Sewing

How to Sew a Leather Wristlet

Are we tired of these sewing posts yet? Hmm? If the answer is yes, well. Too bad. It’s my blog and I’ll sew if I want to. I bought a bag of leather remnants at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, and knew immediately what to make – I would sew a leather wristlet. I didn’t know how to sew a leather handbag but how hard could it be, right? Right. (And it’s less a wristlet and more like a clutch with a wrist strap, but let’s not quibble over the details.)

 

 

I made a leather bag a few years ago, and pretty much followed the same instructions to make this one. (Except this time I made life easier on myself and sewed in the zipper before sewing up the sides of the bag.)

For this bag, I used these supplies (and those are affiliate links down there):

– Leather remnants
1 (9 inch) metal zipper (size needed will depend on size of bag)
1 fat quarter, or any other fabric suitable as a lining for the bag

– Color matching thread (I should hope that one was obvious, but I’m being thorough)

All of this cost about $10 altogether. Big spender over here.

First, I took two similarly-sized pieces of leather and trimmed them to the same size.

 

I took a fat quarter and ironed it flat, then cut two pieces from it the same size as the leather. Then I sewed them to the wrong sides of the leather.

I didn’t bother using interfacing for this. Interfacing adds a little stiffness and structure, but the leather I used was stiff enough without it.

Make sure your machine has a heavy-duty needle on it before you begin sewing.

 

 

 

 

Zipper time. Sew that bad boy on there.

 

Then I turned the bag inside out, right sides together. To hold it all together, I used binder clips.

 

 

For the little leather tab that holds the wristlet strap, I cut a small piece of leather and put the washer on it. Then I tucked it between the sides of the bag.
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Sew up the sides. Be careful – when you sew over the tab, you’re sewing through 4 layers of leather. My machine was having none of that, and I had to use the hand wheel on the side and do it manually.
Then turn the bag inside out.

 

Next, I measured my wrist and cut a length of leather just a smidge longer. I threaded it through the washer and sewed it shut.

 

 

And that’s that, folks.

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I like this one. A lot. It’s 1/64 the size of my everyday purse, and I foresee it saving me much shoulder pain in the future.
See you later!