Tag: Measure Fabric

Kelly Waist Bag and Clutch

Introducing the FREE Kelly Waist Bag Pattern

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It’s such an incredible feeling when inspiration hits at the right time and the creative juices are just flowing.  That’s what happened when I paired this beautiful leather from Measure Fabric with  my idea for a simple and sleek waist bag.  I was able to quickly design, prototype, tweak and write a full pattern within 48 hrs (muuuuch different from my usual practice of taking months to write a pattern!)

 

Whatever you call them – waist bag, fanny pack, belt bag, hip bag….wearing a bag around your torso is the hottest bag trend right now.  Although the classic 80’s throwback style is probably the most popular, I wanted to have something with cleaner lines to match my fashion tastes.   I also wanted to make sure if I’m making a bag (especially in leather,) it can last beyond the current trend.  So I designed a minimalist raw edge leather bag which can convert to a clutch, simply by removing the belt.

Leather

Initially, I thought I would make an envelope style clutch when I first saw this leather on Measure Fabric’s website.  I thought the leather might be a little too difficult to sew on my machine.  I figured I could use a bunch of rivets to origami it altogether since I already fell in love with the top-grain texture and beautiful neutral navy color.

Thanks to the miracle of videos on Instagram, the shop ladies were able to show me the leather’s softer hand.  The hide is approximately 2mm thick, but is still pliable enough to shape and can hold some weight.  You can check out their entire selection here. Get ready to drool over all the beautiful hides!

Bag Features

Named after one of my awesome nieces, this waist bag is all about having some freedom.  Whether you want hands-free options to wrangle the kids like me, or to attend the latest festival concert like Kelly (oh to be in my twenties again,) this is your bag!  It’s small but mighty with plenty of great features:

  • Slip pocket – Perfect to stowe away cash, ID and/or a Shuffle Cardholder
  • Simple screw on button stud – There is no need for fancy hardware or tools.  But feel free to make this your own!  You can find them on Amazon here or here and on Etsy here. (aff links)
  • Adjustable belt design – Whether you wear this with just a tee or over a bulky sweater, the belt can change with you.
  • Convertible to clutch – Simply remove the belt and you have a perfect leather clutch for a night out or use it as a pouch in a larger tote.
  • Able to use any belt – The belt guide is generously sized to accommodate most belt widths.  You can use your own belts to mix and match, creating different looks.
  • Fits many arena and public venue bag guidelines – With finished dimensions of 8″ x 5″ x 1″, the Kelly conforms to many stadium and concert bag regulations.  It’s the right size for your phone, ID, cash, with room to spare for keys.

Sewing Tips:

  • Leather and some vinyl are not self-healing.  Needle holes will be permanent, so work slowly and use clips instead of pins.
  • Use a leather needle with leather or a heavy duty (16 or 18) needle with cork or vinyl to handle the extra thickness.  Machines vary, so don’t forget to TEST before making the bag!
  • With thicker substrates, leave long thread tails to manually tie off with double and even triple knots.  Don’t try to back-stitch because your machine may not like the bulk.
  • A walking foot is great to get even stitches without sticking and a Teflon foot prevents sticking as well
  • Use a stiletto tool like this or carefully notch into the gusset 1/8″ to help maneuver around the curves. (aff link)
  • For punching the holes, I love this tool with a softer plastic bed vs a metal bed.  You get a cleaner cut through the leather. (aff link)

|| Click Here for the Kelly Waist Bag + Clutch Pattern by Love You Sew ||

#kellywaistbag #loveyousewpatterns 

Print at 100% or Actual size

Please share your projects on social media with the #kellywaistbag and #loveyousewpatterns tags.  I would LOVE to see what you do with the pattern.  Don’t forget to give me a follow and tag me @loveyousew_ so I don’t miss it!

Enjoy!!!

 

Leather for this project was provided by Measure Fabric.  All thoughts and opinions are always my own.  There are also affiliate links in the post for which I would receive a small commission only if you decide to make a purchase.

Designer Inspired DIY Leather Bucket Bag

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Even though it’s snowing as I write this (thanks Ohio weather,) I can’t help but think about spring and all of my wardrobe planning ahead.  I do love my cozy sweatshirts and thick sweaters, but I am SO ready for all of this blustery cold weather to go away!  Before I even get started on my warmer weather garments, I was already thinking about accessories with the help of my friends over at Measure – A Fabric Parlor.

