I highly recommend the Klum House Woodland Dopp Kit pattern if you’re in need of practical and personalized gifts. I batch-sewed these six in an afternoon and love all the different color combos!
Want to make your own? There are still spots available in my Klum House Bag Lab class starting January 8, 2025! Register here.
Pattern
- Klum House Woodland Dopp Kit (skill level: beginner)
- Need support? Check out their online course—the PDF pattern is included!
Fabric & Supplies
Klum House offers pre-cut leather and hardware kits or full maker kits with fabric in your color choice.
- Main fabric: Merchant & Mills Organic Cotton Dry Oilskin (245 gsm / 7.2 oz) in Black, Fern, Rust, and Storm (purchased from Modern Domestic and Charlotte’s Webbing).
- Main fabric (printed bag): Leaf Cotton Linen Canvas from the Bloom collection designed by bookhou for Kokka Fabrics
- Lining fabric: Klum House Natural Army Duck Canvas (10.1 oz)
- Lining fabric for black with navy zipper: Robert Kaufman Big Sur Canvas in Unbleached
- Lining fabric for rust with navy zipper: Spoonflower Lightweight Cotton Twill in Camel Line Art designed by mayan_wave (5.8 oz/ 195 gsm)
- Pellon SF101 Shape Flex Fusible Interfacing for printed main fabric and non-duck lining fabrics
- Woven labels: You Are Loved, Love You To the Moon and Back, Circa 2024, Subject to the Unstoppable Ravages of Time
- 12” brass YKK #5 zippers in black, navy, natural, and rust (the correct size!)
- 13” brass YKK #5 zipper in marigold
- Small double cap rivets in brass
- Leather tabs in tan and black
- Leather zipper pulls in tan and black
- Rotary punch
- Rivet setter and dot anvil
- 1/4” alphabet stamps
- Bakelite mallet and granite slab
Sewing Notes
- Using a longer zipper: I left the length of the zipper intact until I sewed the the side seams to prevent accidentally pulling the zipper slider off the teeth (learned this the hard way). I lined up the bottom tape end of the zipper with one edge of fabric so the excess was on the top end. I used the handwheel to manually place the needle between the brass zipper teeth so I wouldn’t bend or break my needle. Once I had stitches in place to serve as the top zipper stop, I used appliqué scissors to cut out the teeth in the seam allowance so I wouldn’t have to worry about them while finishing the edges.
- Attaching the large, flat sewing labels: I sewed the labels onto the lining before attaching the zipper. I placed the top edge of the label 3.25” down from the short side of the lining (where the zipper will be attached). I folded the lining in half to find the center.
- I attached the small labels when finishing the seam allowances of the boxed corners as instructed in the pattern.
- Remember to case (translation: wet/rehydrate) your leather before stamping to get a good impression. I use water in a spray bottle.
Notes for Next Time
- The Klum House heavy duck canvas lining is just the best—so much structure!
- Use a zigzag stitch in thread that matches the lining to finish the seam allowances. I used a serger, thinking it’d be cleaner and quicker, but forgot to account for the time it’d take to secure 8 serger tails per bag (with no needle threader to be found).
- Place the small woven labels on the other end of the bag (the end with the bottom zipper stop) so it’s easier to see when open.
- I prefer the look of small instead of medium size rivets when attaching the leather tabs.
Keep In Touch
Thanks very much for reading! If you’d like in-person support and instruction, please sign up for my classes at Modern Domestic or reach out to schedule a private lesson. If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding this post, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Further Reading
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