Large Leather Tote From Repurposed Coat

I've been wanting a large leather tote bag for some time but haven't been willing to pay the high prices they command. I enjoy upcycling thrifted items, so when I found a long leather coat for half-price at Goodwill I snapped it up and decided to try my hand at converting it into a large tote bag. I think it turned out pretty well. The bag has two pockets on the front, is fully lined, and only took about an hour to make. If you don't count the incidental supplies, which I had on hand, it cost me less than $10.00 to make this bag.

Leather coat or jacket

Sewing machine

Leather sewing machine needle

Sturdy thread in matching color

Leather glue

Scissors

Clamps

Measuring tape

This is a Cinderella project. The idea is to take an ugly or out-of-fashion leather coat or jacket that is languishing in a thrift shop at a low price (I paid $6.00 for this coat on half price day) and convert it into a unique, stylish bag that might otherwise cost hundreds of dollars if purchased at a retail store. If you plan to undertake this project, think about your personal preferences--do you want a tote made of buttercream soft leather, or stiff, unyielding leather that will hold its shape better? Would you prefer black, brown, taupe, or another color? Do you want zippered pockets, ruffles, or an unembellished bag? If you shop patiently, you should be able to find leather in the color and style that is most pleasing to you. What's out of style for a coat might be great as a tote.

One advantage of using a coat or jacket instead of plain leather is that it already has lining and pockets and sometimes other embellishments sewn in, which allows you to create something more complex with ease. I recommend that you lay out the coat to evaluate where you will cut to obtain a front, back, and two handle pieces, and anything else you might want to add. For example, you might want to add an inner pocket or two. You could also add a tab closure to the outside of the tote. For this project, I kept it simple, and did not add anything to the basic design. Because this was a full-length coat, I had the luxury of deciding just how large I wanted to make the tote, and whether and where I wanted to use the existing pockets. As the pockets were near the top of the area that was suitable for use in constructing the tote, I decided to make a cut just above the pockets and then play around with the large piece to see how I liked various configurations. I ended up deciding that I wanted the pockets to both be on the front of the tote.

Your coat will be different. It may have zippered pockets, or asymmetrical flaps, or tabs. Give yourself as much space as possible to play with the front and back piece(s) and experiment with different configurations until you have one that you like.

Once you have decided how you will configure the tote, cut out the pieces of leather you will need. You will need two rectangular pieces of leather of equal size for the tote front and back, and 4 strips of leather for the tote handles. The exact size of these pieces will depend on how much leather is available from your coat, and how large or small you want to make the tote and handles. You should be able to cut leather for the handles from the sleeves of the coat. If you want a handle that is longer than the sleeve, double the number of strips you cut (i.e., cut 8 strips instead of 4) and sew the strips together to create 4 longer strips.

Take care to cut the lining along with the leather. Also take care to move any pockets out of the way of your scissors before you cut, so that the pockets you reuse in your tote will be intact. I recommend that you avoid using the heavily creased areas of the coat (the hem and front placket) because your needle will have a hard time getting through the thickness of the leather. If you cut just above the thickly creased and folded areas and the seams you will find in much easier to sew the leather pieces together.

When cutting the leather, do not use pins, as they will leave permanent holes in the leather. Instead, use little metal fabric clamps. They are available at some dollar stores and at most craft and fabric stores.

After I sewed the front and back pieces together (see below) I decided that I had made the tote too long/deep. So I cut a few inches off the bottom, made new cuts to the sides to create the 2-inch by 2-inch squares (described below), and re-sewed the bottom seam. Don't be afraid to make adjustments as you go along!

To create a squared off bottom for the tote, make a cut to both sides at the bottom of the front and back pieces. Lay the front and back pieces on top of each other, right sides together. (In the next step you will be sewing the bottom edges together.) On each side at the bottom edge, measure 2 inches from the side seam and mark the spot, and measure 2 inches from the bottom seam and mark that spot. Then cut out the 2-inch by 2-inch square on each side.

Now you're ready to sew. Insert a leather sewing machine needle in your sewing machine, and thread the machine with sturdy new thread (I like Sulky) that matches the color of your tote. Adjust the tension as needed and be prepared to sew a bit more slowly than usual. Sew the side seams and the bottom seam of the tote. Again, use the metal clamps to hold your seams together while sewing, instead of pins, to avoid disfiguring your leather with pinholes.

On each side of the tote where you have cut out the 2-inch by 2-inch pieces, you will need to make a seam to create the squared off bottom for the tote. Turn the tote bag inside out. Find the bottom seam, which will be the center point of these two new corner seams. Open the seam out, so that it will lie flat when you sew it. Pinch two cut sides together diagonally, as shown in the photo, and sew them together. Repeat this process on the other side. Then turn the bag right side out and push the corners out with a knitting needle or pencil. Voila, you have created a bottom for your tote bag.

Now you will finish off the top edge of the tote and anchor the lining to the top edge of the bag. Turn the top edge under, being sure to tuck the top edge of the lining into the folded edge of the leather. Machine stitch 5/8" from edge. Trim excess leather and lining fabric from seam.

If you needed to cut 8 leather pieces to get a tote handle long enough to suit your taste, sew the pieces together, with a 1/2" seam, so that you end up with 4 tote strap pieces. Glue the strap pieces together, wrong sides together, using the leather glue. You will end up with two tote strap pieces made from two pieces of leather glued together. After applying the glue smooth the leather so that there are no bubbles or wrinkles. When the glue has dried, sew around the edges of the handle pieces to end up with two tote handles equal in size and length.

Decide where you would like to attach the tote handles to the bag and sew the handles to the bag on the inside. Take care to assure that the handles are not twisted when you attach them to the bag. You may either sew by hand or sew by machine. If sewing by machine (my preference) sew in a rectangular box pattern with an "X" in the middle, to create the greatest strength for the attached handle.

The basic tote bag is now complete. If you want to add any buttons, snaps, tabs, or other embellishments or decorations to the outside of the bag, this would be the time to do it.

Your new tote bag is ready to go. Enjoy using it! Only you will know that you made it for about the price of a fast food meal.