Sewing Project: Burgundy Leather Bag

 

I have owned the kit and pattern for this bag, known as "the Boxy Tote", for over 10 years, so it's about time I finally decided to make it. I obtained it from the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, WA, but I did manage to find it on Amazon, in case someone else is interested in making the same project.

The pattern comes with the bent metal stays which allow the top of the bag to stay open, making it easier to carefully load your precious Featherweight into the bag.

Instead of making it from the typical quilting cottons, I decided to use some burgundy leather that has been in my stash for several years. The leather I obtained for $3 a yard at the outdoor sale at Fabric Depot in Portland, OR (sadly, Fabric Depot closed its doors in October 2018). It was one of those things I just couldn't resist, and I bought 8 yards because it was such a great deal and I was sure I would use it immediately for some project or another. 

Apparently my camera didn't adjust the lighting properly, but this is me sewing the straps on. I sewed the bag using my Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 walking foot sewing machine. The Ultrafeed had no problems sewing through all the layers of batting and leather. If you can fit the material under the foot, it can sew it. The LSZ-1 comes with other feet, including a leather sewing foot (smoother bottom to prevent marking the material), but I simply used the original walking foot because I found that it was not marking up the leather. 

Another lousy photo. Again of the straps being sewn on, this time without my hand. I guess I hoped that the lighting would look better without my hand in the way. (I finished the bag before checking on quality of the photos, so I wasn't aware that they were this dark. I guess the camera saw the bright sewing light and dimmed everything else. The room I was in was actually quite bright, so if the camera hadn't so stupidly adjusted for the machine's light, this would have looked fine)

Stitching another portion of the bag. I think this was the bottom of the bag. 

Showing the layers that are being stitched - leather and foam. 

Stitching the sides together. 

The finished bag. (see how bright the room is? This is the same room, just to the left of where the Ultrafeed was being used. My camera is insane.)

Inside of the bag. The fabric is a quilting cotton covered in irons. The pockets are regular black cotton fabric because I didn't have quite enough of the iron fabric (it had been in my stash for a number of years, and I don't recall where it came from). Notice how nicely the bag sits open. This is because the metal stays follow along the outside of the zipper and hold it open like that. Also, the stiff foam between the outer and inner layers makes the bag stand up easily on its own. This bag takes a LOT of effort to flatten.

Bag closed with straps draped over top. The outside of the bag has several pockets. I'm not sure what I'd load into them, but it's always nice to have plenty of pockets available.

Side view of bag showing side pockets. Note the iron fabric trim on the outside of the pocket and on the zipper end.

Holding the handles up. They are quite long and allow the bag to be carried on one shoulder. 

My Featherweight inside the bag. The pattern was advertised as a bag for carrying a Featherweight, so of course I had to put it in there to see how well it fits into the bag. With the Featherweight inside, the bag feels heavy, but the leather handles didn't stretch, so it's tough enough. I think that if you were to make this bag using quilting cotton, I'd recommend using nylon webbing instead of batting in the handles so that the handles won't stretch or break when the Featherweight is in the bag. Although the Featherweight's name implies it's light, remember that it's "light" compared to other Singer machines of that era, and it's still pretty hefty, tipping the scales at 14.6 lbs.

Top view of bag loaded with my Featherweight, all zipped up and ready for the road. 

I did carry the machine around for a few minutes in the bag, just to see if it had any issues supporting the machine. The bag didn't warp out of shape because the straps go all the way around to the bottom of the bag, helping to support the weight of the machine. With the Featherweight inside, the bag is quite roomy, and should have sufficient room for a few yards of fabric and other sewing materials, making it a nice container for going to a local Stitch & Bitch or sewing class. 

The pattern is well written. I really liked that it came with a page of tags to use as labels for each piece. The tags are color coded for each material to help keep everything organized. Many pieces are similar sizes and without the labels I can see how easily one could become confused as to which piece is which. I used blue masking tape to stick the labels to the leather pieces and pins for the foam and quilting cotton layers. 

The most difficult part of the project was the final step of pushing the metal frame pieces through their channels. This was partly my own fault - I should have sewn the channel 1/8" wider than the pattern said it should be sewn to take into account the extra thickness of the leather. I did manage to wrestle it in place after a struggle, but not without poking one of the stays through the quilting cotton in one spot along the channel. I repaired the hole with a bit of Fray Check and a few quick hand stitches. I won't tell you where it is, but it can be found with close examination. 

The bag can, of course, be used for purposes other than toting around a Featherweight, but I think that most who choose to make this project are making it because they want a cute bag for carrying their Featherweight and project materials. Finished dimensions are 14"x11"x12". 

Happy Sewing!!