Higgy

Thanks. It is 4/5 oz chrome tanned. I got a great deal on it at Tandy. I bought two whole sides for $29 a piece. The liner is suede splits about 3 oz. Thank you!

Thanks, David. Did you see the picture of my sewing machine with the spool of thread with a plastic bag over it? Your suggestion works great!

Thanks! OK - what is welting? I will have to google it to find out.

Yes, that is the hardest part for me. I usually go one stitch at a time around the corners. Stiffer leather is more difficult. You just have to make the leather curve without cutting the corner. If the leather is really stiff, I just curve it enough for the one stitch and then curve a little more as I go. Using binder clips to hold it helps also.

I got some advice to try sewing more and riveting less. I did not totally refrain from using rivets but I used a lot less on this bag. It is a little larger than the ones I have made in the past. I like the edges on this one better than the last one I posted. Tell me what you think and what I can do to improve it.

Yes, thin strips of polyester or nylon webbing that I bought from the Army Navy store. It helps keep the thin leather from stretching or breaking. I went to your web site and was impressed and inspired. I have gotten a lot of inspiration from The Saddleback leather site, but I think yours is a level or two better. What I see on your site is what I am working toward doing some day. I started small and simple and am trying to work my way up to the complexity and quality that I see in your work. After reading your descriptions, I think I need to learn to mix some hand sewing with my machine work to finish the tough spots better. Where do you get your leather? Brass hardware? So far I get most of my materials from Tandy.

Thank you all for the kind comments. It is very encouraging!

This is a small purse with suede liner. The belts are reinforced with webbing to strengthen them.

Thank you. It is a lot of edge to coat. I used a belt sander to help even up the edges and then a buffing wheel on a grinder to burnish before painting the edges with edge coat. Thank you!

Thanks, I am still tweaking the design. I am about to make a slightly smaller version.

I used a Tippmann Aerostitch. I had a little trouble with the thread getting all twisty and not laying straight. Thanks for the suggestions, I will check into the thicker edging.

I asked for advice to make my last satchel better. Edges were not pretty so I have been working hard to make them better. Thanks for advice on any more improvements.

I have always been fascinated with sewing machines. As a kid, I would alter my clothes to make them fit better. I used my mom's old treadle wheel singer. Fast forward 40 years. I manage a commercial printing company and still am fascinated with machines and how they work. My niece wanted a journal from an expensive store in Atlanta and my wife told her don't buy that, your uncle will make you one. I made my first journal - actually first three after a trip to Tandy Leather's scrap bin. I had to make one for her sister and mother also. They loved them so I kept making them as gifts and also sold a few. We had a regular sewing machine that I used on very thin leather for journals. I ended up buying an industrial machine, a Consew 260. I started making small bags with the Consew but was disappointed when it would not sew through some of the things I wanted to make. I recently purchased a Tippman Aerostitch from a man I met at Tandy Leather. It is a heavier machine and will sew through about 3/4 inch. Now I can make larger, heavier bags. This is what I do to relax now. Most evenings when I have spare time, I am working on a bag. This is one addiction I plan to nurture.