Feather Hobo Bag - Work in Progress Wednesday

I am a bit of a pack rat - I like to have a purse that has everything I could need at all times : )  It is always a bit embarrassing to hand my heavy bag to someone to hold!  I'm sure they are thinking "what on earth does she have in there?".  My favorite style is a slouchy bag - usually referred to as a Hobo Bag.

 I sewed up this version in this beautiful print from Anna Maria Horner.  It is a medium weight fabric in a linen cotton blend and the perfect weight for this type of bag.  I think the large scale feathers lend themselves beautifully to a handbag.

 I added a fusible fleece to the lining to give it a bit of stability.   I love the top zipper closure to hold all my goodies inside. 

The leather tab detail gives the bag extra durability - a very nice feature if you hold lots of things inside your bag : )

After seeing this gorgeous tote bag in person at Anthropologie  last week, I will be making the Hobo bag out of a gold embossed leather hide I found at my local Tandy Leather for only $30!

Sure beats paying the $500 for the Anthro bag : )  Situations like this make me very happy I know how to sew.

If you want to try making leather or suede bag, check out my post with Leather Sewing tips HERE.

Be sure to check out the other WIP projects over at freshly pieced!

Have a great evening!

xo

Charise

Tips for Sewing with Suede and Leather

I love to use suede as trim on the purses I sew. 

I think it adds a professional look to my projects.

 I was so excited with the results of my suede trimmed “Lovely Gathered Clutch” that I decided to stitch a clutch purse entirely in suede. 

 Here are my tips based on sewing on my home machine. I hope these tips encourage you to take the plunge in sewing with suede and leather! 

 Each one of these clutch purses were sewn on my very simple Singer Home sewing machine!

1. A walking foot is my answer to all sewing on suede except for zippers (see #7 below).  I’ve tried a teflon foot but the walking foot has yielded the best results for me.

2. Use polyester or nylon thread.  If you want your topstitching to stand out, use a heavy weight 100% Polyester heavy weight thread.

3. Attach a leather needle to your sewing machine.  A leather needle is extra sharp and designed for suede/leather sewing.  I like to use a size 18 needle for mid weight suede / leather. 

4. Use a longer stitch length and loosen tension. I set my machine to 3.5.  Be sure to test your stitch length and tension on a scrap piece of suede before you sew your final project.

5. Use non-fusible interfacing to add stability to suede and leather.  To attach the interfacing to the suede/leather piece, apply glue ~ I like to use a fabric glue stick ~ to the perimeter of the sudede/ leather piece and attach the interfacing.  Baste around the outer edge of the piece with a basting stitch 1/4" from the edge.

6. Use clips to hold the seams together.  My favorite clips are from Clover.  Pinning is not an option as it will leave holes in the suede/leather.

7.  For sewing on a zipper, or any time you can't use a walking foot, cut a strip of tissue paper about 1” wide and a few inches longer than the seam you are sewing.  Place the tissue under the seam and the suede will not get stuck to the feed dogs and sewing machine plate when stitching the seam.

Remove the tissue paper when you are finished sewing the seam.

8. To flatten seams, use a brayer.  To keep the seam in place before stitching, apply fabric glue stick to the seam allowance to hold in place as pictured. If you want to hold the seams in place permanently, use permanent contact cement.

I hope those tips will help you feel confident sewing with Suede or Leather!!

xo

Charise

Lovely Gathered Clutch in Suede ~ Work in Progress Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  

I recently make my Lovely Gathered Clutch with Suede Trim and just love it.

The fabric on the left is from Cotton + Steel - Tokyo Train ride.  

The suede I have had in my stash for ages.  It is leftover  from my Fashion Design Days when I was designing suede jackets : )

I thought it would be fun to make a clutch entirely in Suede! 

I changed the gathers to pleats and I will share the "how to" in another post : )

Through trial and error, I have come up with some tips and tricks that make it possible to have professional results sewing Suede and Leather on your home machine.

Look for a post where I share my tips for sewing on Suede and Leather.

I also could not resist starting another clutch in my new favorite print from Melody Miller's "Playful Line" for Cotton + Steel Fabrics.  It is a wonderful collage print and I'm looking forward to making more purses with it!

The pink border fabric is also from Cotton + Steel.

This is such a fun pattern and easy to sew up!

It is so nice to sew with "Springy" fabrics in the middle of Winter!  I hope to finish it before I have to pick up the kids this afternoon : )  

(It did not happen - maybe tonight!)

Be sure to head on over to Freshly Pieced to see the other wonderful "WIP Wednesday" projects!

xo

Charise