I’ve seen the Solace Leather bag kits pop up in my Instagram feed from time to time so was thrilled when they reached out to me and asked me if I’d like a kit in return for an IG post. My biggest dilemma was which product to pick. They have a lot, and they are all really lovely, but this one caught my eye and I couldn’t let it go.

I’ve never seen a bag quite like this so this is the one I chose. It is DB513 if you are looking for it on their website. Even both my boys think it’s really cute.

The kit arrived quite quickly and I was impressed with the quality of the leather and the fact that everything you need in included, even snips.

The sheet of numbers is so that each piece can be labelled, which was surprisingly useful. All the pieces have prepunched holes and I’m pleased to report that I didn’t have a single hole left over, which is most unusual for me!

I began making it at our holiday place. I just sat all day and quietly stitched, it was so meditative, I didn’t even listen to a podcast or music, I was in my own head the whole time, although I was also watching the video tutorial that accompanies the bag. I did a lot of stopping and starting!

I don’t think I’ve ever sewn with two needles, one at either end of the thread. It is such a useful technique and I know I’ll be applying it to other hand sewing.

I took some in progress shots, and was particularly pleased with the collar. The handles are constructed in a fairly unique way, I think.

I did find that getting my tension even took a bit of practice, particularly when I sewed the base in, but once I had my head round it I was fine.

I think the finished bag looks really high end. It has a shoulder strap as well as handles and there is an inside flap to hold the sides together, as well as a little inside pouch for train passes, credit cards or whatever else you need to keep separate.

I did eventually remove all the numbers!

I’ve used it a lot since I finished it last week. It’s already been admired whilst I was out and about and I must get quicker at saying that I made it.

I thought I’d dress it up and down as I went about my daily life. Loved it with my two piece setacular made from some lovely fabric brought back from Bali as a gift from Katherine @sewblooms. I also wore it with my Hermes “Reves d’Escargots” scarf which I refashioned into a top in 2014 as I just never wore the scarf. I mention this as it has shocked family and friends.

I’ve been asked a few times about the making of this bag. It is certainly not onerous. I think this bag is designated as fairly easy with an estimated completion time of 2-4 hours. It took me much longer than that, possibly because I was trying to make sure it was perfect. The hardest thing was burning the ends of the threads. The only thing you need that is understandably not included in the kit, is a cigarette lighter. We don’t own such a thing so I found myself using a device akin to a flame thrower. I was quite hesitant at first but by the end I had the thread actually alight and no harm came to my bag.

Should you be interested in trying one of the Solace Leather bag kits for yourself I can really recommend having a look at their whole range, I could have chosen a dozen bags. They have also been kind enough to offer any of my followers a 10% discount by using the code suestoney10.

I notice on their website that they have templates so you can make your own bag with your own leather. These are very reasonably priced, so worth investigating. They would be fabulous to use to make gifts.

I am so tempted to buy myself another kit, it was such an enjoyable experience.