Bag Design Course: Construction, Pattern Making, Techniques

Course curriculum

1. How to use this course
2. Welcome & how it will go
  FREE PREVIEW
3. The link to the Course support chat
4. Leather samples kit to test your sewing machine (free for my Sparkles, USA delivery included)
5. My personal guidance on choosing leather for the bags you want to make in the course
6. Weekly Zoom meetings
1. Overview and nine most essential tools you need to make bags
2. Tools 1. Scissors
3. Tools 2. Rulers and measuring
4. Tools 3. Cutting - rotary knife and/or utility knife
5. Tools 4. For tracing patterns and making marks
6. Tools 5. Gluing and Taping
7. Tools 6. Punching holes
8. Tools 7. To Make edges look good: Edge paint and Burnishing gum
9. Tools 8. Needles
10. Tools 9. Stitching chisels to hand stitch (if you want to)
11. Tools 10. For skiving leather (making it thinner)
12. Tools 11. Hand Press
13. Tools 12. Auxiliary tools
14. Cutting Mat
15. Thread and Sewing Machine Needles
16. Sewing Clips and Binder Clips
1. 1. Basic rules of tracing a bag pattern on leather
2. 2. Tracing patterns on suede and trick about printed leathers
3. 3. Tracing Practice: thin spots and discoloration
1. 1. How to cut neat straight edges: practice, mistakes, troubleshooting
2. 2. The difference in cutting heavy, slouchy, and lightweight leather
3. 3. Cutting thick belt leather nice and easy
4. 4. Tracing and Cutting Practice: red leather crossbody bag
1. 1. What Tape and Glue to choose and when each works best
2. 2. How to glue neatly (+Red crossbody purse top zip closure: Glue vs Tape)
3. 3. Practice: Gluing the lining for the red leather purse
1. 1.1. Intro about sewing machines
2. 1.2. Leather Bag-Making Stitching Cheat Sheet: Needles, Thread, and Leather +PDF
3. 2.1. Home Sewing Machine: Setting up
4. 2.2. Home SM: Practice straight even stitching with dense fabric
5. 2.3. Home SM: Practice stitching with leather - how to start sew leather
6. 2.4. Home SM: practice straight and even stitching on leather
7. 2.5. Home SM: troubleshooting for different thicknesses
8. 2.6. Home SM: presser feet comparison
9. 3.1 Sailrite flatbed machine: Intro
10. 3.2 Sailrite: Set up and Practice
1. 1. Intro and Materials needed
2. 2. Cutting the body mold — how much to cut
3. 3. Cutting clean, even Fringe: PDF Template, Tips and Tricks
4. 4. Making the lobster attachment strap / long leather loop
5. 5. Cleaning the sheds & Attaching the strap to the fringe
6. 6. Gluing the top and Forming the tassel
7. 7. Making a nice loop around the top to cover the fringe
8. 8. Burnishing the tassel top (optional)
9. Congratulations — your tassel is ready!
1. Materials recommendations for the unlined pouch
2. Pattern Making: Build a straight pouch/clutch pattern with me, the size is 7Lx5Hx2.5D" (17.5x12.5x6.25cm)
3. 1. PDF pattern and cutting/gluing it
4. 2. Cutting leather details
5. 3.1 Closing the zipper's ends with leather patches with some tricks
6. 3.2 Two ways to stitch the zipper's ends
7. 4.1 Gluing the front & back leather details to the zipper
8. 4.2. Game changing trick: covering zipper's tape with leather strips on the inside
9. 5.1 Stitching the zipper
10. 5.2 Trick with the zip closure on the inner side
11. 6.1 Stitching the sides and bottom (a side version without D-ring added)
12. 6.2 Optional D-ring attachment: making the attachment ready
13. 6.3 Optional D-ring attachment: Stitching the side and hiding the threads
14. 7.1 Depth's tricks for perfectly straight crossing and stitching the 1st side
15. 7.2 Stitching the 2nd depth side
16. 8.1 Making the knots on the bottom
17. 8.2 Making the knots on the top and your pouch is ready!
1. Intro and 2 approaches to pick the size + The list of the most popular sizes for bags
2. How to add seam allowance and technical marks correctly
3. Approach 1: Constructing 1–2–3 piece straight boxy shapes: tote, crossbody, hobo of any size you want
4. 1.2. Practice: Building a real-size straight tote pattern of 11.5"Hx10"Wx4.5"D
5. 1.3. Practice: a 3-piece pattern with one-piece leather bottom, a canvas top and large front pockets
6. 1.4. Practice: Build a straight pattern using a real bag as a reference (small purple pouch)
