diy leather chihuahua tote
I've been meaning to post this tutorial forever! I'm sorry if you've been waiting for it!
This tote is actually super simple to make. If you have a pet you'd like to add onto your tote I'll walk you through how to alter the pet photo to make it printable. If you'd like to use the chihuahua on my tote feel free to use my file.
This was my Chihuahua for many, many years! His name was DeMarco and he was just as sweet as he was adorable. I'm sure your pets image on your tote will take over and be the new trend versus actually carrying your pet around in your purse. We're such trendsetters. Yay!
Supplies you'll need:
- A light colored leather tote or make your own!
- Acrylic paint and a fabric medium OR leather paint
- Mod Podge (not water based)
- Fabric glue
- Printable fabric
- A small paint brush about 5/8 inch square soft bristles
- Another brush for the fabric glue and mod podge
- A Silhouette machine. Don't have one? Get yours here! Expressions Vinyl Cameo 3 Bundle
I'll try to get the basic leather tote tutorial up for you soon as well! Everyone needs the mystery braid handles and pom-pom pocket in their life right?!
Directions:
- Make sure your tote surface is clean and dry. Mix your acrylic paint and fabric medium following the manufacturers instructions on your fabric medium. Paint a square pattern similar to a checker board on the front of the tote. (or just use your finger and make fingerprints instead of squares) Let dry completely!
- While the paint is drying you can print the image on printable fabric. Follow the directions on the printable fabric packaging! I had to rinse and dry the image after I printed it. (If you're printing your own pet image, I used my silhouette software to edit my picture. I cut it from it's background which means you want an image that easily separates from the background, ie the subject and the background are very different colors. Dark images work best for me to cut. Then I added a bunch of free floral graphics I found online. Ask me if you need any help!)
- Apply a very thin layer of mod podge over the color squares.
- Once the tote paint squares are dry and your image is prepped and dry you can attach it to the tote. I simply cut around the image and used the fabric glue to attach it to the tote. You can use some trim such as ric-rac or ribbon to accent the border of your image if the glue edge on the fabric bothers you. I also coated the image with mod podge after the fabric glue dried so that the image and the paint squares had the same finish. Once it's cured (normally 24 hours) you're good to go!
Please let me know if you need any help with the pattern! Have fun crafting but only use this image file for yourself and to create gifts for friends and family. Do not sell any part of the instructions, pattern, or finished bags. Thank you!
xoxo Jenny
