HiddenStar

Thanks for the kind compliments everyone It was the most effort I ever put into a project (took me 3 months on and off :S). Hopefully the replies below are helpful (: The edges were burnished with gum and finished with a slightly glossy top coat. I did this primarily because I still needed work on my edge painting skills. I liked how it turned out but I do agree that it can be subjective when it comes to unpainted edges. Below is a picture comparing the raw vs burnished edge. Yes, I drafted the pattern myself with reference to pictures of a Prada handbag. Unfortunately, I do not have the soft copy version of the pattern :/ I used goat leather for the lining. The whole lining piece was assembled before I glued it onto the outer layer. Below is a work-in-progress picture for reference. This was one of the hardest part of the project. I wish I had seen the video shared by Danne! (unfortunately that is a very recent video) I did some try an error for the handles. Various online tutorials were suggesting a cotton rope core. However, I found it to be too sloppy and soft, probably because my leather was quite supple (cow hide, chrome tanned, about 1.5mm thick). I think the polyester rope as shown in the video will work as long as your leather isn't too soft. In the end, I decided to use rolled up goat leather for the handle core and it worked really great! Alot more effort but it made a very solid handle indeed! (making this bag really 100% leather discounting the thread, zips and metal hardware). Below are some pictures for reference.

Hi all, below are some pictures of a handbag (my first handbag project) I made a few months ago. Would like share this with the community and hopefully it'll help anyone who is on a similar project Feel free to leave any questions/comments (:

Ah I see, thanks for the reply Chief I was wondering... if I leave my strap raw and not burnished, will it spoil faster as the raw side will be in contact with moisture/oil from the hands?

Hi leather experts, I have recently bought a bag with leather straps as handles. I noticed that the handles have a raw underside (see picture) which is a little 'furry' and I was wondering if it's a good idea to use a Gum Tragacanth product (eg.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seiwa-Leathercraft-Tragacanth-Leather-Burnishing-Gum-100ml-Clear-/121191937833?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c379a3729) on the raw side to smoothen/coat it. Since the handle will be exposed to alot of twisting and stretching due to normal day to day carrying of the bag, is it advisable to use the gum? Will it 'harden' the strap a little? Thanks in advance