Alane

Thanks for the comments! Since I have spent many years sewing with fabric before I started leatherworking the lining wasn't too hard. I used the same pattern as the bag and used a pigskin lining leather for the top 2". That way I could insert it between the zipper top and bag side and not have to worry about the fabric ripping out. The seam between the leather and the fabric was then inside the bag where it wouldn't get as much stress. As to the hand sewing of bags, "ignorance is bliss" as they say, not sure I would have started had I known what all was involved!! I did them simultaneously so I could do the same steps at the same time!!! Had I done one completely first-I would have definitely been too intimidated to start the other 3!!! I don't know if I will ever do another all black bag, I had a lot of trouble trying to see where I was stitching.

The arm does hinge and use the dowel rod just like was mentioned. I will have to play around with it to see what works, I like the idea of bringing the leather up to the arms and keeping the canvas as the base for the seat. Thanks for the input it is appreciated!!

I found a couple wood directors chairs at a flea market and would like to replace the canvas with leather. I can use the existing canvas for patterns. Will I have to line the leather so it doesn't stretch too much? Is it better to use veg tan and dye it the color I want or use a different type of leather? Recommendations for type and weight of leather would be appreciated. Thanks!

These are gorgeous!!!

Finally going to post a completed project(s). I made travel bags for Christmas gifts this year. I learned a great deal working on them-these are my first large projects. Most important is that one should not procrastinate until the middle of November before starting 4 large projects that need to be completed by Christmas!! The three brown ones are made with Serengeti whole hides from Tandy, hand stitched with carriage hand sewing thread. The black one is a deer tan hide, also from Tandy. I stitched the zipper in the black one with my Singer 29-4 patcher because it is entirely too hard to see black on black for hand stitching. I would have liked to use the 29-4 for more of the stitching but I can hand stitch faster than I can operate the treadle!!

Ok thanks-I have quite a few kits so I will experiment and see what works best! Appreciate the advice!

Thanks for the tips- I am always a little confused about when to apply the neatsfoot oil. In this case should I apply it before I case the leather for tooling or after tooling but before finishing or some other time altogether. Also can I apply the neatsfoot oil to the lining leather?

I recently bought a vintage Tandy Leather raft kit off a local garage sale site- besides the original tools it included a number of complete tandy leather kits their original packaging from the late 1960's-early1970's. The packages smell a little musty but no signs of mold or mildew. Does anyone know if these are worth tooling and using? And if so how do I get the musty smell out? Thanks!