Introduction: Leather Flap Pouch
If you're new to leathercrafting, this leather flap pouch is a perfect beginner project to get a feel for your tools! By simply changing the dimensions, you can make a pouch for your laptop, cellphone, tablet, and more. In our video tutorial, Chuck Dorsett creates this pouch with the Beginner's Leathercrafting Tool Kit and a few extra tools and materials. Our beginner kit is a great addition to your leathercrafting supplies, and includes tools you will use in nearly every project you tackle!
What You'll Need:
- Beginner's Leathercrafting Tool Kit (12531-00)
- Santa Rosa Oily Pull-Up Leather (13502-)
- Fiebing's Leathercrafter's Cement (50-2124)
- Marble Tooling Slab (65800-)
- Poly Cutting Board (65-2916)
- Rawhide Mallet (65-2520)
- Double-Sided Adhesive Tape (16195-)
Step 1: Draw Your Pattern
At the most basic level, your pattern for this project a 15" x 4" piece of paper, folded into thirds to give you three 5" x 4" panels. One end panel and the center panel will form the body of your pouch, while the remaining end panel forms the flap.
With small modifications to the panels, you can create a simple, yet beautiful pouch.
You can download the free printable pattern for this project here.
Step 2: Trace Your Pattern
With your scratch awl, lightly trace your pattern onto your leather.
Step 3: Cut Leather
Using a straight edge/ruler and your snap off knife, carefully cut along the straight lines of your pattern. Make sure to always start your projects with a new blade for the cleanest cuts.
When you reach the tapered end of your pouch, you can cut outside of the shape, leaving an inch or so outside of your pattern lines. You just want to get your general shape cut out of the leather, then go back in later to cut the edges precisely.
Step 4: Cut Your Flap
Find the bottom of the curve where your flap tapers in. Mark this point on both sides with your awl, using a straight edge to ensure that the points are parallel.
Starting at the points you marked, use your knife and a straight edge to cut along the straight lines of your flap. Then go back in and carefully cut freehand along the curves.
Step 5: Cut Strap
Using your knife and straight edge, cut your 3/4" wide strap, but cut it longer than 4-1/8". You'll trim this piece later on, but for right now, go with 5-1/2" or 6" to be safe.
Step 6: Groove the Edges of the Pouch
With your stitch groover, groove all around the edge of your pouch piece.
Step 7: Groove Strap
Groove both edges of your strap with your stitch groover.
This is where the excess length you cut earlier becomes important. You may notice that you have start points where your groove doesn't go all the way to the end of the strap. Simply trim the end of your strap to get rid of these points and make your lines clean. Then measure out and trim your strap to the correct length (4-1/8").
Step 8: Mark Pouch
Lay your leather so that the top grain is face down on the table, and what will be the inside of your pouch is facing up. Use your awl to scribe a line 4-1/4" from the bottom—this is where you will fold the bottom up to create your pouch.
Measure another 4-1/4" from the scribe line you made, and mark this point on each edge (don't draw a line across the leather, because this spot will still be visible when you open your finished pouch). The bottom edge of your leather should meet this point when folded, creating the opening of your pouch.
Step 9: Tape Pouch
Apply double sided tape to the edges of your leather, between the two 4-1/4" measurements you made in the last step.
Fold your leather along the scribe line you traced, so that the bottom edge comes up to meet the second set of marks. Press down where you applied the tape.
Pay close attention to your measurements here. The front of the pocket is only 4-1/4" high, while the back measures 5".
Step 10: Add Strap
Measure 3/4" from the top of the front of your pocket. Using your scratch awl, mark this point on each edge in your groove line.
Apply double sided tape to each end of your strap. Drop the strap onto your pocket, with the top edge on the 3/4" mark you just made and press the taped ends down firmly. Your strap should be a bit wider than your pocket. Line up the edges so that the strap bows out in the center, giving you room to slide your flap underneath on your completed pouch.
Groove each end of your strap to match the rest of the pouch. This is just a helpful guide to have when sewing your pouch later on.
Step 11: Chisel Stitch Holes
Place your chisel in your groove line, dropping your first tine right in the corner where the groove lines meet. Hold your chisel straight up and down and use your mallet to punch your holes through the leather.
Make sure the chisel goes completely through each layer, then gently rock the tool back and forth to pull it out of the leather. If you have trouble getting it in or out, you can drop down to a smaller sized chisel.
Keep your stitch holes evenly spaced by placing the first tine of your chisel into the last hole you made. Chisel your stitch line down the left and right sides of your pouch.
Step 12: Hand Sew Your Pouch
You can use a stitching pony to keep your work comfortably in front of you while sewing.
For this project, use a Saddle Stitch. Cut your thread to be 4 times the length of what you need to sew.
Thread each end through one of your saddler's needles. You should have a needle in each hand, with your length of thread in between. Thread one needle through your bottom hole in your groove line. Pull it through so that the thread length is even on the front and back of your pouch. On the second hole, push your front needle in, but don't pull it completely through the leather yet. Then insert the needle on the back side of your project into the SAME hole. Now, in your second hole you should have two needles threading in opposite directions. Go ahead and pull them completely through, so that they end up on opposite sides from where they started. Once again, you should have one needle on each side of your pouch, with the thread pulled evenly between them. Repeat this stitch on the third hole, and so on. Stop when you reach the last two holes.
Step 13: Reinforce Stress Point
Create a saddle stitch in your second to last hole, then pull it closed but not tight yet. Do the same on your last hole.
Then, you're going to reinforce the stress point at the opening of your pouch by adding another stitch in these last two holes. Take the needle on the front side of your project and insert it through the second to last hole, but only push it through the first ply of leather. Angle it so that the needle goes forward and out through the opening of the pouch.
Repeat this stitch on the back, through the back layer of leather only. Both threads should now come through onto the inside of the pouch, with the ends trailing out of the opening.
Step 14: Square Knot
Pull each thread end taut to lock your stitch. Tie off your thread with a simple square knot (right over left, left over right), while tucking the knot inside the pouch to hide it.
Take your knife and hold it close to the surface of your leather, without actually touching it with the blade. Holding your thread ends taut, pull them across the knife blade to trim them. Move the threads, rather than the knife to avoid cutting yourself or your leather.
Repeat steps 12-14 on the other side of your pouch.
Step 15: Hammer Stitch Line
Once you have both sides of your pouch sewn, you can hammer your stitch line.
With a tack hammer or your mallet, lightly tap along each stitch line. Don't tap so hard that it damages the leather.
This spreads out your stitch line and closes down your chisel holes. It makes the stitches more prominent, and the holes less visible for a more finished looking project.
Once you've hammered each stitch line, your new flap pouch is done and ready to be used!
