I’ve teamed up with HP and Meghan Trainor to help promote her “That Bass Tour” and the new HP x360!
I would call it a lap top, but that wouldn’t be quite accurate. It flips open like a lap top, but you can also stand it up or tent it for easy video streaming; OR you can flip the keyboard all the way back and use it like a tablet. So it’s kind of more of a….lapstandtentlet. haaaa. 馃槈
I prefer to tent it and set it up next to my sewing machine, so I can binge watch聽shows and movies while I sew and craft. It has Beats Audio built into the speakers, so the sound is muy bueno.
Inspired by the four modes of the HP x360, I’ve come up with a super simple sewing tutorial:
A four step leather tote tutorial, that holds an HP x360 like a boss.
MATERIALS
- 2 pieces of medium or medium thick upholstery leather cut to 15 x 15 inches*
- matching all-purpose thread
- leather needle*
- rotary cutter and self healing mat
- Free Four Step Tote Handle Pattern聽– Save and print by clicking聽HERE
- sharp heavy duty scissors (preferably sewing scissors)
- chalk
- sewing machine and basic sewing supplies
- clover clips or small binder clips (pins create permanent holes and may not be able to handle layers of leather)
*NOTE
Almost any leather will work. You want to聽make sure it’s not too flimsy, like suede, and not so thick that your home sewing machine can’t sew it. Vinyl or most faux leathers will work as well. A leather needle is absolutely key to helping this project feel like a fast and easy project instead of a frustrating one.
TUTORIAL
1|| CUT. Cut our your leather pieces to 15″ x 15″ and then, using my free pattern,聽cut away the corners to make the handles. First, print the pattern up from Google Drive. Print it at “actual size” and then cut the two pattern pieces out. Trace out the patterns with chalk 聽at the top of each leather piece. Then cut them out with sharp, heavy, duty scissors. For the center oval cut-out, be sure to place it approximately 1.75- 2 inches below the top of the bag, so there is a substantial handle. Note: If you are having trouble accessing the pattern or prefer not to use Google Drive, you may email me for a copy: [email protected]. Please expect email delivery to take up to 10 days. 2|| TOP STITCH. Top stitch along the curved top edge of each bag piece and around the oval shaped handles, close to the edges. It helps to lengthen your stitch to 4.5 or 5 mm. This produces a prettier top stitch and helps the leather move through the machine without getting stuck as easily. This step is optional, but it strengthens the handles and creates a more finished, polished tote. 3|| SEW. Sew both bag pieces together with a 1/2 inch seam allowance and about 3.5 or 4 mm stitch length. (The shorter stitch length will provide more strength to the seam.) Place the bag pieces together with wrong sides facing. Clip them in place with clover clips or small binder clips. This is such a simple project, it can be tempting to skip the clipping step. Keep in mind that leather can shift and stretch while you sew. Clips are a good way to help ensure you sew the bag evenly. Sew all the way around nice and slow, taking care to back stitch at the start and finish several times, to reinforce the seams at the top of the bag. Optional: Sew the corners rounded, instead of square, for an extra polished touch, as I did with this gray tote. 4 || TRIM. Trim the seam allowances down to 1/4 inch. This cleans up any minor shifting聽that may have occurred during sewing, and gives the bag nice finished looking edges. ALL DONE!聽
Schlep some books in it, make it your farmer’s market tote, or use it for your lap top. It’s a great, slim all-purpose tote.
HP is sponsoring Meghan Trainor’s “That Bass Tour”聽which is going on right now through March. If you want to follow along, check out Meghan’s tour page聽for more info. 
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by HP. All opinions are genuine and enthusiastically my own. The HP 聽x360 is all that and a bag of chips and Meghan Trainor is the bomb diggity….What?… The nineties are totes back in style. See what I did there? 馃槈
This is a real cute tote project. Its cute enough to make and use as a tote bag to put your things like a wallets and other things us women carry, but with a lining. Do you think it would be cute to do as so? Thank you 馃榾
Thanks Marian! Totally. It’s a great all-purpose tote. If I were to use it as a purse, I might add a lining and zipper for extra security, but you certainly don’t have to!
That x360 looks like it would be really nice to have around! I’ll be it’s great for displaying pattern instructions too. =)
Love the handles on the tote. =)
Yes! Totally great for following a pattern. I’m glad you mentioned that!
I love this! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for later today that links to your tutorial:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/free-pattern-4-step-leather-tote/2015/02/21/
–Anne
Thank you so much Anne!
I’m in LOVE with your tutorial! Thanks for posting. I’m running home to make one in some vinyl to practice, but leather is in my future ASAP!
Thank you! Vinyl is a great place to start. Have fun!
You totally look like a college kid in those pictures!
ha! It must be the glasses and the lap top ;)…but thank you! I’m actually 31, so I’ll take that as a high compliment.
That bag is amazing Delia. So creative and chic. And I love the peek of your studio space. Darling!
love, Love, LOVE the way this looks! I’m totally making one for my next trip. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you Heather! You are so kind.
Thank you so much for the tutorial! I made one yesterday, as a gift for a little girl that turned two (I know, not the best gift for a toddler, but her mom seemed quite pleased with it). I was in a big hurry, so I only noticed when it was finished that my thread tension was off for the top stitching.. Hope it won’t fall off too soon.
I used smaller dimensions and made it out of one continuous piece of leather that measured 30×60 cm.
I thought you might like to see a photo: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/376965431285985320/
Thanks again!
I love it! A mini one is SO cute! What a lucky little girl. If the tension was a little tight that is better than too loose (probably…in this case). It looks great to me anyway! Thank you for sharing a link.
When you said “not to flimsy, like suede” , did you mean suede is too flimsy OR suede is not too flimsy?
Would love to make this and have a suede jacket I could recycle.
Thank you,
I meant that suede is usually pretty flimsy. If your jacket feels substantial enough though, you might be okay. I hope that helps!
nice and helpful tutorial
Hey, cute bag..i need to make one for my daughters lightboard..could we make it out of fabric? Maybe i could put a stiff type of interfacing…fusible fleece? What are your thoughts?
Thanks Lauren! That is a GREAT idea! You could even use felt and interfacing so there would be no fraying. Kind of like with this basket: http://www.deliacreates.com/diy-faux-industrial-felt-basket-tutorial/
I hope that helps!
Yep..but now daughter really liked the leather samples from toto fabrics.com. I just hope they are medium thickness…I have an email in to them to clarify! Will let you know if we go the fabric route…thanks for your help!
Ha! Oh fun. I hope it works out!
I love this bag! This would be so nice in a heavy weight linen with some reinforcing!
Yes! That’s a great idea!
This is the best purse. Thank you for sharing. Have the perfect leather to try and with the great instructions I might be done tonight.
I am so glad you like it! I hope it turned out how you wanted! <3
Incredible tutorial! One of the best tote bag patterns thus far!!!! I鈥檓 making some for the holidays!!!!
Fantastic easy tote to make. Took me less than 1/2 hour from start to finish. More please. I’m going to give it a go but using Upholstery leather. Thanks again
You are a machine! Half an hour…that’s amazing! So glad you like the pattern. I bet it will work up beautifully in upholstery leather!