{"id":9076,"date":"2017-11-28T05:39:06","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T13:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/?p=9076"},"modified":"2020-10-10T17:58:41","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T00:58:41","slug":"diy-leather-clutch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/2017\/11\/28\/diy-leather-clutch\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY Leather Clutch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9264\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/2017-11-27_0001-1080x720.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago my friend Lori, the talent behind <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnie + George<\/a>, invited me to take her leather bag-making class. I have\u00a0<em>long\u00a0<\/em>wanted to try working with leather, so naturally, I was pretty excited and I jumped at the chance. Lori offers a few classes per month, and they include courses on wallets, leather clutches, and tote bags. And if you’re not local, she also sells a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/largetotebag\/large-leather-tote-bag-diy-kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Large Tote Bag DIY Kit<\/a> on her website, which looks awesome.<\/p>\n<p>It was a beautiful fall day, and I attended the class with my good friend Jen. (She’s the redhead you’ll see featured in my photos.) We made a morning out of it and filled our bellies with brunch before heading over to Neopolitan in NW Portland to take the class. Prior to this experience, making a\u00a0<em>bag<\/em> seemed entirely outside my skill set. But surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as I’d expected!<\/p>\n<p>The leather was pre-cut for us, but we had to learn how to shape and carve out the pieces for the handle. We took a tooling device and pounded on it with a mallet to sink it into the leather.<\/p>\n<p><iframe frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VVZoYXhqB74\" width=\"560\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After that, we finished carving out the pieces with an exacto knife.<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9274\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1124\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2.jpg 1124w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-2-2-1080x721.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Then we smoothed out the edges of our handles. Some of us were working with black, and some with vegetable-tanned leather, a natural shade that gets darker with time.<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9271\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1124\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5.jpg 1124w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-5-1080x721.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1124\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4.jpg 1124w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-4-1080x721.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1124\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6.jpg 1124w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-6-1080x721.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9269\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-7.jpg 750w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-7-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-7-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After we did the handles, we used a fork to create holes for sewing.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-8.jpg 750w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-8-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9266\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1124\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9.jpg 1124w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-1080x721.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1124px) 100vw, 1124px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Lori taught us the saddle stitch to sew our pieces together. It turns out this stitch is\u00a0<em>very\u00a0<\/em>easy AND it is stronger than a machine stitch. I am currently examining my other leather purses more closely, squinting at stitch styles!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-10.jpg 750w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-10-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9265\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-11.jpg 750w, https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-11-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>I ran out of time to finish my bag in class, and completed it a few weeks later at home. The stitching reminded me of knitting. It was easy to do while relaxing on the couch, and very satisfying because of the movement and repetition.<\/p>\n<p>The class was quite enjoyable. I got to meet a few wonderful, local ladies, and we enjoyed learning and chatting together while Lori instructed us. She knows so much about leather and bag making, I loved soaking up what she shared.<\/p>\n<p>If you’re interested in making your own bag, and DON’T live in the Portland area, check out Minnie + George’s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/largetotebag\/large-leather-tote-bag-diy-kit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Large Tote Bag DIY Kit<\/a>. Even better, order one with a friend and do it together. The patterns are simple, and the stitching is very easy. Portland peeps: there are two classes coming up in January, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/largetotebag\/walletmakingclass\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wallet-making class<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/largetotebag\/leather-clutch-bag-class-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clutch class<\/a> I took. In February there’s a chance to take the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minniegeorge.com\/largetotebag\/large-tote-class\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Large Tote Class<\/a>. Spots are limited so, if you’re interested, sign up as soon as you can.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>This post is not sponsored, and it does not contain affiliate links. I attended this class as a guest of Minnie + George. It was a wonderful day\/experience that exceeded my expectations!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few weeks ago my friend Lori, the talent behind Minnie + George, invited me to take her leather bag-making class. I have\u00a0long\u00a0wanted to try working with leather, so naturally,… <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/2017\/11\/28\/diy-leather-clutch\/\">Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[388],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wardrobe-care-diy"],"categories_names":["Wardrobe Care + DIY"],"previous_post_ID":9223,"previous_post_title":"the Weekly Rundown: Instagram Hiatus + My Dream Decor","previous_post_link":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/2017\/11\/26\/weekly-rundown-instagram-hiatus-dream-decor\/","acf_fields":false,"comment_count":2,"formatted_date":"11.28.17","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Minnie-George-DIY-Leather-Clutch-Class-9-600x460.jpg","tag_names":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9076"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18998,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9076\/revisions\/18998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seasons-and-salt.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}