Join me in creating this quick and easy leather pouch! Tuck in your ID, credit cards and money and you are ready to go! Gift cards fit perfectly and the pouch adds a handmade touch. You can find most of the supplies needed to make this in your local Michaels stores! There is a video tutorial for this project on the Michaels YouTube channel so please check that out too.

Here is what you will need to create this quick and easy leather pouch:

Genuine Leather- 3 1/2” x 9.1”  Turquoise and Brown
Button Stud
Waxed Thread- Brown Lacing
Needles (2)
Elastic
Heavy duty scissors
Jewelry Punch 3-Hole Punch Cropadile, or other leather punch
ruler and marker- optional

This design is super simple. The piece of leather I chose was so pretty, I only trimmed off small bits to give the pouch its shape. You can use the template below or design your own. Or just use the whole piece- no need to do any cutting.

Cut the leather…

1. Fold the leather piece in half lengthwise and make a mark on each end at the fold. Lay leather flat and measure down 5/8″ on each side and make a mark. Connect the dots and trim off the two triangles.
2. On the other end of the leather piece, measure up 5/8″ up from the center mark. Draw a line from the bottom of the leather piece to the center and trim the notched triangle off with heavy duty scissors.
3. Keep the scraps to experiment with. Or as someone on the video suggested, use the extra bits to make earrings- great idea!

Mark the holes…

There are several ways to do this. A piece of plastic canvas works really well to keep the stitching holes evenly spaced. Other options- use a ruler to mark the holes or get crazy and just eyeball it! This is your project and you should create in a way that is natural and comfortable for you. I experimented with several different ways.

In the example above, holes have been punched in a paper template and positioned where the folds are going. Below is a sample of the plastic canvas I used as my stitching hole guide.

Punch the holes…

This piece of leather has a busy pattern so it may be hard to see where to punch. So here’s how to solve that… Place the template on top of the leather. With a thick piece of foam or mousepad under the leather, use a sharp metal pick or awl to poke a pilot hole in the leather. This makes it easier to see where the holes are. If you are feeling brave, tape down the plastic to the leather. Using the plastic grid as a guide, forget the pilot holes and just go for it! Poke holes using the leather hole punch.

Next, fold the other side of the pouch to overlap. Keeping the sides of the leather even, punch additional holes using the first side as a template. You may want to use a clothespin or binder clip to keep the leather in position while punching.

Stitch the pouch together…

The easiest way to stitch the pouch together is to use a simple running stitch. Bring in the needle in between the two layers of leather to anchor the thread. Stitch down one direction and then back until there are no gaps in the stitching. (I was so busy stitching I forgot to take a photo :-() A heavy duty thread or waxed linen works best with leather needles.

Finish stitching down one side. It’s time to add the closure before completing stitching so there is room to work.

Make a mark on the point of the flap about 1/4″ up. Using the Crop- a-dile, punch a hole. Push screw part of the button stud up through the back of the flap and screw on the cover. Close the flap. Place two marks one either side of the button on the opposing fold of leather where the elastic will loop over the stud. Punch holes and thread thin 1 mm elastic through both holes. Make an overhand knot in the elastic on the inside of the pouch. Test tension by looping over the button stud.

Finish off …

You are almost there! The last thing to do is finish stitching… and it’s easy because you know what to do- the same exact thing you did on the previous side. Make a knot at the end and the project is complete!

What would you put in this quick and easy pouch? Please let us know in the comments!

I hope you will join me at Eileen Hull Designs where I do twice weekly Facebook Lives using my Sizzix dies and crafty materials to create books, boxes, folios and everything in between. The shows are on Tuesdays at 6PM EST and Thursdays at 4PM EST. Click HERE to see what we did on last wee’s show on Facebook Live.

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Watch how to make the quick and easy leather pouch here…

For more tips and tricks, go to Michaels YouTube channel to see the video class held on line in the Michaels classroom.

Thanks so much for your interest in this leather project! Let me know if you have questions in the comments. Have a crafty day!

Each Wednesday there is a new blog post featuring inspiring makes from the Inspiration and Educator Teams! You will never fail to come away with new ideas for using my dies. If you’ve missed the March posts so far, you can find them HERE, HERE and HERE. Join us next Wednesday for more!