7. 1.5. From Straight to Angled: Converting the straight shape into an angled & separate the bottom
8. 1.6. From straight to angled: How to narrow down the top while keeping the wide bottom
9. Approach 2: Creating a bag pattern using the dimensions of an existing bag
10. 2.1. Practice: building a tote pattern based on the existing bag 13.8"H x12.2"W x11.4"D (35x31x29cm)
11. 2.2. Practice: Converting a standard 2-piece tote pattern into one with a designated bottom
12. 3.1. Resizing: Scaling Made Simple - increase or reduce size and avoid common mistakes
13. 3.2. Resizing: changing the height or/and length of the straight shape
14. 3.3. Resizing: changing only depth and keeping the height and width the same
15. 4.1 Angled and Semi-Angled shapes: Catch the trick easily
16. 4.2. Practice: angled bag pattern with a zip closure closed on both ends
17. 4.3. Practice: Angled and Semi-angled bag pattern with an open zip closure
18. 5. From straight top to curved top
19. 6. Separating the bottom and how the assembly order changes
20. 7. Separating patterns for pockets or accent details
21. 8. Prototyping
1. Intro. What zipper to choose: size, and metal or plastic (scroll down for details)
2. My Places to get zippers
3. How to put a zip slider on a zipper (without "forks")
4. Example: Making top zip closure for a Denim Fabric bag
5. 3 types to make the opening for zip closure
1. Zip closure for raw edge leather and waxed canvas
2. Zip closure for Pendleton wool/upholstery fabric/jacquard/etc
3. Zip closure for leather with folded edge - perfect for thin leathers
4. Practice Straight Edge: Gluing and Stitching zipper nicely on straight edge (No Waves or Curves)
5. Practice Curved Edge 1. Gluing zipper nicely on curved edge (No Waves or Curves)
  FREE PREVIEW
6. Curved Edge 2: Stitching top zip closure on curved edge
  FREE PREVIEW
1. Cutting the strips for zip pullers and key holder
2. The loop zip puller for the top zip closure
3. The "tongue" zip puller for the outside zip pocket on the back
4. Key holder and small loop for the inside zip pocket
5. Setting the rivets of the pullers
1. Cutting belt leather strap
2. Double-layered & stitched straps 1: picking the leather right for both layers
3. Double-layered & stitched straps 2: gluing and cutting
4. Double-layered & stitched straps 3: stitching the straps
1. Fabric Bag Lining: 10 things Important to Know
2. Using suede or leather for a lining
1. General rules and reinforcement types with the LINKS
2. Reinforcement for soft slouchy bags — Examples
3. Reinforcement for structured bags — Examples
1. Rivets
1. Unlined tote Intro
2. PDF pattern 10W"x11.5H"x4.5D" and cutting/gluing it
3. Tote handles frames PDF pattern
4. Tracing and cutting the leather details
5. Marking holes for the tote handles
6. Outside slide pocket 1: 3 ways of placement the pocket on the bag's body + gluing + reinforcing
7. Outside slide pocket: 2. Stitching
8. Outside slide pocket: 3. Reinforcing the pocket's top with threads
9. How we can change the shape depending on the kind of bottom stitching
10. Stitching the sides
11. Stitching the depth right to have neat crossing and corners
12. Hiding the thread end on the bottom
13. Hiding the thread end on top
14. Making the nice symmetrical holes for the handles + reinforcing with leather patches
15. Cutting and attaching the handles
16. Setting the rivets with the press
17. Congratulations on your first leather tote made!
1. 1. Gluing zip closure and more about 2 techniques of adding suede lining to the bag
2. 2. Stitching the zip closure
3. 3. Refining zip closure - cutting off the leather excess
4. 4. Going through 2 techniques and their difference a bit more
5. 5. Gluing the outer and inner layers into one solid piece
6. 6. Molding over an insert (optional)
7. 7. How we can stitch the bottom - the options and what will work best for you
8. 8. Stitching the bottom
9. 9. Preparing the sides for the outside stitching
10. 10. Stitching the sides
11. 11. Hiding the knots for the outside stitching
12. 12. Stitching the depth
13. Your purse is ready!
1. Materials needed
2. PDF Pattern: Straight tote 11.5"H x 10"Wx4.5"D Base (29H x 25W x 11.4D cm) with a separate bottom
3. PDF Pattern: Straight tote 11.5"H x 13"Wx4.5"D Base (28.75H x32.5x11.4cm) with a separate bottom
