POPSEWING™レザーソフト16ラージトートバッグDIYキット

I found this kit to be a bit of a challenge as the instructions on the tutorial were a little vague. However I managed to finish the bag and am pleased with the result. I found the thread, which was thicker than I had with other kits, quite difficult to use and it did not have such a neat finish as with thinner thread I had before.

This is the second bag that I’ve made from Popsewing. I’ve made a card holder and AirPods case in addition to the Birkin-inspired bag. I found this kit to be quite challenging but not in a bad way. If it were too easy, it wouldn’t be as much fun in my opinion. Sewing in the piping as well as the inside divider pocket were the most difficult parts. You also have to look very carefully to make sure that you are sewing the right side of the leather—the texture is very slightly different so it would be very easy to confuse them and mess up your bag: if there were anything I could change, that would be it. Perhaps in future kits the grain pattern could be easier to distinguish?

I told my husband that this is my “Ow F*** Bag” because I said “Ow f****” many times during the construction! My cat had fun trying to make me mess up as well. The leather in this bag is fairly rigid, but I don’t think it is a problem. I’m sure it will soften as I break in the bag. The finished bag looks very nice and almost like a professional made it (there are some uneven stitches here and there as well as obvious glue spots in a couple of places). All in all, this is a good kit to get. I will continue to be a repeat customer because the kits are so fun to make and I love getting the compliments on my items. My friends and family can’t believe that I made them myself!

Easy to make, great quality.

Love the design, really enjoyed the assembly process. The only potential problem was that the clasp on the front piece was attached to the wrong side of the leather, and I didn't notice until after I'd gotten to a certain point. I had to undo a few pieces, unscrew the clasp and swap it around to the correct side, then redo what I'd done. It was worth the effort though, because there is a very slight difference in texture and colour between the front and back, and it looked off having only one piece look different from the rest. That being said, swapping it over was really quite easy, and it's just a reminder for me to check everything thoroughly before starting!

I actually wanted the large grey one but it was out of stock. I thought I could make do with the brown one but in the end I didn’t like the colour of the brown. This is supposed to be a soft bag but I find the split leather a little too stiff unlike the top grain leather which is softer in comparison. As I didn’t like the feel of the leather and the colour, I gave it away after sewing the bag.