DIY leather applique on a bag: how to make

04/28/2018 Anastasia Prozheva

Leather is one of the oldest materials that began to be used by humans. But even in our time, leather has not lost its popularity. Leather appliqués, souvenirs, crafts, jewelry, shoes, clothing, furniture and other interior items are all made from leather, but this is not the whole list of everything that can be made from such a wonderful and high-quality material.

Leather is a natural and dense material from which crafts are made that serve people for a long time. But they are not only practical, but also bring aesthetic pleasure to the owner.

The material is very pliable and this is what allows you to create a wide variety of applications, souvenirs, flowers and much more from it.

It is worth highlighting decorative leather items. You can make and decorate any thing with your own hands. Leather crafts can be decorated even with very small pieces. The most common patterns for decorating products are petals, triangles, circles, which are located symmetrically to the center.

Variety of crafts

Bag decor

At the moment, women's handbags with leather appliqués are gaining popularity. Accessories from designers will cost you a pretty penny. But it doesn’t matter, because you have the opportunity to make appliqués on bags exactly the way you want, and it will cost much less, because you don’t need a lot of money for DIY bags.

Leather keychains

You can also make a leather keychain yourself, and it will be exactly the way you want, and at a price that is convenient. You just need to cut out 2 parts according to the template and stitch them. Mounting options should be considered from the very beginning. If necessary, you can insert a loop between the parts.

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Not only keychains can be made from leather. You just have to wish and make an effort, and you will be able to make incredibly beautiful earrings, clutches, pendants, covers for notebooks and various documents with your own hands.

Leather flowers

Leather flowers have a spectacular and stylish look. They can be used as brooches, decorate bags and clothes. They also make good decorative elements for decorating hair. Newbie needlewomen in this business should start with simple flowers, and then they can move on to more complex ones. To make them, you will need patience, effort, desire and some available materials.

DIY leather bag, the simplest and most stylish models

A bag is a fashionable accessory in women's and men's wardrobes. Leather models are considered the best; they look attractive and are practical to use. An exclusive handmade leather bag will become an original product that will complement the stylish image of a modern person. It is not difficult to do it yourself if you have the necessary tools, pattern and material.

Model selection

Designers have developed many models for sewing women's leather bags with their own hands. Made in a variety of styles, it is suitable for any event. The following options will be interesting:

1. The cross-body model has been a fashion hit for many years. It is comfortable and practical. The accessory can be made from leather, suede, denim fabrics. If you decorate the product with flowers and clasps, it will become exclusive.
2. Unusual shapes – crescent, fruit, boxes, baguettes, the choice is determined by the author’s imagination. Such products are suitable for women who prefer originality in their wardrobe.
3. A bag made from pieces of genuine leather can be either very large or small (pouch).
4. A trendy accessory is a tote, an alternative to a bag or briefcase. You can carry it on your shoulder or hold it in your hands by the handles.
5. Classic models never go out of fashion; they are a great addition to the image of a business and purposeful woman.
6. An excellent option for a modern girl who feels relaxed and free is a casual bag made of suede with fringe.
7. For an evening outfit, fashionistas choose small handbags - a clutch, a minaudiere, a case and an envelope, which add a touch of elegance to the evening style.

Clutch

Over shoulder

Unusual shape

Tote
If bags used to be an accessory of a woman's wardrobe, today the image of a practical man is also impossible to imagine without a good leather product in his hands.

A hand-sewn bag made from pieces of leather can be worn every day; it will always look practical and versatile.

With the appropriate tools and pieces of leather on hand, you can make such a bag yourself, but keep in mind that men's accessories also change under the influence of fashion.

