Black leather backpack made by hand from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless backpack PDF pattern

Stitchless Backpack Pattern and Tutorial

£15.00
£15.00
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Black leather backpack made by hand from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless backpack PDF pattern
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  • Black leather backpack made by hand from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless backpack PDF pattern
  • Two-tone brown and grey handmade leather backpack made from a leather backpack pattern
  • Woman wearing a dark green leather backpack made from a downloadable stitchless pattern — no sewing machine
  • black and tan leather backgpack on white background
Stitchless Backpack Pattern and Tutorial

Stitchless Backpack Pattern and Tutorial

£15.00
£15.00
★★★★★ (1)

metric and imperial measurements

easy to follow illustrated instructions

print on A4 / US Letter /A0

access to lifetime updates

Download and print the pattern to make yourself a Stitchless Backpack. 

A proper leather backpack — the kind you'd look at in a shop and wince at the price of — made by your own hands, in a colour nobody else will have. This is the pattern to do exactly that, and there's not a sewing machine in sight.

The backpack is built the stitchless way: woven together by hand, no machine sewing, no hand stitching. It looks like the hardest thing on the list and it really isn't — if you can follow a video and take your time, you can make this. I've designed it so the construction does the clever bit for you, the way the best flat-pack furniture does: clear steps, the right order, no figuring it out as you go.

What leather should I buy? How many buckles? What if I've never made a bag this size before? It's all in there — every technique filmed, every tool explained, and a supplier guide so you know what to order and where.
    What do I get?

    An instant PDF download of the full pattern, in A4, US Letter and A0/A1 formats

    A full step-by-step video tutorial covering every technique and tool

    A supplier guide for leather and tools (UK, Europe and the US)

    Metric and imperial measurements throughout

    Lifetime access to pattern updates
    Leather and Tool Requirements
    HELP ON LEATHER AND TOOLS SOURCING

    You get a helpful guide on suppliers (UK, Europe and the US) for buying leather and tools.

    LEATHER REQUIREMENTS

    You will need thick yet supple leather (about 1.2mm to 1.8mm thickness or 3 to 5 oz weight) for the back, front, base and flap of the bag. As a rough guide, you'll need a piece of leather about 60cm by 90cm for these sections of the bag. In the US, sometimes the flexibility of the leather is described as "temper" - you want this leather to be semi-soft to semi-stiff. In the UK, the term used to describe the pliability of the leather is handle - you want to have leather with a medium handle.

    For the straps you will need slightly thicker and stiffer leather (about 2 to 3mm or 5 to 7 oz). I'd recommend using veg tan shoulder leather for the straps. You will need about 25cm by 130cm piece of leather for the straps. The temper of the strap leather will need to be semi-stiff to stiff, whilst the handle will need to be firm.

    HARDWARE

    3 metal buckles - 25mm width

    2 metal o rings - 30mm width

    16 metal rivets - screw in Chicago screws or hammer in rivets

    TOOLS

    The bag has been designed to only require the very basic tools and materials (with the novice leatherworker and budget in mind). Some tools are essential whereas others are 'nice to have'. As with all tools, the more you spend, the better quality and nicer to use, but you can get away with cheaper tools if you are just wanting to try out bag making! The exact sizes of the tools are in the downloads but if you already have some of the tools, I will show you how you can adapt the widths of the straps.

    Essential tools

    • round leather awl
    • scalpel, craft knife or Stanley knife with fresh blades
    • metal ruler - 30cm or 60cm
    • rotary punch tool
    • oblong hole punch
    • cutting mat
    • deadblow hammer, mallet or maul

    Nice to have tools

    • punch board
    • circular hole punches
    • rivet setting tool - hand press or hand held
    • strap end punch
    Dimensions of finished bag

    The finished bag measures 30cm (12”) wide by 25cm (10”) high by 25cm (10”) deep.

    The straps are adjustable and measures 95cm (37”) at shortest/120cm (47”) at longest.

    A roomy finished backpack — a grab handle at the top and a buckle closure on the front flap. It uses three buckles, two O-rings and a handful of rivets, all listed for you. A beginner can make this; it just asks for a little patience and an afternoon or two.
    How do I print out my pattern?

    Following purchase, you will be emailed the PDF digital patterns in A4, US Letter and A0 format.

    A4 and US Letter can be printed on a home printer, whereas the larger A0 and A1 formats can be printed at a print shop.

    Print at 100% scale - there is a scale measurement on the patterns so you can double check it's at the correct scale.