Making patterns and sewing leather wallets and purses by hand

Leather is an expensive and very high-quality material. To create a leather wallet with your own hands, without spoiling the purchased material, you will need many years of experience. But still, you can make it with your own hands, using only those things that can be found in every home. How to sew a leather wallet with your own hands, patterns are given in this article.

Necessary tools

You may need:

• leatherette or genuine leather;
• scissors (large and small);
• degreaser (alcohol or nail polish remover);
• rubber mallet;
• line punch;
• compass;

• lightning;
• skin cutter;
• stationery knife;
• wooden board;
• pen with a roller for painting the edges of leather;
• leather template;
• special threads and needles for piercing the skin.

DIY sewing

You should wear a thimble while sewing to protect your fingers from needle pricks. Leather is a very thick and dense material and requires strong pressure when sewing.

Before you start sewing a wallet, you need to prepare pieces of leather or leatherette, as well as the tools that you will need to do the job. First, you need to choose a model of the product, you should start with a simple wallet shape, so the chances of a beautiful final result will double. Use old paper or an unnecessary document to create a pattern.

Work begins with creating a pattern from leather products and cutting out the details. A sharp knife is needed for beautiful cutting. It is recommended to take a stationery knife, but you can also cut the material with a scalpel. You will need scissors, you can use special ones for leather, but if you don’t have any, take regular ones, the main thing is that they are sharp. Leather wallet patterns are prepared so that the glue sticks better, the leather is degreased with nail polish remover or alcohol.

Transfer the wallet pattern onto the leather using a ruler and a pen, and cut out all the details with scissors or a knife.

The next step after cutting out the parts is to polish the edges. The craftsman does this with special tools, at home the edges can be polished with wax, it is enough to have an ordinary candle.

When all the details of the leather wallet pattern are ready, create the outer layer. For it, you need to sew all the details so that a large rectangle is formed, which, when folded in half, will give an even fold. Fold the edges and make a line of the middle fold.

Using a compass, an awl or a non-writing pen, draw a depression at the stitching point. You should get a rectangle that needs to be folded along the middle fold line, but do not immediately stitch the outer edges of the product, the next step is to glue the pockets.

To create the inner part of the product, take a fabric or thin material to which a zipper is sewn, the size does not matter. Then the resulting pocket must be glued to the outer shell. Before gluing, it is necessary to degrease the surface.

Next, holes are made in the inner pockets. To do this, take an awl; if you can't pierce the leather with a needle, use a hammer. Craftsmen use a special tool to pierce the leather - a punch, which is equipped with small teeth. The teeth are arranged in a row and somewhat resemble a wide fork. When you hit the tool, holes are formed in the leather.

Also, using an awl, make holes on the outer shell of the product, this is necessary in order to make a fastener. You can sew on a button or make a hook. The DIY leather wallet according to the pattern is almost ready.

Next, make a groove on the outside of the wallet. This is done with a hammer. You need to find a suitable surface so that it is smooth and preferably made of granite or marble, since these minerals do not allow loud sounds to spread throughout the apartment.

Then the wallet is oiled. Oil gives the leather elasticity, prevents it from deteriorating quickly, which ensures long-term use. It is better to use natural animal oils, as vegetable oils cause the threads to rot. Old masters use cow, pork and sheep fat.
After the zipper has been sewn on or the magnetic fasteners have been inserted, the wallet pockets are sewn together.

Next, you need to sand the edges of the product so that everything looks neat. Trim the uneven areas with scissors or a knife, if necessary.
The long edges of the wallet are polished with wax so that they do not stick out. Polishing begins with processing the edges, it is necessary to cut off all the unevenness and wipe with sandpaper, then round the edges with scissors. Then make a mixture to smooth the ends. Mix soap with water and rub into the edges.

For final polishing of the surface, the product is oiled again. At this stage, paint or decorative elements can be applied.

Decorating

Decorations can be cut out with a knife or scissors. You can decorate with beads or seed beads, glue with special glue (don't forget to degrease the surface) or sew. You can use leather engraving, that is, knock out a pattern with a hammer and a cutter.

Embroidery that can be glued on looks very beautiful on leather. You can also use lace or inserts of beautiful fabric. The product looks beautiful with braid. Thin strips are cut from the remains of leather, holes are punched along the edges of the wallet, one thread is inserted into each hole and a knot is made, this is done with each hole, a beautiful fringe is obtained.

Now you have a stylish wallet that is pleasant to hold in your hands and feel that it is completely made with your own hands. Such a wallet can be given as a gift or used by yourself. You only need a leather wallet pattern and a set of tools. The process of creating a handcrafted product is very interesting, so you can do it together with your child, he will definitely not remain indifferent.