4. PDF Pattern: Straight tote 13"H x 12"Wx4.5"D Base (32.5x30x11.4cm) with a separate bottom
5. 1. PDF Pattern, printing settings and gluing the pattern
6. 2. Cutting leather details
7. 3. Cutting front slide pocket
8. 4. Cutting lining
9. 5. Placing and gluing front pocket
  FREE PREVIEW
10. 6. Stitching pocket
  FREE PREVIEW
11. 7. Slide pockets inside
12. 8. Bottom reinforcement
13. 9. Gluing bottom on the 1st side
14. 10. Stitching the 1st side of the bottom
15. 11. Top zip closure: closing zipper's ends
16. 12. Top zip closure: gluing and stitching
17. 13. Holes for the tote handles and reinforcement
18. 14. The 2nd side of the bottom: gluing and stitching
19. 15. Stitching the sides
20. 16. Stitching the depth nice and easy on the leather body
21. 17. Trick with the top for the smooth opening and turning the bag out
22. 18. Cutting the straps
23. 19. Attaching the straps
24. 20. Closing the bottom
1. Pattern making: Converting the straight shape into an angled & separate the bottom
2. PDF pattern: Angled bag 5.2H x 9.5W x 3.5D (13H x 33.75W x 8.75D cm) with a designated bottom
3. PDF pattern: Angled bag 6H x 9.5W x 3.5D (15x33.75x 8.75D cm) with a designated bottom
4. PDF Pattern: Angled bag 7H x 9.5W x 3.5D (17.5H x 33.75W x 8.75D cm) with a designated bottom
5. 1. Getting the printed pattern ready: gluing and cutting
6. 2.1 Cutting the details: waxed canvas back side
7. 2.1 Cutting the details: Pendleton wool front side
8. 2.3 Cutting the details: leather bottom
9. 2.4 Cutting the details: lining
10. 3.1 Zip closure: Getting the zipper ready
11. 3.2 Zip closure: waxed canvas side
12. 3.3 Zip closure: Pendleton wool side
13. 4. Pockets placement before making the bottom
14. 4.1 Making the bottom: gluing and reinforcing
15. 4.2 Making the bottom: stitching
16. 5.1 Stitching the sides: the first one
17. 6. Stitching the depth
18. 7. Stitching the the bottom and depth of the lining
19. 8. Trick with the top and turning the bag out
20. 9. Side strap attachments
21. 10. Zip puller and closing the zipper end
22. 11. Attaching the shoulder strap
23. 12. Adding a key holder
24. 13. Setting the rivets
25. 14. Closing the gap in the lining
1. Week 3: Introduction and a quick walkthrough
2. Different types of body assembling: inside stitching, outside and overlapping
3. Open flat seam with visible double stitching on the right side
4. Body: When do we add outside pockets?
5. Body: When do we add stitched-in and riveted tote handles and straps
6. Assembly order for a Simple Top Zip Closure (closed or open ends)
7. Breaking a bag detail into a landscape appliqué
8. Appliqué
1. Introduction
2. 1. Cutting leather details
3. 1.2. Cutting the lining details (if you want to make it lined)
4. 2. Top Closure: 2.1. Altering the top, cutting the zipper, gluing the leather details
5. 2.2 Stitching the Zip closure on a Home Sewing Machine
6. 2.3 Stitching the Zip closure on Sailrite Sewing Machine
7. 2.4 Fixing asymmetrical and uneven first/last stitches
8. 3. Overlapping: 3.1 Overlapping Preps
9. 3.2 Overlapping one side on a Home SM
10. 3.3 Overlapping the bottom
11. 3.4. Overlapping the second side (on Sailrite)
12. 4. Bottom: 4.1 Marking the bottom depth
13. 4.2. Stitching the bottom depth
14. 5.1 Stitching lining: sides, bottom, depth
15. 5.2 Gluing the lining tops
16. 5.3. Handstitching lining top cuts
17. 6.1. Final Steps and Comparing the shape with the inside-stitched purse
18. 6.2. Strap attachments
19. 6.3. Closing the lining
20. 6.4. Attaching a leather zip puller
21. 6.5. Attaching a small leather zipper end
1. Practice 2.6: Constructing the pattern for a leather bag with a one-piece bottom and a canvas top featuring large front pockets, measuring 12"Wx13"Hx4"D (30x32.5x10cm)
2. Transforming the existing smaller 2-piece bag pattern Tote N1 into a 3-piece bag
1. PDF pattern 12"Wx13"Hx4"D
2. 1.1. Cutting the details: canvas top/pockets/closure
3. 1.2. Cutting the details: leather
4. 1.3. Cutting the details: Lining
5. 2.1. Preparing the waxed canvas top: main details
6. 2.2. Preparing the top: pockets
7. 3. Stitching the pockets
8. 4. Top closure: watch it before making this type of closure
9. 4.1. Top closure: Preparing the canvas strips
10. 4.2. Top closure: Cutting lining and sealing the zipper
