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DIY SLGs (that's Small Leather Goods to you non-influencers!)

 by Alisa

I recently saw a social media ad for a Chinese company that sells kits to make DIY leather bags. They send you the leather or vegan leather pieces, and the waxed thread, needles and other items to assemble a version of a popular bag. While I was kind of intrigued by the some of the bags, I decided to start with the DIY version of Hermes' now-discontinued horse charms.

I watched a couple YouTube videos on saddle stitching before jumping into the project and found it to be a lot of fun!  After having a great time making the first one I ordered a few more, gathered my faux leather suppliers and setup a kids craft day at Grandma's.

 The ten- and 11-year-olds had a great time with the official kit versions and the five-year-old was a wiz at the homemade kit that I cut from vegan leather using the purchased kit as a pattern. You use two-needles on a length of waxed thread to saddle stitch; and they all picked it up so fast! Kid brains are amazing.

The success of the craft day gave me the confidence to order another kit for a bag for a friend who loves elephants. The kit is modeled on the Loewe Elephant Pocket crossbody bag, and was a quick and easy make. It was a Christmas present and my friend loved it.



Maybe I'll tackle a real bag next, who knows!

Comments

Cathy said…
So cute! The kids were having a fun time and your writing was exquisite!
caj
1/08/2024
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