type, here is how you can make one all of your own. Cut out two pieces for the outer bag, and two pieces for the inner bag, following these measurements. I just "wing" the curved part. I cut one piece and use that for the pattern for the rest of the bag...that way they are all the same curve.

      It will look like this when you open it up.

       We are going to be very thrifty with our use of fabric, and use the cut out pieces from the straps as the pockets. Lay them out flat like this.

      Measure down from the top straight edge, nine inches.

       Trim off the rounded bottom. Hem the sides and the shorter strait edge. I serged my edges before hemming to keep them nice and tidy. Leave the top un-hemmed.

       Cut a strip of narrow elastic, 8 inches long. Hem the top edge of the pocket, sewing the elastic into the hem as you go. I used a very narrow, zigzag stitch for this. I set it so that it was so narrow it looked almost straight when sewn. The tiny bit of zigzag allows the elastic to stretch properly.

     Your pocket should now look like this.

     Do that to all four pockets. Now, sew them onto each piece of the bag. I center mine four inches below the top.

      Now sew just the outer edges of the bags together. You should have two "bags" that are open at the tops.

     With RIGHT sides together, stuff one bag into the other. Pin it in place.

      Sew the two bags together. Leave the top of the straps open.

      Reach your hand through there and pull the bags right side out. About half way through, it will be a tight jumble mess, and you will think you've done something wrong. Just keep working at it, it will come.

       When you finally get it apart it will look like this.

     Stuff one of the bags into the other. Now, we need to connect the straps. Make a 5 inch long tube of whatever fabric you want your "handle" to be.

     Flip it right side out, and slide it onto one of the straps.

      Fold one end of one of the straps in, about a half inch.

      Stuff  about a half inch of the other strap into this one.

      Sew it down.

   
      Then slide the handle over the seam.

      I top-stitched around the openings of a couple of them, before doing the "handle" part. I think it helps it look neater.

You can get all kinds of creative with this. On one bag, I used four different fabric colors, and did a different color combination for each side of the bag.

        The reason this is a "part 1" tutorial is because, tomorrow, I'm going to show you how I took this same method and made myself an awesome leather bag. Want to see a sneak peak?

       I'm. in. love. See you tomorrow!

Psalms 84:11   For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give graceand glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 

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