You can pay attention to the following types of men's leather bags:

1. A few years ago, the messenger bag was preferred by students; now it can be seen among older men. This product is convenient because the large top lid covers all the departments.
2. Designers have shrunk the messenger bag and turned it into a “tablet” - a small flat model with 3 internal compartments and one external pocket. It can be carried in your hands or on your shoulder by attaching a long strap.
3. The borset is considered a classic style men's accessory. Its dimensions are small, its shape is square, and it is sewn from leather. It holds a standard men's kit - smartphone, keys, documents, wallet.
4. The popularity of the briefcase, an oversized men's accessory, is explained by its versatility. It holds electronic gadgets, documents and personal items. It is carried in the hand, but modern fashion has added a touch of creativity by attaching a long belt to the square-shaped piece.
5. A bag that attaches to a belt is in demand at all times. Has a small size.

How to sew a leather bag is explained in detail in numerous master classes. All you have to do is find instructions for sewing the model you are interested in, purchase materials and get to work.

Patterns of fashionable leather bags can also be found in Burda, Moden, Sewing and Cutting, and Patrones magazines. Electronic versions of these publications are posted on many Internet portals.

Borsetka

Tablet

Postman

Preparation of material and accessories

The work of creating leather products has its own nuances that cannot be ignored. A simple DIY leather bag can turn out ugly if you choose the wrong material. Therefore, a novice craftsman should remember that leather is divided into several types, depending on the dressing:

1. Crust is thick leather with a smooth surface that has retained its natural texture. It is best used for sewing small bags and cases.
2. Yuft is an ideal material for any product. It is soft and thin, easy and pleasant to work with.
3. Cheprak is a thick leather made from the hide of cattle. Sewing bags from saddle cloth (thick leather) at home can be done entirely by hand. The product will hold its shape well, so from the scraps left after making the main accessory you can make a belt or case.
4. Suede is soft leather with pile. Natural material is made from elk and goat skins. Any version of the product can be made from it.
5. Artificial leather is a relatively inexpensive material that resembles natural one. The best quality option for leatherette is eco-leather. A DIY faux leather bag is suitable for those who don’t like to wear the same accessories for too long.

Applications on clothes

Appliques on clothes are always relevant and beautiful. Such applications are not very difficult to make. All you need is to choose the right material. Rhinestones and leather are very popular now because they are easy to work with. By the way, you can involve children in the process of decorating clothes. They like creative experiments. In addition, they have a lot of extraordinary and fresh ideas.

It is worth noting that stencils and patterns for making appliques for clothing can be purchased at any store that sells accessories and fabric. If you want to start small, you need to use paper as a rough draft.

Materials for working with paper:

• Stencil - it will be much easier to cope with the drawing if you have a stencil;
• Scissors - with their help you can trim unnecessary things;
• Pencils, paints or wax crayons will add brightness to the picture;
• Glue - will unite all fragments of the work, with the help of it the work will be completed.

Once the draft has been successfully completed, you can begin a more complex process - working with leather.

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To create leather embroidery, we need to have:

• Scissors (or you can use a paint knife);
• Pieces of leather;
• Needle and thread;
• Clothes that need to be decorated.

Using all of this, you have the opportunity to create a new thing that no one else on this planet will have. It is only important to do everything carefully, observing safety precautions.

Leather can be used to decorate many different things. For example, appliques can be attached to a coat, skirt, dress, jacket and many other things.

Master Class

When all these materials are prepared, you can proceed to the master class on decoupage on leather or leatherette:

The first thing you need to do is degrease the surface of the material on which the design or pattern will be applied.

To do this, wipe your handbag or wallet with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol or another alcohol-containing product.

Wait until the surface of the leather or leatherette is completely dry, and use a sponge to apply acrylic primer.

When the primer is completely dry, you can go over it with sandpaper to make the surface of the product even smoother and more even.

Now you can move on to choosing patterns for decoupage.

Cut the prepared napkin into small pieces, choosing suitable fragments with pictures.

Do not forget to first attach them to the product you are restoring so as not to cut it into smaller pieces.

Lubricate pieces of napkin with PVA glue and apply to the surface of the leather accessory. This should be done with all the drawings that you prepared for decoupage.

