Hey there, blog friends! After a wild month studying for my exams and eating too many tortilla chips, I treated myself to some much needed crafting catharsis in my sewing nook with the Oberlin Tote Kit from Klum House. So many firsts with the project! First time making a purse, first time working with leather, the list goes on and on.

Full disclosure: I was gifted the Oberlin Tote Maker Kit from Klum House in exchange for posting about it – but let me tell y’all – this bag is amazing! The details that I love are the big outside pockets which fit all your pens/pencils in addition to the 5 different shades of dusty-rose-pink lipstick that I always carry with me 😅

The contents of the kit include everything you need for the tote, the canvas, beautiful FIGO fabric, the hardware, leather straps, matching Gutermann thread, and even the punching tool! I opted for the warm camel canvas with the fun and funky abstract lines print. I also added on the zipper expansion and the lining expansion!

Some amazing style points include even making markings for the fold lines and punch holes on the *pre cut* fabric so it makes your life significantly easier. Even the zipper expansions has the perfect leather pulls and notions to make every part of this bag look professional. Everything feels luxe, the waxed cotton, the fun print from FIGO fabrics, the buttery leather, and the beautiful hardware; it was truly such a joy to work with throughout the assembly process. From start to finish, this project was so immensely satisfying due to the ease of not having to cut everything out and already having all the supplies at my fingertips.

From beginning to end, the instructions were crystal clear! They rate the pattern as intermediate difficulty, but I would say the only finicky bits would be working with the zipper, and I think this would be a great first handmade bag project. They have a video session online showing you visually how to construct the bag, but I found the written instructions and the illustrations to be spot-on. I encountered some small episodes of user-error, including attaching the leather straps incorrectly, which involved much elbow grease to detach the rivets and reattach. Of note, even the instructions specifically state to be absolutely sure of your leather strap placement before hammering the rivets but hey it was like 1 A.M. and I was more focused on sing along to the new Taylor Swift album 😅.

Truly, this kit is perfection. The bag is everything and I’ve already packed it for my next trip! I already see this becoming my daily work tote and the perfect travel companion. Here’s a link to the kit with a 10% discount: http://bit.ly/32MDS0K

Let me know what y’all are making below!

Cheers,

Danica