Welcome to our enchanting leathercraft tutorial, where we’ll guide you through the creation of a whimsical llama bag charm! This delightful accessory adds a touch of South American charm, inspired by the majestic llamas that roam the Andes.
Adorned with a colorful collar and saddle featuring beautiful stitched motifs and vibrant fringes, this llama bag charm is sure to turn heads wherever you go.
Whether you’re a seasoned leather artisan or new to the craft, this project promises to be a fun and rewarding adventure. Join us as we embark on this creative journey and bring a little bit of llama love to your accessories!
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Keep the assembly diagram to help you position the pieces later on during the stitching process.
Securing the pieces of the pattern on the leather
Roughly cut-out around the different elements of the pattern and secure them to your piece of leather with masking tape.
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes directly on top of the paper.
Use a 3mm hole punch to punch the holes that will accommodate the rivet on the O-ring strap (element annotated A on the pattern).
Cutting-out the pieces of the project
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the project.
You can use 5mm and 7.5mm hole punches to punch-out the pearls of the collar (elements B and C).
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I diluted different colors from my Angelus paints which I mixed with some white acrylic to obtain a soft-toned pastel color palette.
Preparing the ears and the O-ring strap
Use some glue to secure the interior part of the ears in place (D and E).
Close down the end of the O-ring strap (A) around the O-ring and use your rivet setter to secure the rivet in place.
Stitching the pearls of the collar to the neck
Stitch the 5 pearls (B and C) to the neck (part of F). I only used one needle here, looping once through each pearl.
When designing a bag charm pattern, a trade-off has to be made between the amount of details and the size of the bag charm. It is a fine line and I tend to try to add as many small details as is technically possible because I find it quite meditative to work on such tiny pieces. However it also means that what worked with the leather that I am using might be problematic with another kind of leather since the holes are so close together on the pearls. Don’t hesitate to skip those pieces or to scale them up!
Stitching the eyelashes, the nose and the snout to the face
To create the face (G), we start by stitching the eyelashes.
Then the mouth and the nose (H) are stitched to the snout (I).
A single thread could be used for both the nose and the mouth but I wanted distinct colors which is why I used two.
Finally stitch the snout (I) to the face (G).
3 stitching holes are shared between the llama’s front body (F), the face and the snout which is why it needs to be stitched along as well when stitching the snout. Those 3 stitching holes are located at the top of the neck, in the center.
Stitching the saddle
To assemble the saddle, first stitch the top-most layer (J) to the middle one (K) using a regular saddle stitch. Then stitch the middle layer to the last one, creating the motif showcased on the picture.
Finally stitch the saddle’s last layer (L) to both sides of the llama’s body (F and M).
The eight tassels (N) are set-up by inserting each of them between two stitches. The short and wide end will act as a stopper and it will be kept in place by the tension of the stitches.
There is one stitching hole located at the middle on each side of the saddle which are not connected to either side of the llama’s body.
Stitching around the silhouette of the llama
Start stitching together the two sides of the llama’s body (F, G and M). The first stitching hole is located under the edge of the saddle.
As you reach the top of the head, don’t forget to add the ears (D and E), the strand of hairs (O) and the O-ring strap (A).
Add some stuffing inside the bag charm as you stitch the perimeter shut.
Add the two hooves (P and Q) between both layers when you reach the end of the legs.
Add the tail (R) in the same manner right before the last few stitches.
That’s it! Congratulations on making a beautiful llama bag charm!
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project:
Tutorial
Llama Bag Charm
3 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
Welcome to our enchanting leathercraft tutorial, where we’ll guide you through the creation of a whimsical llama bag charm! This delightful accessory adds a touch of South American charm, inspired by the majestic llamas that roam the Andes.
Adorned with a colorful collar and saddle featuring beautiful stitched motifs and vibrant fringes, this llama bag charm is sure to turn heads wherever you go.
Whether you’re a seasoned leather artisan or new to the craft, this project promises to be a fun and rewarding adventure. Join us as we embark on this creative journey and bring a little bit of llama love to your accessories!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Llama Bag Charm Pattern
2,00 €Walk-through
Printing the pattern
You can get the pattern here if you haven’t already.
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Keep the assembly diagram to help you position the pieces later on during the stitching process.
Securing the pieces of the pattern on the leather
Roughly cut-out around the different elements of the pattern and secure them to your piece of leather with masking tape.
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes directly on top of the paper.
Use a 3mm hole punch to punch the holes that will accommodate the rivet on the O-ring strap (element annotated A on the pattern).
Cutting-out the pieces of the project
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the project.
You can use 5mm and 7.5mm hole punches to punch-out the pearls of the collar (elements B and C).
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I diluted different colors from my Angelus paints which I mixed with some white acrylic to obtain a soft-toned pastel color palette.
Preparing the ears and the O-ring strap
Use some glue to secure the interior part of the ears in place (D and E).
Close down the end of the O-ring strap (A) around the O-ring and use your rivet setter to secure the rivet in place.
Stitching the pearls of the collar to the neck
Stitch the 5 pearls (B and C) to the neck (part of F). I only used one needle here, looping once through each pearl.
When designing a bag charm pattern, a trade-off has to be made between the amount of details and the size of the bag charm. It is a fine line and I tend to try to add as many small details as is technically possible because I find it quite meditative to work on such tiny pieces. However it also means that what worked with the leather that I am using might be problematic with another kind of leather since the holes are so close together on the pearls. Don’t hesitate to skip those pieces or to scale them up!
Stitching the eyelashes, the nose and the snout to the face
To create the face (G), we start by stitching the eyelashes.
Then the mouth and the nose (H) are stitched to the snout (I).
A single thread could be used for both the nose and the mouth but I wanted distinct colors which is why I used two.
Finally stitch the snout (I) to the face (G).
3 stitching holes are shared between the llama’s front body (F), the face and the snout which is why it needs to be stitched along as well when stitching the snout. Those 3 stitching holes are located at the top of the neck, in the center.
Stitching the saddle
To assemble the saddle, first stitch the top-most layer (J) to the middle one (K) using a regular saddle stitch. Then stitch the middle layer to the last one, creating the motif showcased on the picture.
Finally stitch the saddle’s last layer (L) to both sides of the llama’s body (F and M).
The eight tassels (N) are set-up by inserting each of them between two stitches. The short and wide end will act as a stopper and it will be kept in place by the tension of the stitches.
There is one stitching hole located at the middle on each side of the saddle which are not connected to either side of the llama’s body.
Stitching around the silhouette of the llama
Start stitching together the two sides of the llama’s body (F, G and M). The first stitching hole is located under the edge of the saddle.
As you reach the top of the head, don’t forget to add the ears (D and E), the strand of hairs (O) and the O-ring strap (A).
Add some stuffing inside the bag charm as you stitch the perimeter shut.
Add the two hooves (P and Q) between both layers when you reach the end of the legs.
Add the tail (R) in the same manner right before the last few stitches.
That’s it! Congratulations on making a beautiful llama bag charm!
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project: