Gift Idea: Tote Bag with Painted In Blue
Tony Gonzalez, founder of Painted In Blue, made and designed a beautiful tote bag. Follow his step-by-step tutorial and download the FREE pattern to get started!
Products:
- Montana Veg-Tan Sides in Black (SKU 9159-51)
- Liner of your choice
- Eco-Flo Edge Flex Edge Paint (SKU 2810-)
- 8mm Ritza Tiger Thread (SKU 0785-)
- 3mm 6 Prong Craftool Diamond Stitching Chisel (SKU 88045-06)
- Tanners Bond Contact Cement (SKU 2525-01)
- Craftool® Bakelite Mallet (SKU 3308-00)
Instructions:
- Decide where to place your pattern
- Before cutting, establish handle placement from the pattern.
- Cut tote bag exterior out from your leather of choice
- Choose a liner leather
- Glue flesh side of the tote bag to the liner
- Cut off excess leather
- Establish stitch lines on all sides necessary sides and punch all necessary holes (see pattern)
- Stitch the top parts of the tote bag
- Cut your handles
- If your handles have a liner, make sure you stitch them
- Edge paint handles and all edges of the bag
- Attach handles
- Glue together both sides of the bag
- Use a scratch awl to complete holes completely through
- Glue the bottom flaps to the inside of the bag's base
- Establish holes with scratch all and stitch
- Look at your completed bag and be proud of yourself
Painted In Blue
Tony "josiesboy" Gonzalez is a full-time leathercrafter and visual artist originally from New York. He is the owner of Painted in Blue, a creative house that originated in 2017—specializing in pushing the boundaries of leather creativity.
His leatherworking journey began in late 2019, after buying his first hide from Tandy, and he started flourishing all through the quarantine of 2020. Starting a new craft in the middle of a global pandemic was tough, but he has often said that leatherworking has kept his mind at ease through the difficult times. Two years into his craft and residing in Philadelphia, he has two main goals. The first is to feed his creative spirit at all times, and the second is to inspire more young black and brown people to continue this tradition.
Website: https://paintedinblue.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_paintedinblue/