Step into the world of leathercraft and bring a charming octopus bag charm to life with our latest tutorial!
Whether you’re a seasoned leathercrafter or new to the craft, this project is sure to delight and challenge you.
Following on from the success of our tutorials on the fox, raccoon, dolphin, manta ray, humpback whale, and other octopus bag charms, this project adds a unique and playful touch to the collection. So grab your leatherworking tools and let’s get started!”
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded and cut-out the pieces of the project.
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.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
The head (A) and the tentacles (B, C, D) have to be traced twice as one side is a mirrored version of the other. For those, turn the pattern element over to mirror the piece the second time you trace it.
The eyes, the mouth and the eyebrows should not be traced/marked for the back of the head.
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
A x1 regular and x1 mirrored (pattern turned over)
B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
D x1 regular and x1 mirrored
E x1
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces using the marks that you left earlier as a guide to position them.
You’ll also need to punch two holes for the eyes on the face.
The tentacles are designed so that a hole punch can be used to clear the inside of the curve in order to make it easier to cut-out.
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 .
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 used a deep purple hue.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.
Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Making the eyes and gluing them to the face
Punch in two dots in a piece of black leather scraps with a 5mm hole punch. Punch a 3.5mm hole within each one of those black dots.
Punch in two dots in a piece of white leather scraps with a 3.5mm hole punch.
Insert both white dots in each hole of the black pieces and secure them by applying glue to the back.
Wait until the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.
Insert the two eyes into each eye socket of the face A and apply some pressure with your mallet or else to level the eyes with the surrounding piece of leather.
Secure by applying glue to the back of each piece. Wait until the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.
Burnishing the edges
Burnish the lower and upper edges (where the tentacles and key-ring tab will be stitched) of both pieces A as well as the edges of the tentacles (B, C, D) and the key-ring tab (E) using the method of your choice.
I usually apply some tokonole to the edge and use a wood edge slicker to create the friction necessary for burnishing.
Never apply too much pressure on the edge during this operation. Indeed we want to prevent any mushrooming from happening especially when the edge is damp. It’s all about speed and friction to create heat, not pressure.
Stitching the mouth and the eyebrows
Stitch the mouth and the eyebrows with black thread.
Stitching it all together
Start stitching the centre-most tentacle (B) in between the two sides of the head.
Stitch in the tentacles on the right side and continue stitching until you reach the top of the head. At which point you can stitch-in the key-ring tab.
Add some stuffing as you progressively close the head of the octopus.
Finally stitch in the tentacles on the left side and close the octopus’ head. Congrats, you’ve made it!
Finishing touches
Burnish the edges newly created by the superposition of the pieces that were just stitched together to blend all the layers smoothly together.
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on your creation and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
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
Octopus Bag Charm
2 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
Step into the world of leathercraft and bring a charming octopus bag charm to life with our latest tutorial!
Whether you’re a seasoned leathercrafter or new to the craft, this project is sure to delight and challenge you.
Following on from the success of our tutorials on the fox, raccoon, dolphin, manta ray, humpback whale, and other octopus bag charms, this project adds a unique and playful touch to the collection. So grab your leatherworking tools and let’s get started!”
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Octopus Bag Charm Pattern
Walk-through
Printing and cutting 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 and cut-out the pieces of the project.
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.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
The head (A) and the tentacles (B, C, D) have to be traced twice as one side is a mirrored version of the other. For those, turn the pattern element over to mirror the piece the second time you trace it.
The eyes, the mouth and the eyebrows should not be traced/marked for the back of the head.
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces using the marks that you left earlier as a guide to position them.
You’ll also need to punch two holes for the eyes on the face.
The tentacles are designed so that a hole punch can be used to clear the inside of the curve in order to make it easier to cut-out.
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 .
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 used a deep purple hue.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Making the eyes and gluing them to the face
Punch in two dots in a piece of black leather scraps with a 5mm hole punch. Punch a 3.5mm hole within each one of those black dots.
Punch in two dots in a piece of white leather scraps with a 3.5mm hole punch.
Insert both white dots in each hole of the black pieces and secure them by applying glue to the back.
Wait until the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.
Insert the two eyes into each eye socket of the face A and apply some pressure with your mallet or else to level the eyes with the surrounding piece of leather.
Secure by applying glue to the back of each piece. Wait until the glue is dry before proceeding to the next step.
Burnishing the edges
Burnish the lower and upper edges (where the tentacles and key-ring tab will be stitched) of both pieces A as well as the edges of the tentacles (B, C, D) and the key-ring tab (E) using the method of your choice.
I usually apply some tokonole to the edge and use a wood edge slicker to create the friction necessary for burnishing.
Never apply too much pressure on the edge during this operation. Indeed we want to prevent any mushrooming from happening especially when the edge is damp. It’s all about speed and friction to create heat, not pressure.
Stitching the mouth and the eyebrows
Stitch the mouth and the eyebrows with black thread.
Stitching it all together
Start stitching the centre-most tentacle (B) in between the two sides of the head.
Stitch in the tentacles on the right side and continue stitching until you reach the top of the head. At which point you can stitch-in the key-ring tab.
Add some stuffing as you progressively close the head of the octopus.
Finally stitch in the tentacles on the left side and close the octopus’ head. Congrats, you’ve made it!
Finishing touches
Burnish the edges newly created by the superposition of the pieces that were just stitched together to blend all the layers smoothly together.
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on your creation and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
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: