Fold over leather clutch bag

 

Check out the gorgeous fold over clutch I made for my sister for Christmas! I used up some beautiful camel coloured nappa leather and some cute 50S style fabric for the lining.

 

 

 

I top stitched the zip in gold for a little extra sparkle!

I used this pattern by say yes to Hoboken which was great, my dimensions are slightly different but the proportions are the same

Hope my sister likes it (and isn't a too avid reader of this blog!)

More zips! Leather this time

Yet more zips! Yes i know its becoming a problem... but these are leather! Well two of them are, the other is my favourite day of the dead skulls fabric

I went on a Leather purse workshop at The Make Lounge earlier in the year and finally made a trip to a leather supplier in London and got this gorgeous camel napa leather. Combine that with my recent zip obsession and obviously i was going to make little purses with it!

Napa leather is the thinnest kind and you can easily sew it on a regular sewing making. I love how they turned out, some will soon be gifted away i imagine!

One Year Anniversary!

Its one year since my first ever blog post :)
I think i fulfilled my resolution to keep a record of the things i make and want to make, and i still think if anyone else likes what i post then thats just a bonus!
Having the blog has definitely inspired me to create more, make different things and has made me look at crafting and making as a potential business, but im a long way from that yet!
I plan to continue the same way in 2013, i still feel the blog is more for me to record what ive done rather than to share it with the world but maybe that outlook will change this year. But my main resolution is to take better photos, might even invest in a proper camera and stop using my iphone!!

My top 5 makes of 2012

5. Cami Bands - consistently most viewed pages!


4.  Doilie Wrapped Flowers - a beautiful simple idea


3. Leather and Tube Bead Bangles - i wear these all the time!


2. Needlepoint clutch - such a labour of love!


1. Basketweave blanket - i really love this blanket as does the cat!

Leather and tube bead bangles

I made some little bangles recently. Theyre just leather with a long plastic tube bead threaded onto them. I glued the ends of the leather together and pushed the join inside the bead - and voila! I think theyre pretty cute, especially in a few different colours. Not sure how long the glued join will last, might need to figure out something more permanent but its a good start :)

Wooden handle leather clutch

I subscribe to a few making magazines and they seem to have a free gift attached every week! I got some square wooden handles a few month ago so I thought I’d have a go at a little leather clutch for myself.
It was pretty easy but (as always) I forgot to take pictures as I went along so no tutorial - sorry. I'll try and walk you through it. But aside from that im pretty happy with the finished article, it could probably be a bit shorter, to make it look more suitable for evening, but I’ll give it a try out next time im out for dinner :)

Basically I cut a rectangle of leather and another rectangle of lining fabric that was the same width but slightly shorter. I fed the handles onto the leather and then lined up the short ends of the leather and the lining, right sides together. I sewed the short sides together to make a big loop of fabric, with the handles on the loop.
I then lay the loop flat, right sides together, with the lining fabric central. Make sure the handles are in the right place and then sew along the long sides, only as far as the lining fabric. Don’t forget to leave a gap for turning out.
Turn the fabric out, fold it in half, right side together and match up the lining fabric. Sew a very narrow seam along the sides of the bag. Don’t sew all the way to the handles or you won’t be able to open your bag very wide! Turn the bag right side out and you’re finished

Studded Sandals

No this is not a post about Spartacus or Gladiators (sadly) just  about some old sandals ive spruced up! I loved these sandals last year and i pretty much wore them to death as you can tell from the picture. I wanted to wear them again this year but they were a bit scruffy. So i decided to make them a bit more rock and roll, then the scruffiness could be excused as part of the style (thats what im hoping anyway!). So i just punched some studs i bought off ebay through the leather and folded the prongs back in on themselves. I used the flat end of a thick metal knitting needle to make sure the prongs were fully pushed in - im sure theres a proper tool your supposed to use but the ongoing spending freeze has made me much more resourceful! The backs were still a bit rough though so i just glued some super soft leather i had left over from this jumper to protect my skin. Revived sandals :)

Heart Elbow Patches

I have this little jumper that i love (it actually used to be my sisters!) but the elbows are wearing through so i decided to make some elbow patches for it! When i went to London the other week i went to a leather wholesaler and bought some scraps (think im going to make some little coin purses with it) and this light tan colour was perfect for the patches. I was inspired by these needle felted patches at Honestly WTF. I just cut out the hearts with a rotary cutter, stuck them in place with double sided tape (never uses pins on leather) and then hand sewed them into place with some cream wool. Can wait to wear it!

Leather Purse Course - Make Lounge

I went on a leather purse work shop at the Make Lounge in North London last week and it was fab!
I learnt loads about working with leather and sewing it on your regular domestic sewing machine, and im really pleased how my purse turned out (sorry for the awful photos, its much cuter in real life i promise!)
I picked a cute lining fabric with loads of flinstonesque dinosaurs and stone houses!
Now i just need to find a leather supplier closer to home so i can make one for everyone....

Leather purse course

Ive booked myself on a course at the make lounge :) my brother bought me voucher for christmas so i put it towards the leather purse course. Ive always wanted to learn about leather work so im hoping this will be a good introduction. I'll try and take some piccies during the course and post them.