Sewing Ideas & Inspirations for Autumn

After spending a month in summer sewing lace bags from the Staple Sling and Shopper patterns, I’m feeling called for something a bit cosier and autumnal now the weather’s turned. A butter yellow leather and a padded black version are living in my head rent free at the moment.

Something I love about sewing so much is that once you have a pattern or design you like, you can just rinse and repeat it with a different fabric, the possibilities are endless.

I originally saw someone wearing a bag like the black one above standing at a queue in the airport (best place for people watching imo) and have had it mentally saved until now.

Currently debating these fabrics which I think might work for it:

Quilted Cotton Fabric from Amazon

or possibly

Classic Polycotton Fabric Quilted from Empress Mills - although trying to stick to my ‘only natural fabrics allowed’ rule at the moment, but it would be more waterproof…

I’ll use the Large Staple Sling pattern to make this and then will probably make the straps longer so it can be worn crossbody (and over winter coats) using the steps at the back of the manual.

If you know of a quilted black fabric that would be better suited for this project please send it my way :)

Then… dreaming of making a bag like this beautiful Boheme one above (using the small Staple Sling pattern) from possibly this leather from AA Crack (my go to supplier when I used to make leather bags for C et C) or this company I’ve found from a little Google search.

The plan is to make it unlined and keep the edges raw, as well curving the bottom corners instead of putting in a gusset like the original pattern. Leather can be quite finicky when sewing over seams on a domestic machine and I no longer have my beloved leather one (the Hightex / Cowboy 3200 was amazing if anyone is in the market for one).

On the subject of leather bags I want to make, I also have a leather pouch on my list, like this beautiful one from Porto above. Going to use the small size of my Sadie Purse pattern, which will be small enough to hopefully use remnant pieces for.

The idea is to simply sew the top hem and sides together without any lining so will be quick and satisfying, then to find a 2 or 3mm leather cord (most likely from Etsy or eBay) to use for the drawstring closure.

A little guide for anyone new to sewing with leather:

1. When working leather on a domestic machine I would suggest to use a leather needle, strong thread, a longer stitch length and playing with your tension to find the perfect fit with the leather you’re using. A plastic teflon foot or a walking foot can also be very helpful. You can also experiment with lowering your feed dogs (or putting a strip of tissue paper underneath) to prevent the teeth from leaving marks on the bottom, whatever works best for the thickness of the leather you are using and your machine. It’s always best to have some scraps to do some sampling with before committing to your finished piece as well.
   
   
2. Once leather has been marked, that’s it - the holes are there forever. You can’t unpick it cleanly like you can with woven fabric (well you can, it’s just that the stitch marks will be obvious), so pins aren’t advised as they will leave permanent holes.
   
   
3. Some people like to glue or tape their pieces together before sewing so one piece doesn’t slide out of alignment under the friction of the machine foot. I personally never loved doing that and would use bulldog clips to hold my pieces in place instead, if one edge stretched out a bit while sewing, I would just snip the excess off at the end.
   
   
4. For a soft pouch, you want leather between 1mm - 1.2mm: this means it will be supple and have movement. Anything above that and it starts to feel quite stiff, which is great for more structured totes, but not so much when the aim is a chic pouch or soft, buttery leather shoulder bag.
   
   
5. Places that sell whole leather hides normally have amazing remnant bins to rummage in, or have larger pieces that are just a bit marked so can’t be sold for full price. Alma leather & JT Batchelor in East London used to be amazing for this (and possibly still are!), but also something like this from Artisan Leather would also work well for the small Sadie purse, would just need to order x 2 pieces.
   
   
6. Chrome tanned means the leather was tanned with chemicals and salts (not very eco friendly - using recycled or remnant pieces is a way to use this leather more sustainably). Veg-tanned means the leather was tanned with vegetable matter (think tree bark and leaves) and will eventually be able to biodegrade at the end of its life.

While I have butter yellow on my mind…how cute is this Gap tote above? Thinking the Utility Tote pattern would be the perfect match to make one like this, possibly made in something like this buttercup canvas I found on eBay.

Sending love and if you enjoy ramblings like this you can find more posts on making and creative projects over here on my substack.

Fleur x