Rust leather saddle bag made from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless saddle bag PDF pattern

Stitchless Saddle Bag Pattern and Tutorial

£15.00
£15.00
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Rust leather saddle bag made from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless saddle bag PDF pattern
  • Rust leather saddle bag made from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless saddle bag PDF pattern
  • Woman in a yellow dress wearing a brown leather saddle bag made from a leather saddle bag pattern
  • Rust leather saddle bag made from the Leather Needle Thread stitchless saddle bag PDF pattern
  • Woman in a yellow dress wearing a brown leather saddle bag made from a leather saddle bag pattern
Stitchless Saddle Bag Pattern and Tutorial

Stitchless Saddle Bag Pattern and Tutorial

£15.00
£15.00

metric and imperial measurements

easy to follow illustrated instructions

print on A4 / US Letter /A0

access to lifetime updates

The compact saddle bag you sling on and forget you're wearing — hands free, just the right size, smart enough for most things. This is the pattern to make your own, in a leather you've picked yourself, with no sewing machine in sight.

The saddle bag is put together with no sewing: woven together by hand, no machine sewing, no hand stitching. The flap-and-buckle shape looks more advanced than it is — the construction does the clever bit for you, in clear steps and the right order, so there's no figuring it out as you go. If it's your first bag, this is a kind one to start with.

What leather should I get? How much? Will I manage if I've never done this? All covered — every technique filmed, every tool explained, and a supplier guide telling you what to buy 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 any 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 4 oz weight) for the back, front, gusset and flap of the bag. As a rough guide, you'll need a piece of leather about 40cm by 85cm 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 6 oz). I'd recommend using veg tan shoulder leather for the straps. You will need about 10cm by 125cm 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

    1 metal buckle - 25mm width

    6 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 20cm (8”) high by 8cm (3”) deep.

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

    The saddle bag has a front flap and clever leather closure. It uses just one buckle and six rivets, so the hardware list is short and friendly. A beginner can make this with a little patience in a day or 2.

    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.