DIY Luggage Tag Tutorial

{you’ll see, I made this luggage tag extra fun cutting a custom label for the back out of vinyl.  If you are in the market for a craft cutting machine, don’t forget about the awesome Silhouette Deal for a Portrait going on right it – it’s only $140 and comes with vinyl!!  Or you can get All Premium Vinyl for 25% off – – for either deal, use the code SUGARBEE.  The winner of the Portrait giveaway is Wee Yin Xin – congrats!  if that’s not you, you might want to look into the sale – now, on to the project….}

I know there are TONS of super cute luggage options out there that make your bags unique and easy to spot.  Mine isn’t one of them – I have a boring suitcase, so I thought I needed to at least DIY a luggage tag instead of using the free ones at the check-in counter.  And I’ve got a brief tutorial to show you how – –

So by now I’m back from my blog conference – barely.  But I’m actually pre-blogging this post so it’s like I’m writing from the past.  Anyways, rambling on…

You are going to need some vinyl stuff and some clear vinyl – both are sold on those big rolls back in the Home Dec section of the fabric store.  I have used the colored vinyl when I made my camera strap – it’s fun and awesome because you don’t have to finish the edges.  I spent about $4 on 1/8 yard colored vinyl and 1/8 yard clear vinyl and 1 yard strapping – and I have enough to make several luggage tags.

You can cut it like fabric, using scissors or a rotary cutter.

Cut 2 pieces the size that you want your tag.  Cut a third piece slightly smaller than the 2 main pieces.  I rounded the edges on my main pieces:

With that third piece, cut it so it’s just an outline, like shown below.  Cut a piece of the clear vinyl that will fit under the outline.

Place the clear vinyl on one of the main pieces, then put the outline piece over it and sew it down.  I sewed along the outside and inside edge to make sure it was secure, as shown:

Now that that piece and put it on top of the other main piece (wrong sides together) and sew around the edge to hold them together.  You’ll also want to sew a rectangle in the top for the strap to go through ( I drew a line on with pen so I knew where to sew the rectangle around) – –

Then use an exacto knife or sharp scissors to cut out that area inside the rectangle so you can feed the strap through:

 I used a snap to secure the strap to my suitcase.  I happened to have these vintage-ish ones on hand:

 You can use a snap setter tool, or a hammer, to smash them into place:

 Be sure to melt the ends of your strapping with a lighter so it doesn’t fray:

And voila, done!  Here’s the snap in action:

I felt the need to label my tag with my blog name.  Funny that this picture is watermarked…

Now I just need to insert a card with my info on it and I’m good to go!  I sewed it wonky just so you would know it was handmade with love 🙂

 Do you have cute luggage??  My other suitcase stands out because it’s so ugly, so that’s helpful too 🙂   If you need a luggage tag, try making this – easy, satisfying project.