Leather Accent Zipper Pouch DIY

How to Sew a Leather Accent Zipper Pouch.

I found a bag filled with leather scraps for under $5 at an estate sale last year and snapped it up as quickly as I could. It was like finding hidden treasure! Inside, there were several large strips of leather, leather lacing, and leather dye. Most of the leather strips were covered in chalk markings, and I’ve always wondered what those leather strips were meant for. Maybe a pair of men’s shoes? Some belts maybe? Whatever the case, I’m sure the former owner never thought his leather collection would eventually find its way into my hands to be turned into necklaces, riding pants, purses, and now a zipper pouch!

I love sewing with leather. There’s just something about adding leather to a project that gives it a little edge and chicness. With the simple addition of a few leather triangles, this simple zipper pouch becomes a stylish bag perfect for makeup or odds and ends.

SUPPLIES:

Two 8″wide x 6″ tall pieces sewable interfacing, two 8″ wide x 6″ tall main fabric pieces, two 8″ wide x 6″ tall lining pieces, one 7″ zipper, one 2″ wide x 3″ tall piece of fabric for zipper tag, four thin leather triangles approximately 4″ long and 2″ tall, iron and ironing board, zipper foot, sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.

Note about working with leather: when selecting your leather to use for this pouch you want 7-9 oz. leather that is soft and easily pliable (not the stiff kind typically used for belts.) You can find bags of thin scrap leather at many hobby stores. Also, if you’re using thin leather as suggested, a universal sewing needle will work fine.

Attaching The Leather Triangles

ONE: first (not pictured), iron your interfacing to the back of your two main fabric pieces. Then, measure the 6″ sides of your main pieces to determine where to place your leather pieces.

TWO: I didn’t pin my leather down because I didn’t want to poke holes in it. Instead, I held the leather in place with my fingers and slowly (and very carefully!) sewed in a continuous triangle until I got to the middle. You could always try a small amount of spray adhesive to help keep your leather in place, but I didn’t have a problem with my leather moving around.

Attaching the Zipper

ONE: take your 3×2 scrap of fabric and iron the long sides over to meet in the middle.

TWO: next, fold each end to meet the middle and press, then fold once more in half and press so that the raw edges are encased inside of your fabric tab.

THREE: sandwich the end of your zipper in the fabric tab you just made, and sew straight across to secure. On the opposite end of your zipper where the zipper pull is, trim off approximately 1/2 inch.

FOUR: Place one piece of your main fabric face up on the table, then place your zipper face down as shown above with your zipper pull face down on the left side. Make sure the top edge of your zipper is lined up with the raw edge of the fabric.

FIVE: place a piece of your lining fabric face down, sandwiching the zipper inside. Your fabrics will now be facing right sides together (RST.) Pin along the top edge to secure.

ASSEMBLY

ONE: using your zipper foot, sew along the edge of your fabric close to your zipper teeth.

TWO: when you unfold your fabric pieces, it should look like this with your main and lining fabric wrong sides together (WST). Repeat the steps above to attach your main fabric and lining pieces to the other side of your zipper.

THREE: Your pouch should now look like this, with one main piece and one lining piece on either side of the zipper facing WST.

FOUR: to give the pouch a more finished look, you can go back with your zipper foot and top stitch along each side of the zipper.

FIVE: unzip your zipper halfway (don’t skip this step!) and fold your pouch so that the two main pieces are facing each other and the lining pieces are facing each other RST. With your regular sewing foot, sew around the perimeter of your pouch, but leave a 2-3 inch opening in your lining pieces for turning as shown in the picture above.

SIX: pull your pouch right side out through the opening you left, and then tuck the raw edge of your lining fabric inside and hand stitch the opening closed. Push your lining inside your pouch, zip and you’re done!

I love the polka dot lining fabric inside of my pouch. It’s like a little surprise each time I open the bag 🙂

I hope you enjoy your new zipper pouch, and if you’re looking for a few more ideas to incorporate leather into your projects, here are some past projects to try: