Christmas Gift Ideas - DIY Custom Made Boho Handbag (No Sewing)

The holiday season is just around the corner and for all the DIY lovers in your life, the best gift could be a handmade bag that was made personally by you. Even if you are a novice at sewing, you can create a simple and easy DIY handmade boho handbag by using scraps and a few easy to get essentials.

Things You Will Need -

Leather Hole Punch
Holiday themed scarf or Fringe trim
Handle (optional)
Ruler and pencil for measurements
Big piece of leather or fabric
Fabric Glue
Fabric Stapler

STEP 1: Preparing and Cutting the Leather -

Start off by deciding how big you want your bag to be. This is going to be a hobo DIY slouchy bag so you would be drawing a circle on the piece of leather using a pencil. You can also draw a rectangle if you would prefer a clutch style DIY hobo bag.
Now, before you start cutting the bag, just gather the pencilled edges and check that the size is right and then proceed.
Start cutting your bag slowly, making sure that the edges are as clean as possible. It is always better to have a bag that is lined with fabric but if you prefer something more rustic, you may skip this step.
Cut the fabric in exactly the same dimensions as your bag.
Use the fabric glue to stick the fabric to the inside of the bag. This should be left for a couple of hours to dry. Make sure you are using a lot of glue, especially on the edges (about 1 inch should be completely covered in glue).

STEP 2 - Adding Fringe/Closure To Your Bag -

Once the glue is completely dry and you don’t feel any stickiness when you touch the lined part of the leather, take your pencil and start making points about 1 inch apart along the circumference.
Take your hole punch and punch holes in the marked points.
Now, take your fringe trim or holiday themed scarf and simply weave it along the holes. Both the ends of the fringe/scarf should come out from two adjacent holes and all you need to do is tie them up.
Use a fabric stapler to attach the handle to the bag.

If you want to gift a slightly complicated version of this bag, here are a few tips you can use to make it even more special -
DIY Bag With Embroidered Patch - Use an embroidered patch on your piece of leather before you punch the holes in. This could be a holiday themed patch that you could easily obtain from any sewing supplies store. You can use the fabric stapler to attach it to the front of the bag or ask a friend with a sewing machine to sew it for you.
Charms Handle Bag - If you want to make the handle of the bag even prettier, simply pick up some holiday themed charms and attach them to the ends of the fringe/scarf that makes the opening of your bag. You can also attach these at the bottom of each of the holes you have punched along the bag.

This bag is simple and easy to make and it shouldn’t cost you a lot to gather all the supplies either! Happy DIY’ing!