Welcome to our adorable world of leathercraft, where we bring you the latest addition to our series of charming animal-themed projects: the Puppy Bag Charm.
Following the success of our previous tutorials on crafting cat-themed accessories, we’re now turning our attention to our beloved canine companions. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create an endearing puppy bag charm that adds a delightful touch to your bags, making a statement about your love for dogs.
So, get your leatherworking tools ready, choose your favorite leather, and let’s embark on a creative journey to craft this lovable puppy bag charm!
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 ears (H) 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.
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
A x1
B x1
C x1
D x1
E x1
F x1
G x1
H x1 regular and x1 mirrored (pattern turned over)
I 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.
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 some cognac for the ears, chestnut and cognac for the body and hind legs, white for the the belly and part of the snout and finally black for the other two pieces of the snout.
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 2mm hole within each one of those black dots.
Punch in two dots in a piece of white leather scraps with a 2mm hole punch.
Insert both white dots in each hole of the black pieces and secure them by applying glue to the back.
Insert the two eyes into each eye socket of the body C 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 all the edges 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.
Preparing the key-ring
Make sure to have the tab (I) ready to be used with the system of key-ring that you chose.
Stitching the snout
Stitch together all the pieces of the snout (A, B, D) to the body (C).
Use the Assembly Diagram to help you position the different elements correctly.
Stitching the belly and the hind legs to the body
Stitch the belly (E) to the body (C) as well as the hind legs (F).
The hind legs are positioned beneath the belly and the body.
Stitching it all together
Stitch the back of the body (G) to the front (C).
Place each ear (H) between those pieces, as well as the key-ring tab.
Don’t forget to progressively add some stuffing as you stitch the bag charm closed.
Finishing touches
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
Puppy Bag Charm
3 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
Welcome to our adorable world of leathercraft, where we bring you the latest addition to our series of charming animal-themed projects: the Puppy Bag Charm.
Following the success of our previous tutorials on crafting cat-themed accessories, we’re now turning our attention to our beloved canine companions. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create an endearing puppy bag charm that adds a delightful touch to your bags, making a statement about your love for dogs.
So, get your leatherworking tools ready, choose your favorite leather, and let’s embark on a creative journey to craft this lovable puppy bag charm!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Puppy 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 ears (H) 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.
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.
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 some cognac for the ears, chestnut and cognac for the body and hind legs, white for the the belly and part of the snout and finally black for the other two pieces of the snout.
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 2mm hole within each one of those black dots.
Punch in two dots in a piece of white leather scraps with a 2mm hole punch.
Insert both white dots in each hole of the black pieces and secure them by applying glue to the back.
Insert the two eyes into each eye socket of the body C 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 all the edges 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.
Preparing the key-ring
Make sure to have the tab (I) ready to be used with the system of key-ring that you chose.
Stitching the snout
Stitch together all the pieces of the snout (A, B, D) to the body (C).
Use the Assembly Diagram to help you position the different elements correctly.
Stitching the belly and the hind legs to the body
Stitch the belly (E) to the body (C) as well as the hind legs (F).
The hind legs are positioned beneath the belly and the body.
Stitching it all together
Stitch the back of the body (G) to the front (C).
Place each ear (H) between those pieces, as well as the key-ring tab.
Don’t forget to progressively add some stuffing as you stitch the bag charm closed.
Finishing touches
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: