Leather Tote - DIY

After using the creasing and groove tool on the sides, you'll then need to take out your leather glue. Turn the bag so it will be "inside out" and then wet the leather again on the edges. Use the creasing and groove tool on the wrong side of the leather. It may not work quite as well as on the finished side, but it will be good enough. Then use the stitching wheel to create indentations where the stitches will be sewn.

After that, brush a thin layer of the glue along all edges that will be sewn together - the bag should still be inside-out. Let the glue dry slightly and become tacky before sealing the edges together. Then place some heavy objects along the edges to let it really bond together. Wait a little while, maybe 30 minutes to an hour before you plan to sew the edges.

Before sewing along those edges, you will need to use your awl to punch holes into the leather where you'll be stitching. Normally people would use a leather stitching horse to help hold the leather together while stitching, but I don't have one. So I had several cutting mats below my leather and used that to punch holes into the sides to prepare for sewing - I did that with the awl and sometimes had to use the mallet to push it through.

Once holes are punched, you are ready to sew. It's very difficult to explain how to sew the leather properly, but I found an excellent photo tutorial of that here. If I could do anything differently on this tote bag, I would have used a neutral color thread for sewing the seams on the inside. You can find this waxed thread at local Hobby Lobby stores or online.

If you prepped the area to sew, it shouldn't be too difficult to sew the side seams. If your holes were punched, you should be just fine. Be very careful not to hurt yourself while stitching. I used a very sharp needle as my leather one (which was duller) broke, and I accidentally stabbed my finger about 1/4 inch deep. I had to get a tetanus shot because of it!