Looking To Make My First Purse/bag - What Leather To Use?

[Chavez]

Hi!

I would like to finally try making a purse/bag for my other half and I even have got the Tandy pattern pack but I still can't figure out what leather one would normally use for a bag!

Would you usually go for chrome tanned or is veg tan still good? Medium and thicker veg tan (4oz+) seems too stiff while everything below 4oz seems too flimsy!

Any advice on leather thickness or a pattern of a good starter bag would be very welcome!

Thank you!

[immiketoo]

Hey Chavez,

It totally depends on what you want. I made my first one out of 8-9 veg tan Herman Oak because I wanted to tool it and I think came out well. It is stiff though. If you want a soft bag, chrome is the way to go. Want a little of both? Combine thick and thing leather. Chrome tan to me creates a sack like bag without much in the way of form, unless you use stiffeners or have a lot of stitching throughout the purse to firm it up. Just my thoughts.

[JLSleather]

I think most of the old handbag patterns you'll find recommend - and many of those kits come with - 6/7 oz, but do not use a lining leather.

I like to use 4/5 oz veg tanned for the smaller bags, lined with a 2 oz chrome tanned leather - resulting in about a 7 oz total. The large bags you might go a little heavier.

These weights give you a bag that is flexible, but still stands on it's own and retains it's shape. The 4/5 will allow good deep tooling.

[skarmartin]

Hi as a newbie to leather I have found a pattern and I am wanting to know, which leather to use, a calf hide of about 3-3.5 (a guy in australia) oz or a water buffalo of 5-6 oz (springfield leather company). I wasnt going to line it unless you experts say other wise.

Also having no tools, I am wondering should i get my dads tools ( I know he did some leather work when he was younger so they would be about 30 years +) Or should I get the new ones from tandy leather , springfield leather company etc. Is the old addage they dont make them like the use to, apply to leatherworking tools.

I am coming from a watchmaking background so I know good quality tools are worth it.

the pattern is here :

Unless there is free patterns out there for a basic handbag.

Kind Regards

Scott

[Colt W Knight]

I use chrome tanned leather about ~3 ounces and line with cloth, canvas, or whatever suits my fancy. If I want to add tooling, I sew on a 5-7 ounce piece of vegtan with the tooled pattern I like. I came up with my own shapes/patterns, so I am not sure what the Tandy patterns call for. I use a lot of deer skin or garment type leather for purses because the women Ive made purses for all love how soft it is. Using the weights I mentioned, they purses keep their shape and don't flop around like a cloth, especially after they have all their stuff in there. The pockets and side gussets add some rigidity as well.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Colt W Knight

[Halitech]

I have some of the 5-6 water buffalo and I wouldn't want a bag made from it unless I was planning on using it as a weapon to knock people out. It is really really stiff.

3oz calf is going to be nice and soft so you may want to line it and put a stiffener in it as well.

If you are planning on doing any tooling, you want veg tanned regardless of the weight

[skarmartin]

Hi all thanks for your input:

thanks for the input I decided to split the difference and go with a 4.5 oz deerskin (it was cheaper as well).

similar to this but in the above weight:

https://www.theleatherguy.org/leather-new-zealand-deerskin-hide-11-3-square-foot-green-3-1-2-ounces-grainy-c

Any other suggestions, on maybe what thread to use? I was thnking a artifical sinew (hoping its strong).

Kind Regards and thanks for all of your help.

Scott