11. 4.3. Top closure: Making the 1st strip
12. 4.4. Top closure: Making the 2nd strip
13. 4.5. Top closure: Closing the short sides
14. How we would adjust this top closure for leather
15. 5.1. Attaching the front detail to the zip closure & general preps
16. 5.2. Attaching the back detail to zip closure
17. 6. Making the handles holes and where to place the pockets
18. 7. Attaching the leather bottom: to place it over the canvas top or under.mov
19. 7.1. The first "bottom" stitching on the front
20. 7.2. The 2nd "upper" stitching on the front
21. 7.3. The first "bottom" stitching on the back
22. 7.4. the 2nd "upper" stitching on the back
23. 7.5. Uneven stitching troubleshooting
24. 8.1 Bottom: reinforcing materials, size & cutting the detail
25. 8.2. Bottom: gluing the reinforcement and how to secure it to the bottom with stitches/rivets
26. 8.3. Bottom: stitching
27. 8.4. Bottom stitching: troubleshooting
28. 9.1. Sides: clipping
29. 9.2. Sides: stitching
30. 9.3. Sides are ready! Let's check them before closing the depth
31. PDF pattern: tote straps frames, side strap attachments, backpack top & bottom attachments
32. 10.1 Bottom: to keep it as a tote and how to turn it into a backpack (+cutting the bottom attachments)
33. 10.2 Bottom: backpack attachments centering, clipping, and reinforcing
34. 10.3. Bottom: Stitching
35. 11.1. Straps: Cutting tote handles and side strap attachments
36. 11.2. Straps: Hiding the threads and burnishing
37. 11.3. Tote handles & side attachments for the long strap: reinforcing the body first
38. 11.4. Attaching the tote handles
39. 11.5. Two options to turn a bag to a backpack: strap between the tote handles
40. 12. Attaching top side attachments for the long strap
41. 13. Adding the depth to the lining and closing the bottom
1. Hobo/Crossbody with a wide stitched-in strap, overlapped body stitching, a separate bottom, rolled top, lined
1. Adding the lining & No closure or Magnet closure
1. Pattern making for arc style hobo/totes/crossbody
1. Arch top Lined hobo bag with magnet or zipper closure
1. Pattern making for moon / crescent shapes
2. Camera bags (rectangular & round)
3. Backpacks
4. Adding a flap to any shape
5. Cambridge messenger bag
6. Travel duffle with pockets
7. Boston-style duffle
8. Oval and round bottom bags
9. Fanny packs
1. A project of your own design, with my guidance on pattern adjustments and assembly order
1. Info about the class and Picking the leather and fabric for the bag
  FREE PREVIEW
2. My place to buy rivets with the long base
3. The PDF pattern and the pattern gluing
4. Tracing the leather details
5. Cutting the leather details
6. Cutting the lining details
7. Front pockets 1: Gluing the top leather detail to the fabric
8. Front pockets 2. Now let's stitch the top
9. Front pockets 3. Placing the 2nd "pockets" part to the front and making marks
10. Front pockets 4. Double stitching
11. Front pockets 5. Dome rivet
12. Zip closure 1. Zipper - Cutting, gluing, + tricks for straight lines
13. Zip closure 2. Back side - gluing the lining and stitching
14. Zip closure 3. Front side - gluing the lining and stitching
15. Placement of the inside pockets and gluing leather details
16. Making the bottom folds on the front side
17. Making the bottom folds on the back and how to change the shape by moving the folds
18. Stitching the leather details way 1: with the clips and no glue
19. Stitching the leather details way 2: with the glue and clips
20. What to do if a home sewing machine didn't go through bottom folds
21. Stitching the lining
22. Work with the top and reinforcing the sides for the strap attachments
23. Closing the lining
24. Cutting the long strap
25. Cutting the strap attachments
26. Cutting the strips for zip pullers and key holder
27. Burnishing the straps
28. Sealing the top sides for the strap's attachments
29. Attaching the strap attachments
30. Attaching the strap with a strap stopper
31. The loop zip puller for the top zip closure
32. The "tongue" zip puller for the outside zip pocket on the back
33. Key holder and small loop for the inside zip pocket
34. Setting the rivets of the pullers
35. Congrats on finishing your Borla bag!!
1. Instagram profile that sells

