lightningad

Now that is a lovely looking bag. Great design and execution. well done.

Hi Em, greetings and salutations from a fellow brit! you have definitely found the best resource on the web for learning leathery stuff. adam

make yourself a pony! its so simple and makes stithing so much easier! - made this using a old wooden ikea bed slat! Took all of 15mins to make.

hi doodley doo neighbour!

the other option is to use a scratch awl to mark the line, then Pricking Iron and mallet to mark the stitch holes along the line.

i suppose you gotta ask yourself if that was making your living...would you be happy with $30 a day? Even without seeing the sheath, i'd say four hours plus materials is worth way more than $15.

for me, i try work out the material costs of the raw materials (including any taxes and delivery costs incurred) then add that to an hourly rate to make the item. Then i compare it to whats already on the market and see how close i am (or not!) and adjust accordingly.

if its one of those notebooks with the spiral across the top, why not have a cover that opens like a paperback? So you open it sideways, then can flip the pages vertically?

they look great, Monica.

i think the answer is simple - just try it and see!! as you've pointed out, it won't cost you much.

greetings and salutations, Bill.

i have made quite a few bags now, all totally handstitched. I use a cheapo pricking iron to mark the holes & a diamond awl to make the holes. The one i am going to be making for my mum is approx 2mm chrome tanned cowside (which is very soft to the touch, but really tough) and a lovely deep purple colour! The plans I always make myself. Just look around the internet for inspiration, then make up full sized cardboard mock-ups. I use staples where the stitches would be, and once happy, unpick the staples and the card then becomes the cutting templates .

sounds like you need to get an edge groover - which i like a standard groover, but the blade is attached to a little adjustable arm. You trace around the outside of the leather and the blade cuts a parallel line at the distance you set when adjusting it. Or i might have misunderstood completely!

having seen a few of them without the makeup, its probably better that they do use it! I don't go in for lots of goo either...just usually give the leather a quick once over with a Leather Balsam cream. I just wanted to be sure of how the resolene would react if there was something already on the leather, because you do sometimes get leathers that have been pre-treated with oils or waxes, but you don't always know what they are exactly. adam

thanks everyone, very useful info. The one time i used it, i did a 50/50 dilution, and applied it with a sponge. End result was fine. How well does it work if the leather has had conditioners applied beforehand? My worry is that any wax/oil based treatment may prevent the resolene from not adhering properly. adam

When is the appropriate time to add the resolene? Before or after stitching? I need to apply it but having only used it once, i am unsure when to slap it on! Also this bag will have suede rolled edges around the bag opening, and i dont think the resolene should touch the suede (or is it okay to use on suede?). Should i apply leather balsam before resolene or after? thanks Adam

Best advice i could give, after having made 5 satchels, is just go for it! Get your inspiration from others work, but forget patterns from other people and design your own. They are really not that difficult once you break down what you need.... ....ie. A front panel, a back panel that folds over to create the front flap. A side piece that is one long continuous side/bottom/side. (You may want two of these if you make a bag with two compartments. Various straps for the buckles, handle etc. If you want to add outside pockets, they tend to be mini versions of the main bag. Get some large thin cardboard sheets, and start drawing at actual scale. Cut the shapes out and use a stapler to fasten them along your proposed stitch lines....you will soon see if things are out of whack. Once you have a 3d cardboard bag that is a good representation of your bag, unpick the staples and you have a ready made cutting pattern. All my bags were made this way, and if you look at the images in my gallery, you'll probably see enough detail to get an idea how i made everything. Theres rarely such a thing as a completely new design, but you will feel much more satisfied if you are carrying a unique piece that you can honestly say is all your own work. Plus you will learn so much more than just following someone elses working out. That a good looking bag - good luck with your own !! and i agree with Cheryl - you need to prioritise the order in which things are assembled otherwise you will find yourself in a world of pain trying to attach things that should have been added earlier on! adam

well spotted - the incorrect angle on the flap was one of the "improvements" i mentioned. It was one of those dumb cut first measure second kind of mistakes! Its also the reason i made a prototype...so i can check for errors (and so i can have a pouch for myself!) As for the liner - that was glued flat to the flesh side of the veg-tan prior to stitching - no folds as i wanted the liner to be as flat as possible adam

I was asked to design a watch pouch for a friend, and after many overly complicated ideas, i decided the best approach was to just grab some veg-tan and have a go doing a simple design. I'm quite pleased with the result, although when i make the final one, there are a couple of improvements that will be made (both to the production process and to the finished piece). as ever, always pleased to hear any constructive criticism. adam