I love working with Merchant & Mills Organic Cotton Dry Oilskin: here are the Storm, Rust, and Fern colorways with contrasting brass zippers and tan leather accents.

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!

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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

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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

Six dopp kits of various colors stacked in a pyramid with personalized leather name tags.

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.

Detail shot of a woven label on the interior of the bag that reads, “Subject to the unstoppable ravages of time. All things return to dust!”

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!

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.

Detail shot of a woven label on the interior of the bag that reads, “Subject to the unstoppable ravages of time. All things return to dust!”

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.