A hand-crafted leather purse project — researched, patterned, cut, punched, and assembled entirely by hand over roughly fifty hours.
I designed and hand-stitched a leather purse using traditional leatherworking techniques, completing the piece entirely through manual processes over approximately 50 hours.
The project was about turning raw material into a finished, functional object through patience, control, and close attention to detail. From the first cut to the final stitch, every step asked me to understand how the leather wanted to behave.
Watching the piece take form entirely by hand was one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
The process began with researching, sourcing, and selecting the right leather based on flexibility, durability, and finish. That decision shaped everything that followed — the structure of the purse, the way the edges could be finished, and how confidently the material would hold a hand-stitched seam.
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Research and process references — sketches, material studies, and early construction views that informed the final purse.
I developed drafts and a final pattern, carefully cut the leather pieces, punched the stitching holes, and assembled the components through hand-stitching. The work demanded consistency: every hole spacing, every turn at the seam, and every tension point affected the final shape of the purse.
Front and back views of the finished purse. The project is intentionally restrained so the material, stitch line, and form do the speaking.
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A closer construction view — the opening, zipper line, and edge finishing show how the purse holds its shape from above.
This project strengthened my understanding of material behaviour, craft discipline, and construction techniques. More than anything, it reinforced the value of a process-driven approach in design, where the object is shaped as much by the method as by the idea behind it.