If you don’t know about Measure, it’s a beautiful shop in Savannah, GA which sells incredibly unique fabrics like African wax prints, designer overstocks, and hand painted leather.  I am fortunate enough to be one of the Measure Makers, a group of inspirational sewists working with all the gorgeous products at the shop.  When I was asked to work with their fabrics, it was the leather which caught my attention first.  I have a deep love for sewing with leather and not all fabric shops carry it.

When I saw this Glazed Cowhide (#12023,) I knew the taupe color would be the perfect neutral for the spring…especially once I bring all the color back into my clothes.  Since I make a lot of bags out of quilt cottons and canvases, my bags all tend to have some kind of print and it would be nice to have something solid again.  With that said, I still am always jonesing for something fun and this graphic Abstract Check on stretch cotton twill (shown above) was what I needed for the lining.  I like a busy print to hide my mess and punches of coral and aqua are a great complement to the taupe.

My inspiration for this bag came straight off the runway….literally just one month ago.  I saw Rebecca Minkoff tease some photos on her instagram of the Kate Medium Bucket Bag and I was done.  I love the smooth solid leather of the bag mixed with the hardware and thick chain strap.  It is just so classy, but I always dig a hard edge and the Kate bag is just that….along with a $350 price tag!

Well, I knew I would NOT be buying that bag, but could make something pretty darn close.  I used the shape of the bucket bag as my jump-off point and made sure to add a lining which is not in the RM version.  I know Rebecca Minkoff is a multi-million dollar company, but who doesn’t want pockets in her bag???  As standard practice for almost all of my bags, I added a roomy zipper pocket along with a divided slip pocket for my phone.

I already had these great circle rings in my stash and wanted to have the same look as my inspiration bag with them anchored high on the sides.  This was a bit tricky because I needed them to stand up and also deal with a lot of strain.  So you can see in the picture how I doubled up on leather to keep the ring in place while adding more strength.

The other feature I loved from the Kate bag was the hardware along the side seam.  It looks like RM used stud buttons and with industrial production, was able to go directly through the seams.  I, however, used just rivets and through a little illusion, moved my rivet line about 1/4″ over so the holes would be punch through the body and not the seam.

Since I based my bag dimensions all on all of the inspo pictures and description, my bag looks a bit larger and wasn’t laying the way a bucket bag should.  The center was collasping into itself and so I knew I needed to create that structure.  I was already 90% finished with the bag at this point, but luckily I could dig through the lining and add some interior snaps.  I feel great when my years of “collecting” random hardware pays off!

The snaps along with the swivel clasp and d-ring (as part of my original design) gave my DIY bucket bag the exact shape I was trying to mimic.  Thank goodness because I’m not sure what I would have done as an alternative…maybe just kept a ton of stuff in my bag to keep it full??

While I didn’t have a big chain for my bag strap, I decided to bring up the look of the side seams with the top-stitching and rivets.  Using rivets all along the strap looked a bit too much IMO and so I edited to just five along the top of the strap.  This allows enough negative space to come through and balance with the plain front of the bag.

I had a lot of fun adding hardware all over my bag, but I did not overlook adding some protective feet.  After all of this work and the hours put into my bag, I knew I had to take care of this beautiful leather.  Adding feet on the bottom of the bag helps dirt stay off and protects the bag from potential floor scuffs.  It also looks gorgeous and is a nice hidden detail.

Tips

While I was able to get through this project on my domestic sewing machine, make sure to check if your machine can handle the layers on scraps, first with hand cranking and then sloooooowly taking it stitch by stitch.  Thinner leathers are easier to handle than thicker hides, but you can hammer and even shave your leather to make it thinner.  You may need to increase stitch length and adjust tension to compensate.

 

Project Details:

How do you think I did with using designer inspiration to make my own leather bag?  I hope you are able to find your own runway inspo this spring!

 

Happy Sewing!

Cristy

 

 

 

Leather and Fabric were provided by Measure for this post and as part of participation as a Measure Maker.  The project idea is completely original and all thoughts/opinions are my own. There maybe affiliate links with the Project Details.  Any compensation as part of purchases through these links help to host, secure, and maintain this website.  Thanks for your support!