Leather Circle Drawstring Pouch Tutorial

Jonathan and I whipped this little bad boy up for our Madmartigan Willow cosplay. We’re going to be adding some of the decorative twine detail on the pull string later for some more screen accuracy, but for now I thought I would share this simple tutorial!

As far as medieval and Renaissance era bags go, this simple leather drawstring circle pouch (also known as a money pouch or round purse) is as simple as they come. You can make it as large or small as you’d like, wear it as a necklace, on a belt, or even tuck it into a larger pouch to hold your coins or smaller knickknacks.

It uses very little material, can be made in less than 5 minutes, and is extremely durable! Check it out!

1. Cut out a circle of leather.

This can be as large or as small as you’d like. Since we were recreating Madmartigan’s necklace, we wanted this pouch small enough to just fit into your palm. So we used a cereal bowl as a template for our circle (just under 6 inches across). Jonathan and I gutted a leather jacket we found for cheap at a thrift store for the leather – we’ve found leather thrift jackets and skirts are one of the easiest and inexpensive sources for small leather projects!

2. Poke holes in the leather.

Once you’ve cut out your circle, get an auger or similar pokey tool, and poke holes at even intervals around the outer rim of the leather. Since leather does not have the tendency to unravel as fabric does, you can leave the edges completely raw. However, if you don’t like the raw edge look, and if your leather is thin enough, you can fold over the edge of the hem and poke a hole through both layers, effectively sewing the edge under when you run the drawstring through. But for our pouch, we kept the edges raw. I personally prefer the rustic look of the unfinished edge.

2. String up and gather the complete circle of leather.

Take some leather string, and feed it through the holes you’ve created, making a loose running stitch until you’ve completed the circle. Then, pull gently on the leather string so that the circle is gathered up into your loose pouch.

3. Tighten your pouch and finish!

Simply squeeze the gathered leather string till its tight, and then cut off your leather string to the desire length. You can add any embellishments you’d like, from a button to string on the drawstrings to help cinch the pouch closed, to buttons and embroidery on the actual bag. They sky is the limit. Once you’ve made your finishing touches, voila! You have a simple leather drawstring pouch!