A few years ago, I crafted a marine-themed baby mobile for some friends, and one of my favorite elements was the killer whale. I loved the design so much, I knew it had to become a bag charm! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create your own sleek and playful orca charm to add to your collection.
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 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 F on the pattern) and a 4mm hole punch for the eyes on elements B.
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.
Painting / dyeing the leather
The colors I used for this project couldn’t be simpler: black and white Angelus paints!
Setting the rivet on the O-ring strap
Create a loop at the end of the O-ring strap (E) with a rivet, using your rivet setter to set it up.
Gluing the eyes
Set the plastic eyes in place in their sockets.
Apply a generous amount of glue to the backside in order to secure them in place and wait for it to dry completely.
Stitching it all together
Start stitching the white motif next to the eye (A on B) using a saddle stitch.
Next stitch the top part of the body to the belly (B over C) using a black thread and a saddle stitch.
Don’t forget to add the fin (D) in between.
To join both halves of the orca, start by joining the belly (C1 and C2) using a white thread and a cross-stitch.
You can use a saddle stitch if you wish (it’s a bit easier) but the cross-stitch makes the orca look more 3 dimensional.
Switch to a black thread to continue stitching both halves of the orca.
Once you reach the hole at the tip of the body, add the tail (F).
This is the procedure I followed:
1 cross stitch between the left and right holes, ending in the same two opposite holes instead of progressing to the next two holes.
left thread goes through hole in the tail, crosses to enter right hole and comes back through left hole.
right thread goes through hole in the tail, crosses to enter left hole and comes back through the right hole.
1 cross stitch between the left and right holes now above the tail, progressing to the next two holes.
Add some stuffing as you progressively close the orca’s body.
Add the O-ring strap (E) between the two halves of the body (B1 and B2).
That’s it! Congratulations on making a beautiful orca bag charm!
Finishing touches
Complete your bag charm by adding the O-ring carabiner to the strap (E).
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 them 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:
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Tutorial
Orca Bag Charm
3 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
A few years ago, I crafted a marine-themed baby mobile for some friends, and one of my favorite elements was the killer whale. I loved the design so much, I knew it had to become a bag charm! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create your own sleek and playful orca charm to add to your collection.
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Orca 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 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 F on the pattern) and a 4mm hole punch for the eyes on elements B.
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.
Painting / dyeing the leather
The colors I used for this project couldn’t be simpler: black and white Angelus paints!
Setting the rivet on the O-ring strap
Create a loop at the end of the O-ring strap (E) with a rivet, using your rivet setter to set it up.
Gluing the eyes
Set the plastic eyes in place in their sockets.
Apply a generous amount of glue to the backside in order to secure them in place and wait for it to dry completely.
Stitching it all together
Start stitching the white motif next to the eye (A on B) using a saddle stitch.
Next stitch the top part of the body to the belly (B over C) using a black thread and a saddle stitch.
Don’t forget to add the fin (D) in between.
To join both halves of the orca, start by joining the belly (C1 and C2) using a white thread and a cross-stitch.
You can use a saddle stitch if you wish (it’s a bit easier) but the cross-stitch makes the orca look more 3 dimensional.
Switch to a black thread to continue stitching both halves of the orca.
Once you reach the hole at the tip of the body, add the tail (F).
This is the procedure I followed:
Add some stuffing as you progressively close the orca’s body.
Add the O-ring strap (E) between the two halves of the body (B1 and B2).
That’s it! Congratulations on making a beautiful orca bag charm!
Finishing touches
Complete your bag charm by adding the O-ring carabiner to the strap (E).
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 them 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: