Some of the best craft projects start with leftover materials. In this case, I picked up the scraps from the last Leather Crafternoon, paired it with some indigenous Philippine fabric from Anthill, and then a few backstitches led to this:
I cut up some rectangular panels: 2 rectangular panels of fabric of equal length, and 1 panel of leather slightly longer than the fabric’s length. Worked on the bag from inside-out. Folded the leather in half, and attached the fabric on both ends of the leather. I used backstitch all the way. (Didn’t use a pattern, I just said a prayer with every stitch, hoping it would turn out okay. :P) Once the panels were attached, I sewed the sides from the bottom up.
I attached the zipper on top (make sure to leave the zipper slightly open), and then by cutting some fringe on some scrap leather, I made a tassel for the zipper pull.
When all the sewing is done, open the zipper, and flip the bag inside-out.
Giving this to a friend as a welcome home present!