I’ve been wanting to add more bird to my ever growing menagerie of animals bag charms for a while. Evoking grace and elegance with their luscious plumage, this couple of black and white swan seemed like the perfect addition to my collection. No doubt that it will shine adding a touch of aquatic wilderness to your favourite handbag!
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.
Put aside the two masks. Those pieces will be used during to paint the motifs of the swan’s head.
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).
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 a 3mm hole punch to handle the curves between the back and the base of the neck. A 7.5mm hole punch can be used for the curve between the face and the neck.
Painting / dyeing the leather
I painted this projects using Angelus leather paints. The beak is painted orange, the body white. To paint the wings, I created a gradient using a little bit of black paint mixed with the white.
If your hand is steadier than mine, you probably won’t need to use this trick.
Use the mask to paint the face’s black motif. First put a piece of masking tape on your cutting board. Lay-on the two mirrored masks and cover with a second piece of masking tape to secure them in place. Use an X-acto knife to cut around the mask’s template.
Apply the masks cut-out from the first layer of masking tape on both halves of the swan’s head. Then paint over it using black paint. Remove the masks.
When the black layer dried out, add two white spots over it for the eyes.
Setting the rivet on the O-ring strap
Close down the end of the O-ring strap (F) with a rivet, using your rivet setter to set it up.
Stitching it all together
All the elements of the swan will be stitched together using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the wings (A, B, C) to the both halves of the body (D1 and D2). Start with the largest wing (A), then overlap the next wing (B) and end with the smallest wing in the forefront (C).
Stitch the two opposite sides of the beak (E1 and E2) through both halves of the body (D1 and D2).
Stitch the two halves of the swan (D1 and D2) together.
Add the strap (F) behind the wings.
Don’t forget to add some polyester stuffing as you stitch the body closed.
Finishing touches
Add the O-ring carabiner to the strap to complete your bag charm!
This alternative version was stitched using a cross-stitch. It is a bit more tricky to stitch which is why I showcased the saddle-stitched version in the tutorial but I wanted to show you the result in case you wished to give cross-stitching a go. It gives a more 3D effect to the swan which is quite appealing.
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:
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
Tutorial
Swan Bag Charm
3 hours
Easy
Common for leathercraft
I’ve been wanting to add more bird to my ever growing menagerie of animals bag charms for a while. Evoking grace and elegance with their luscious plumage, this couple of black and white swan seemed like the perfect addition to my collection. No doubt that it will shine adding a touch of aquatic wilderness to your favourite handbag!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Swan 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.
Put aside the two masks. Those pieces will be used during to paint the motifs of the swan’s head.
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).
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 a 3mm hole punch to handle the curves between the back and the base of the neck. A 7.5mm hole punch can be used for the curve between the face and the neck.
Painting / dyeing the leather
I painted this projects using Angelus leather paints. The beak is painted orange, the body white. To paint the wings, I created a gradient using a little bit of black paint mixed with the white.
If your hand is steadier than mine, you probably won’t need to use this trick.
Use the mask to paint the face’s black motif. First put a piece of masking tape on your cutting board. Lay-on the two mirrored masks and cover with a second piece of masking tape to secure them in place. Use an X-acto knife to cut around the mask’s template.
Apply the masks cut-out from the first layer of masking tape on both halves of the swan’s head. Then paint over it using black paint. Remove the masks.
When the black layer dried out, add two white spots over it for the eyes.
Setting the rivet on the O-ring strap
Close down the end of the O-ring strap (F) with a rivet, using your rivet setter to set it up.
Stitching it all together
All the elements of the swan will be stitched together using a saddle stitch.
Stitch the wings (A, B, C) to the both halves of the body (D1 and D2). Start with the largest wing (A), then overlap the next wing (B) and end with the smallest wing in the forefront (C).
Stitch the two opposite sides of the beak (E1 and E2) through both halves of the body (D1 and D2).
Stitch the two halves of the swan (D1 and D2) together.
Add the strap (F) behind the wings.
Don’t forget to add some polyester stuffing as you stitch the body closed.
Finishing touches
Add the O-ring carabiner to the strap to complete your bag charm!
This alternative version was stitched using a cross-stitch. It is a bit more tricky to stitch which is why I showcased the saddle-stitched version in the tutorial but I wanted to show you the result in case you wished to give cross-stitching a go. It gives a more 3D effect to the swan which is quite appealing.
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: