Leather Canvas Fringe Bag DIY

This bag was created with light summer traveling in mind. I usually keep my car full of picnic blankets, camping gear, and an extra change of clothes so that I'm prepared for any spontaneous adventure that might come my way. But sometimes it's nice to just have a small bag that I don't have to lug around what feels like everything I own when traveling/exploring. Here's how I made it:

Supplies: Leather, canvas fabric, leather cord, measuring tape, scissors, paper, pen, sewing machine. 

Begin by finding the diameter of the base of the bag. To do this, measure the length of the bag and divide it by 3.14. My bag was 19 inches wide, which made the diameter 6.05 in. I rounded it to 6 in. Then, draw a square with sides as long as the diameter (mine was 6 in. on each side) and draw an X that meets perfectly in the middle. 

Fold the square into four along the lines of the X. Round the edges with your scissors, creating a perfect circle. Stencil the circle on the canvas fabric, and cut it out for the base of the bag. 

Cut out the additional pieces of the bag. I used a 19x12 in. canvas and 19x10 leather pieces.

Next, place the leather cord along the width of the leather. Then, with the seam facing inward, fold the leather over the cord, creating a slot for the cord to slide through. Sew the leather in place. Be sure to not sew onto the cord so that it can still slide back and forth.

Next, place the canvas right underneath the leather fold and sew in place. 

With the outside facing inward, sew the sides of the bag together. Then, sew the base of the bag on as well. All the seams should be facing out, as this is the inside of the bag. 

Flip the bag right side out. Fringe the leather with your scissors. Lastly, braid strips of leather and sew to the inside, giving your bag a strap. 

Enjoy!