When the PVA has dried well, the entire surface of the leather product must be covered with glue-sealant.

It will give elasticity to the leather or leatherette, which will increase the wear resistance of the material during operation.

Cover the areas on the leather product that were not covered with napkins with acrylic paints, choosing a suitable color.

After the acrylic paint has dried, the surface of the product should be coated again with glue-sealant.

After the last layer of sealant has dried, the leather item that has been restored must be varnished.

It is desirable that the varnish for decoupage on leather be glassy. It will add volume to the drawings and also reliably protect the surface from mechanical damage.

Easy lesson

You can decorate things not only to improve their appearance, but also to hide any flaws in clothing. We will show you one of the ways to save clothes, as well as decorate them using leather. In the photo you can see a dress with poorly removed stains.

For decoration, we cut out parts in the shape of roses from leather. If necessary, we use stencils. Patterns may be different. It all depends on your imagination.

We place the cut out pieces so that the drawing looks organic and beautiful.

We take glue and glue the parts to the previously designated places.

Let the product dry.

Now, using a machine, we sew the appliqué parts along the edges, retreating, as in the photo.

This is how beautiful we got. Try it! Everything is in your hands, and you can change your boring clothes, do something similar with them. You just have to try.

How to make leather applique

There are two types of application: reverse and external. The most common external one is a part sewn onto the front of the bag . The reverse is more difficult, as it requires cutting through the part rather than cutting it out. This kind of work requires patience. To make your job easier, use good, sharp scissors.

Preparatory stage

The first thing you need to start with is choosing a pattern and preliminary adjusting it to the desired size.

You can combine small parts into a single composition or choose a solid pattern. The more elements, the more difficult, but also more interesting the work will be.

ADVICE . Small bags should not be decorated with bulky elements.

Using a printer

You can perform decoupage on leather using a printer - using the printing technique. This decoration technique has many obvious advantages.

In addition to the fact that on the Internet you can find a variety of beautiful pictures that are not on napkins and decoupage cards, any image can be edited by size, color, shade and brightness. You can also remove some elements and add others if you wish.

Decoupage using a printer makes it possible to work even with photographs. Thanks to the use of this technique, you can put your photographs on leather products and give them to your loved ones.

It is best to choose large images without reducing them too much, otherwise the picture quality will suffer. It is advisable to print pictures on a color laser printer. These devices do not use ordinary ink, but chemical powder; it does not flow when exposed to water and moisture, which pictures are exposed to during decoupage.

To print pictures, you can use not only photo paper, but also rice paper for calligraphy, tracing paper, napkins, and office paper.

To print a picture on very thin paper, you must follow these steps:

The thin paper must be glued to the office sheet with masking tape. Particular attention should be paid to the side on which the sheet will enter the printer; it must be securely fastened.

If the design is printed on a napkin, it must first be smoothed with an iron and then attached to thick paper in the same way.

If the size of the pattern is almost the same as the leather product, there is no need to trim it. You can stick it on the surface of leather or leatherette, let it dry, and then sand the edges with sandpaper.

Women's bags with appliqué made from pieces of genuine leather

Bags with various applications made of leather and decorative elements from other materials are very fashionable. But if you buy such an accessory in a store, it will cost you a lot. It’s easier to do decorative embroidery at home using available materials:

• Leather, suede and fur are natural materials. They are very easy and pleasant to work with. But you need to take into account one nuance: if these materials are quite dense and rigid, then you cannot do it with just one needle, no matter how sharp it is. It is better to sheathe a decorative element using a sewing machine.
• You should not treat the skin with abrasive agents, as it may deteriorate and nothing can be done.
• Natural materials need to be treated with special substances that can add shine to the finished application.

There are a lot of different ideas on the Internet for creating various types of embroidery. Many websites and forums are devoted to this topic, since handmade work never remains in the shadows and is appreciated.