Tutorial & Pattern | Leather backpack for small cats - Kindergarten

THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT

To complete this tutorial, you will need:

• 1 SATINLYS leather skin - Cappuccino - 0.35m² (minimum). We invite you to contact customer service for the dimension of the skin.
• 1 piece of SATINLYS leather - Brown - 15 x 20 cm - th. 1.2mm
• 1 NYLON #4 zipper - Brown - Length 25 cm
• 2 sliding buckles - aged brass - 30 x 13 mm
• 2 half-round rings - aged brass - 30 x 25 x 3 mm
• 2 DESIGN claw strap ends - aged brass - 29 mm
• 2 meters of beige Nylon webbing - width 30 mm
• 1 spool of braided and waxed polyester thread - diam 0.8 mm - brown
• 1 HAZELNUT slice finish - Colorcut - 30 ml
• 1 tube of special leather contact adhesive
• 1 kit of 24 double-cap rivets (T4) and installation tools - 9 mm - aged brass
• 1 set of 25 saddler needles - round end - size 1/0 - d=1.1 mm
• 1 BIG CAT cutout for natural leather key ring to personalize (optional)
• 1 round key ring - diam 25 mm (optional)

And the following material:

• 1 round punch - SEIWA Japan - diam: 1.5 mm
• 1 cutter and 1 rotary cutter
• 1 mallet
• 1 fine abrasive sponge - grit 400
• 1 masking tape
• 1 joiner's hammer
• 1 ertalon plate
• 1 cutting mat

WHAT IS SIMPLIFIED LEATHER SEWING?

This " hole " stitching technique of leather by hand makes this tutorial accessible to everyone. You can of course choose to make a "standard" saddle stitch.
SEE THE GUIDE >

TO BEGIN :

Do you want to practice before you start making a leather backpack? Here is a simpler version, the cat wallet:
SEE THE WALLET TUTORIAL >

VIDEO TUTORIAL

1. CUT THE PATTERN PIECES

Download the pattern and print it in real size (to download in the tab at the top of the page). Cut out the pattern, leaving about 1 cm of margin at the edge of the different pieces.

2. POSITION THE PIECES ON THE LEATHER

Tape (using masking tape to avoid damaging the leather) the pattern pieces to the leather skin. Attention, parts n° 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (face of the cat) are to be taped on the small piece of leather (different color from the body of the bag).

To prepare the pieces for sewing: drill the holes indicated on the pattern using a 1.5 mm diameter round punch.

Then, cut out the different pieces, following the lines, with a cutter and/or a rotary cutter. To cut out the eyes, we used a 25mm round punch.

3. WORK ON FACE SHAPES

Sand the edges of the small parts of the face (P5, 6, 7, 8, 9), the rectangle (P4) and the inner rectangle intended for the zipper (P3) as well as the ends of the P3.

Work the edges of these pieces by applying edge dye. Apply 2 to 3 coats and sand between each coat.

4. START LEATHER SEWING

Start by sewing the cat's whiskers and mouth . For that :

Cut the thread: generally equivalent to 4 or 5 times the length of the sewing line.

Thread a needle at each end of the thread:

• Stitch the yarn at needle height then stitch it twice.
• Crimp the end of the thread and pass it through the eye of the needle.
• Pull on the thread to tie the knot (see guide).
• Do the same to thread the other end of the yarn onto the second needle.

Pass one of the needles through the 4th hole and even out the threads (see photo 3). For a question of aesthetics, we started the seam at the 4th point in order to make 3 double points and thus have a symmetry with respect to our end seam (the 3 stop points) => to be done only if the seams do not not meet (see photo 4).

Sew by passing each needle one by one through each hole.
Then tighten the point well .
To finish the seam: make 3 stop stitches, cut the thread flush then burn it (if polyester).
Finally, hammer the seams with a joiner's hammer.
SEE THE SIMPLIFIED LEATHER SEWING GUIDE >

5. GLUE THE LEATHER PIECES BEFORE SEWING

Glue the cat's eyes, nose and ears with contact glue. Wait a few moments for the glue to soak in before gluing the leather pieces. Also glue the zipper (see photo 2).

Make the different seams of the face and that of the zipper. Tap the seams with a joiner's hammer to flatten them.

6. FORM THE ROUNDING OF THE BAG

After sewing the zipper, glue the two ends of the strip (P3) to form a circle. Be careful when gluing: check that the holes are face to face. Then, sew a rectangle to form the curve.

7. CUT AND POSITION THE STRAPS

Cut the nylon strap by:

• 2 pieces of 70 cm
• 2 pieces of 15 cm
• 1 piece of 22 cm

• Pass a half-round ring and center it on each 15 cm strip.
• Fold the strap back on itself and place a strap end (and burn off the excess threads for a nice finish).
• Then rivet (T4 rivets) the two thicknesses of the strap in order to block the half-round ring.

Position each strap on part n°1 at the location indicated on the pattern (blue dots). Then rivet and sew the pieces.

Secure the end of each strap with a T4 rivet.

Take the 70 cm straps.
To have an adjustable strap: pass the sliding buckle through the strap then pass the strap through the half-round ring. Pass the end of the 70 cm strap back through the sliding buckle (photo 2). Then, close with a strap end (don't forget to burn the threads).

To properly hold the strap, rivet the two layers of the nylon strap together (be careful to rivet the correct layers).

Burn the ends of the nylon straps so they don't fray. Then, glue the ends of the 70 cm strips in the rectangle provided on part n°1. Finally, attach the straps with rivets (see the position of the holes on the pattern).

Take the 22 cm strap.
Glue the ends of the handle into the rectangle, then rivet*.

*If you wish, you can fit the rivets after gluing part no. 4 to prevent the leather from warping.

To finish, glue the rectangle P4 then sew it on part n°1.

8. FORM THE BAG

Before starting to sew, hold the pieces together with sewing clips.

Sew edge to edge, wrong sides against part n°1 and part n°3, then part n°2 and part n°3. Pass each needle through each hole and pull the stitch tight.

The passage of the needle may be more difficult at the level of the straps (too thick). Use a round awl and pliers to force the passage of the needle.

Finally, tap the seams with a joiner's hammer.

9. WORK THE SLICES

Sand the edges of the backpack then apply edge stain. Repeat the operation 2 to 3 times if necessary.

10. MAKE THE FIRST NAME KEYCHAIN ​​(OPTION)

Moisten the cat-shaped keychain. Then, stamp the first name with alphabet stamps.
Pass the half-round ring through the hole provided on the leather cutout, then attach the key ring to the zipper of the backpack. The key ring will facilitate the opening of the closure.
SEE THE GUIDE >

YOUR CAT BACKPACK IS COMPLETE!

FEEL FREE TO PIN THE PHOTOS ON PINTEREST TO SHARE THE ARTICLE!