DIY Leather Lunch Bag August 4, 2015 05:51

The fashionable lunch bag. It’s a controversial matter— these glorified designer lunch bags sell for hundreds of dollars but the sack-like shape is nothing new. I’ve seen articles ridiculing the Jil Sander coated paper bags but more and more designer versions seem to be popping up.

For me, the novelty is too good to pass up! Maybe I’ll use it as a clutch or maybe, I’ll actually use it as the chic-est lunch bag ever. Check out the steps below to see how to make one of your own;

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- a paper bag for a template
- a large piece of leather (I cut up a vintage leather skirt)
- scissors
- sewing machine
- iron

TUTORIAL:

[ CUT BAG ] – Take your paper lunch bag and cut it open. This will be your pattern for your new bag, so pick one that is the right size for you!

[ CUT LEATHER ] – Lay out the pattern over your leather. Cut the leather, leaving a quarter inch seam allowance around all the edges that you had cut open. You’ll need that seam allowance for when you sew the leather together.

[ SEW ] – Sew the leather together exactly the way you cut the bag apart. You’ll have some excess parts in the corners, but you can just trim the interior corners to get rid of some of the bulk!

[ CUT DETAILS ] – Use pinking shears and trim the top portion of the bag for the zig-zag effect. Cut a small half circle as well, to really make this an authentic paper bag.

[ IRON ] – This is probably the most important step because the leather can tend to be poorly shaped and a bit floppy. Fold the bag the way a paper bag is folded and lay a towel over top and press the edges. This process will dry out the leather a bit and stiffen it so that it keeps its form better

As an optional step, cut out a piece of cardstock or cardboard the size of the base & slip it into the bottom of the bag so that it doesn’t sag!