About this course

$550.00

Awesome Class

Erica Hart

I love how Ksenia breaks everything down and makes it easy to understand why we will need each item. Having this knowledge is everything when creating and designing.

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Bag Design course: tier 2 Bag Designer (Advanced)

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Prefer to split the payment? Monthly payment plans are available.

Join tier 2 Bag Designer Advanced: Affirm monthly payments or Pay in 4 PayPal

This course is for you if:

You’re tired of following someone else’s patterns and crave the freedom to stand out and build your own name — not just as a maker, but as a designer.

What’s included:
• Everything from TopBagMaker
• Pattern making for any shape — learning how to see the core shape and build the pattern around it

Perfect if you:
• want to build your own brand
• want to go beyond straight, boxy, or angled shapes and really play as a creator
(just to clarify: straight and angled shapes are fully covered in TopBagMaker — if that’s all you need, you probably don’t need this level)
• want to be known as an original designer, not just a great maker
(I’m sorry, my love, but it’s a tough truth: when you follow someone else’s patterns, you’re known as a maker, not a designer)
• have ideas of different levels of wildness in your head and want to bring them to life

Perks

Bonus materials

▫️Lesson “What makes your bag look homemade and how to get rid of it”,

▫️Guide to get ready your Instagram account for your first clients,

▫️99 ideas for Instagram Stories.
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▫️Live chat in Telegram, Instagram or Email with me answering your questions

▫️ Weekly Zoom meetings for 8 weeks

▫️ Two additional weeks of my guidance on pattern creation and adjustments

▫️ Advanced design & pattern making:

camera bags

round bags

crescent bags

Boston / duffle bags

backpacks

fanny packs

flap bags

book-style bags

Designer tricks library:

hidden magnet closure

hidden drawstring technique

piping

The materials have no expiration date

You can pause, rewatch, and come back to the lessons as many times as you want, and if something remains unclear feel free to ask me a question in the discussion window in each lesson.

Enroll

Welcome to the course!

⭐ Week 1: Confidence with Leather — Understanding Leather, Quality & Smart Shopping — March/20

Bag Making Tools

Core Skill: Tracing a Pattern on Leather Fearlessly

Core Skill: Cutting Clean Edges Without Shreds

Core skill: Glue and Tape

Core Skill: Straight and Even Stitching on a Sewing Machine

✨ Project 1.1: Tassel (Great for practicing cutting and gluing)

✨ Project 1.2: Unlined leather pouch with a zip closure closed on both ends

⭐ Week 2: Pattern Making 1. Straight and Angled shape of any size you want — March/27

1. Zippers and 3 ways to make a zipper opening

2. Creating a zip closure for 4 types of bag tops: leather unlined, leather lined, waxed canvas, and Pendleton

3. Zip Pullers: Loop and Tongue kinds & making a key holder - Open

4. Straps: belt leather and double-layered stitched straps neat and easy - Open

5. Fabric and Suede/Leather Lining

6. Reinforcement materials

7. Hardware: Rivets, Buckles, etc

✨ Project 2.1: Unlined 2-piece Tote, inside stitching for the sides and overlapped bottom, riveted handles

✨ Project 2.2: Suede-Lined Purse with a Zip Closure, Outside Side Stitching, and Leather Molding over an Insert

✨ Project 2.3: Lined tote with closed zip closure, inside stitching, separate bottom, riveted handles

✨ Project 2.4: Angled Lined bag with Open Zip Closure, Wool & Canvas top, and a separate leather bottom

⭐ Week 3: Assembly Order & Advanced Techniques — April/10

✨ Project 3.1: Lined Bag with Clean Single-Stitch Overlapping Seams

BONUS Pattern practice: Tote/backpack with the 1-piece leather bottom + canvas top with pockets

✨ Project 3.2: Lined 3-piece bag with leather bottom, waxed canvas top and double outside pockets

⭐ Week 4: Hobo/Crossbody with a wide stitched-in strap, overlapped body stitching, a separate bottom, rolled top, lined — April/17

✨ Different types of tops for a lined boxy shaped bag

⭐ Week 5: Pattern making for arc style hobo/totes/crossbody — April/24

Week 5 Project: Arch top Lined hobo bag with magnet or zipper closure

Design and Pattern Making 2. Additional Module (Bag Designer Tier 2 only) — May/1

⭐ Week 6: A project of your own design, with my guidance on pattern adjustments and assembly order — May/1

BONUS PROJECT: Soft & slouchy crossbody Borla bag with the front leather pockets — March/20

BONUS: making your IG & Etsy ready for your first clients + HomeWork in the chat along the course

About this course

Bonus materials

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