Oil Tanned Leather Messenger Bag

[MonicaJacobson]

My latest bag messenger bag. There's definitely something terribly convenient about working with pre-dyed and finished leather!

4 oz. oil tanned leather, all hand stitched.

Any criticism welcome; I know I've made some mistakes in the design, etc.

Cheers,

Monica

[Yetiusmc]

I like it a lot. Simplistic and has an old world feel to me. Well done!

[ReneeCanady]

I completely agree with Yeti. Took the words right out of my mouth lol.

Edited June 13, 2014 by ReneeCanady

[bluesman1951]

Monica, Hi ! I dont see any of the mistakes you spoke of . I do a lot of hand sewing and use a bonded 346 left twist thread from Texas threads.What are you using . This bag is clean and eye appealing, efficient with the pockets inside . I would suggest on facebook look in the search bar for HERZ they are extraordinary bag makers . Then type :vintage Swiss army bags their speciality is bags 100 years old well done and very cool . I hope you enjoy my suggestion and are inspired to make more bags .Thank you for sharing your work I enjoyed seeing it .

[MonicaJacobson]

Thank you, Renee and Yetiusmc!

Bluesman, I started using Tiger thread, and it's everything everybody claims it is. Very nice to use, and knitting together in a herringbone pattern. I've never heard of Texas thread, but that doesn't mean anything, as I haven't heard of a lot of things.

if you mean these bags ( http://www.herz-bag.jp/webshop/products/detail51.html ), yes, those are quite amazing! Thank you for bringing them to my attention!

Monica

[DuaneS]

Nice Work! Very Nice!

[WScott]

I like it a lot!

The stitching looks good, nice leather and bag's design is classic and timeless

I am a Tiger thread junkie as well, love the stuff

[MonicaJacobson]

Thank you, Duane and WScott.

WScott, I was really convinced to use Tiger thread when someone (WildBill, I think), could actually tell I wasn't using it from pictures. Heh. And I'm glad I switched, it's literally twice as easy to sew with. And not really more expensive, either.

[WScott]

Well you are doing some real nice work

And it isn't just the thread, you have some great skill!

[MonicaJacobson]

Thank you, WScott, that is kind of you. I spent a year doing things without books, help, and trying to not buy tools, and when I finally joined this forum, I felt bad for wasting so much time. Seeing what you guys make is so helpful! I haven't really seen much of your work, but I did like the laptop case. The lining looks like it was a real pain. I haven't had the gumption to try something with any kind of lining, yet.

[DavidL]

Really beautiful stitching. Must of taken at least 1.5 hrs to stitch.

European pricking iron or japanese pricking iron?

[MonicaJacobson]

I'm a little unclear about the difference between the two - I haven't been able to afford super high quality tools yet, but if I'm right, and the difference between the two is that Japanese are diamond shaped, verses diagonal, then I have a European style pricking iron.

Thank you! Maybe I'm a slow stitcher yet, but just the stitching took me more like 15 hours, with all the pockets, etc. Unless, of course, that was an ironic comment. I did feel a bit silly stitching 4 oz. leather together by hand, since I'm pretty sure someone with a machine could have zipped through that in less than the 1.5 hours you mentioned.

[DavidL]

I relooked at the bag and theres more stitching than my first impression, almost a ridiculous amount.

I stitched a computer case and it took 2 hours, but it was a lot less stitching. Skilled leather workers stitch purses at the same rate your doing.

I plan to use a sewing machine to get the holes and stitch by hand to knock down the time , maybe thats something you want to look at.

[Hi Im Joe]

I'm a little unclear about the difference between the two - I haven't been able to afford super high quality tools yet, but if I'm right, and the difference between the two is that Japanese are diamond shaped, verses diagonal, then I have a European style pricking iron.

Thank you! Maybe I'm a slow stitcher yet, but just the stitching took me more like 15 hours, with all the pockets, etc. Unless, of course, that was an ironic comment. I did feel a bit silly stitching 4 oz. leather together by hand, since I'm pretty sure someone with a machine could have zipped through that in less than the 1.5 hours you mentioned.

This just goes to show you don't need fancy and expensive tools to make a beautiful and well crafted item. Great job!

[MonicaJacobson]

Heh, David, I did that to someone else the other day. I estimated 40 hours, and they said it was 100. Whoops, I thought.

Thank you, Joe!

[Feraud]

Excellent job on the messenger bag. I love the cell phone pocket detail.

[Wild Bill46]

Monica,

No matter the time spent stitching, the end result looks fantastic. Nice work ! The complete bag looks great too !

I was especially happy with the look you gave the straps, again Nice work !

[bdunne]

Very nice! Got me inspired to try my own!

[MonicaJacobson]

Thank you, Feraud, Bill, and Bdunne!

[Not Awl Together]

Lovely workmanship and clean design! I also really like that you included the sliding shoulder strap pad, it seems lately that I'm seeing fewer of them on bags intended to carry heavier items. IMHO, it elevates and complete's your bags overall appearance as well as providing additional comfort. Congrats on the fine work.

N.A.T.

[billybopp]

Very nice work indeed. I have one of these in my project queue to be done.

You could certainly have zipped through this project MUCH faster by machine, but nothing beats a hand saddle-stitch for strength and appearance. Sure, it takes a lot of time but it is a noticeable difference.

Bill

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks for the kind comments, NAT and Bill! Much appreciated.

[Paulsleather]

Top notch, Monica. Thanks for posting.

[MonicaJacobson]

Thank you, Paul, I appreciate it!