DIY Leather Clutch with Tassel

I bought this leather in San Francisco 2 years ago on a trip that Dan and I took. I just love the color! I knew I wanted to make another clutch, but was held back by how difficult the last one I made was. I set a goal for myself to have this done by my birthday, which I failed to do, but ended up making it the weekend after.

My mom has several sewing machines and I knew I would be better off using one of hers rather than mine to sew through the leather, so I went to my parent's house to make the clutch. Sewing leather is very difficult on a standard sewing machine. It requires a special needle and a nylon thread. The leather does not pull through the machine very easily and it causes much frustration. Also, unlike most sewing projects you cannot pin leather nor can you remove stitches and start over.

Leather is expensive and I knew I didn't want to mess this up since I couldn't just buy more. My mom helped me with her industrial sewing machine and I am pleased with how it turned out. I used a couple different DIY tutorials for sizing and instructions on how to sew the zipper and lining. I also looked to Pinterest for help making the tassel, which was rather easy.

I'm happy with the final look, but probably won't be making any more leather projects in the future.