I wanted to make something special for my wife for Christmas. She had hinted multiple times that she could really use a tiny bag that only holds her phone, wallet, and keys, so I knew exactly what to make. The only problem was that I couldn’t decide how to make it…
I have been reluctant to make things for her as I don’t want her to feel forced to use them only because I made them. This would have to be very good quality, classy, and special enough that it doesn’t look like some beginner had made it. No problem at all! I have loads of experience with leatherwork, all four months of it…
After a lot of reflection and 3D sketching, I decided to go with the wet formed vacuum method. The bag would need to be made out of leather that is soft and much thinner than my other bags, and it would need to be as small as possible. I modelled it to just fit my larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, as then it would be a nice loose fit for her slightly smaller iPhone 16 Pro. The phone dimensions dictated the minimum size, so the footprint had to be based on that. It would also need to be easy to retrieve the phone, and there would need to be another pocket for the other items to avoid scratches on the phone.
The bag ended up being the best bag I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a grand total of two bags before this! I’m very happy with the result, and I hope she will be as well.
The bag has a smaller zipper pocket on the front, and an open phone pocket at the back. All hardware is antique brass. The phone is held in place by a magnetic button on a strap that wraps around the top of the bag.The phone pocket has her initials pressed to it, and also features the Silfer Works logo.The party trick of the bag is: When you pull from the smaller strap that holds the phone in place, it will pop the phone upwards so it’s easy to retrieve it!The gift was well received, and I hope it will last for years to come.
Build Log:
The wet forming starts by modelling and printing a form for it. In this case it was two forms…… a thinner but taller one for the phone…… and shorter but thicker for the other items. To help form it, I used a lot of rubber bands.The items pocket will feature a zipper. I had never done this before, but how hard could it be?…. I chose a dark brown zipper which will compliment the stitching.I added a small ridge to the model so it would be easier to center the zipper. All that I had to do was to punch some 13mm holes to both ends, and cut a line from the outer edges of those.It was a bit tricky working with the formed leather, but it was a perfect fit with the end of a 3×6” piece of lumber I had lying around.The zipper will be sewn with a tiny 2.5mm stitch distance.The zipper was cut into the correct length, and the other end was sewn together to prevent the pull from slipping off from the end. It was then glued in place with a water based glue.It’s looking good until now at least…The glue has dried, so I re-punched the holes and saddle stitched all around it.Holy crap, my first zipper! I was very surprised as it looks much better than expected. As my main logo will be stitched to the backside of the bag, I punched a smaller logo to the front as well.To attach the strap, I used antique brass hangers. The holes were too small for Chicago screws, so I had to drill them larger. The hardware look great with the rusty red colour of the leather.I added a spacer to the inside to make sure that the leather is strong enough.This is the inside wall of the bag that points towards the phone. The strap that holds the phone in place, and also pulls it up from the pocket, is attached with small rivets and glue.The strap finishes on the items’ pocket side so keep the profile thinner for the phone.At this point also the magnetic button for the phone strap is added. It’s also reinforced with a leather spacer to make sure the rivet doesn’t rip out.At this point all the necessary hardware has been added to the items’ pocket, and the inner wall can be glued in place.I again left it overnight so the glue has time to set properly.This is the phone side of the wall. Notice how thin profile it has even after the strap was added.Now after one of the sides of the bag has been completed, I can punch the stitch holes to it, and cut the edges to size. I was a slightly bit smarter and only used 3.5mm hole distance.Right, and now I went too far and punched the strap with 2.5mm stitching holes…… it took 2.5h to stitch it! I used 0.5mm dark brown synthetic thread. I also added a small pull tag for the zipper.To start finishing the phone side of the bag, I cut out a piece that will reinforce the hole for the phone strap. I wanted to press my wife’s initials to it, but I forgot that my fly press is a monster. I totally destroyed both the piece and the 3D printed die, and had to remake it… To be able to punch the stitching holes for the reinforcement piece and my logo, I made a raised punching block out of thick steel and multiple layers of bridle leather.Both of these pieces were sewn with 2.5mm stitching distance. Both sides are completed.Time to glue. Here you can also see how the phone strap is meant to work. It will wrap under the phone, and when you pull from the trap, it will lift the phone up to the point where the strap is riveted to the inner wall.I let the glue set overnight again. I was nervous about punching the holes to the phone side, and sewing the whole thing together. Better to raise my odds with properly holding glue…Now the glue is set and the edges can be cut to shape. The phone side was cut following the previously cut items’ side. The edges were also bevelled at this point.After punching the holes through both sides of the bag, it was time to sew. Well damn, it actually turned out really nice!The edges were finished with tokonole cream. Here you can also see the underside of the stitching. The bag is finished, but it also needs a strap. I used antique brass hardware here as well.For the strap I used 25mm wide and 3mm thick polypropylene webbing. It’s super heavy duty, and feels great. The leather is glued and riveted to it.I used a similar design as I did earlier on my own crossbody bag. Final step: Attaching the magnetic button to the correct location. Completed! I’m very happy how it turned out.She was very happy about the gift as well.The phone pops-up when you pull from the strap…… and the strap is pulled back inside when you push the phone back in place.
