DIY – kisslock makeup bag

Some of you might have seen the sneak peek, last week on Instagram. As a counterpart for all the serious business and study stuff, I thought let’s treat us to a new make-up bag. You might already have like 10 make up bags but this is the one! Not only because he’s just beautiful but also because you have made him by yourself! How to make this kisslock make-up bag? Check out the next few steps.

What do you need for the Kisslock Make-up Bag:

• A rectangle kisslock frame (mine is 12 cm by 3cm)
• Piece of leather (about 15cm by 30 cm)
• Pair of leather needles
• Waxed thread (or wax and thread)
• Stanley knife or leather knife
• Strong glue (not just leather glue but like super glue for metal and leather)
• Flat nose pliers (as broad as you can get)
• A kitchen towel

Step one – draw the pattern

This might actually be the hardest part but if you follow the instructions then you will rock it! First, trace the inside or your frame on a piece of paper. Find the middle of the top part and mark it. Next, you can fold your piece of paper in two on this middle mark. In this manner, you definitely will have an equal pattern on both sides.

Draw a line, 30 to 45 degrees (this is how big your side-fold is, so up to you) outwards of your top line. Turn your frame on its corner until the sides line up. Mark the end of the of the frame on this line.

Determine the height of your bag (mine is 14 cm) and add the 1/2 the length of the width to it, as in my case 1/2*8 = 4cm. Do you still follow me? I know, I had to read it once or twice too…

 

Step two – Cut, prick, glue and sew

The hardest part is done, can you imagine it! So now the fun part starts. Cut your pattern of your piece of leather but fold it over on the bottom (so you have two sides of the bag ;)…)All right, all that’s left is to cut out the bottom corners. This is a square of the width of the bag but spare the sewing allowance. So if you want your bag to be 8 cm in width cut the side panels at 4.5 cm so you will have a 0.5 mm sewing allowance on both sides. For the height of the square, you only need the 8 cm. Next, mark the stitching lines and prick the stitching holes with your pricking iron. We will sew the bag inside out to get those turned edges so glue the ‘pretty’ side of the leather together. Be careful not to spill glue over the edge of the sewing allowance since that will be visible…!!

Finally, sew all edges together like in the pictures below and turn the bag out-side-in. Did you forget how to saddle stitch the leather, here is a little reminder? After that, it’s time for the next step.

Step three – glue and clamp the frame

The final step, take your super glue, wich is as well for leather as for metal. Put some glue in the metal frame and on the edge of your leather bag. Don’t use too much glue, since it will spread once you clamp your frame. Which is actually the next step after you have pushed the leather into the frame. Once the glue has dried you can take your flat nose plier and the kitchen towel (to protect the frame) and clamp the leather tightly in the frame.

Wooow! Doesn’t it look good? It’s that I don’t need another ten kiss lock make up bags otherwise I would have made them immediately. A simple but very good-looking DIY. I would love to see the results and how much you like them!