badger Report post Posted March 29, 2009 This is a bag I just finished for my Wife's Aunt Megan. It's her Birthday, but we're really celebrating the 'all clear'. She may very well have beaten Thyroid cancer. We're delighted she's still here, and I thought I'd make something a little special. The bag is about 8 inches wide and 6 high, chestnut dyed vegtan and some lovely whipsnake I got from our own Patrick Weill (thanks Patrick!). It was a bugger to make, and still looks to me like a handbag made by a holster maker But I'm pretty happy with it, all in all. Cheers, Karl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKRay Report post Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) It is a handbag made by a holster maker... but it definitely doesn't look like one! No tooling, carving or CZ spots? Resisted the urge did you? Glad the lady is on the mend... Nice job, Karl. edit due to inability to spell - I put it down to British Summertime Edited March 29, 2009 by UKRay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
larrupin Report post Posted March 29, 2009 (edited) Karl, Personally I think it looks excellent. I will definitely NOT show that to my wife because: A. She would love it and want one. B. I couldn't make it anywhere close to that nice myself. C. Mine would look like something (not a purse) made by somebody who wants to be a holstermaker some day but ain't yet! In all seriousness that is a really cool design that my wife would really like, is it your own design or it is a pattern I could find somewhere? Anyway job well done! Vaya con Dios, Craig Edited March 29, 2009 by larrupin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Super job - very nice and clean looking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crystal Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Karl- Very happy to hear that Auntie Megan is doing well! I would be quite pleased to sport a purse that looks this good. Beautiful color. Excellent job all around. She should be very happy with this. Crystal Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdb Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Well Done, Badger! There's going to be quite a few people trying to design out some bags today, after this post. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tina Report post Posted March 29, 2009 I think you did an excellent job on that purse Karl, it's beautiful...Time to pat yourself on the back big time Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Nice work! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kustomizer Report post Posted March 29, 2009 I like it, very nice! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BobHall Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Great job! I've love to see how the inside is finished... any chance you can snatch it back from Aunt Megan long enough to get a pic? lol Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Thanks very much you guys. I appreciate the encouragement. I gave it to Megan today, she was delighted. Really happy. The design is original, but please feel free to copy it. I'm not precious about this stuff. I didn't make a pattern, just busked it. The construction method is as follows: Assembled it measures 8 inches by 6 inches by 2 inches thick. She likes her purse slung diagonally across her body, so the shoulder strap is 46 inches long as is, adjustable to a foot shorter. It's a fully lined, one piece tubular bag with a rivetted-in panel at each end. I drew out rectangle 8 inches wide, by 18 inches long on 8-9 ounce vegtan, rounded the lid flap corners by drawing round a large shot glass rim. I cut this shape out of the 8-9 ounce and then cut the same shape from 6-7 ounce for the liner. I got a whipsnake skin Megan liked the colour of, and worked out the maxiumum panel sizes for the size of skin and drew these on and cut them out of the heavier piece. I placed the outer on the liner and traced the window shapes through onto the rough side of the liner. I cut the snakeskin into panels around a half inch bigger all round than the window sizes and glued them down with rubber cement (Thixofix). I edged and burnished the inside edges of the windows and them dyed the outer and liner panels. When dry, I traced the stitch lines on around the panels with wing dividers and did the same with the outer stitch line on the perimeter. I use a half and half method of stitching; I punch the holes with my Pearson and then hand-stitch with waxed linen thread. I chose black linen thread to pick up with the black notes in the snakeskin. Once stitched, I trimmed, sanded, dyed and burnished the entire outer edge. The straps and end panels were cut from a tough, prefinished belting leather, edged and burnished. The straps are a half inch wide, the end panels 2 inches by 5 inches with a half inch wide strip each side for attaching. The panels are cased, the strips grooved at the base, bent at 90 degrees and left to dry. The whole fully-lined bag main panel, now stitched and burnished, is cased evenly and curled into final shape. Once in place, I wrapped kitchen paper towel around it and taped it into position to dry overnight. Cut to next morning; I cut the tape and rivet the side panels in place. The shoulder strap, attachment straps and front buckle straps are attached with Chicago screws so they can be replaced when worn. The whole thing is given a brisk rubdown with a rough towel, rubbed lovingly with Skidmore's and treated to a good coat of carnuba wax. One more good rubdown to get it glowing and we're done. Took me about four and a half hours, total, not including drying time. That's it. Cheers, Karl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CitizenKate Report post Posted March 29, 2009 It's beautiful, Karl! As far as the design/styling goes, I would carry one like that in a heartbeat. ...and probably wave it around to make sure everyone notices! Kate PS: Very happy to hear your Aunt is recovering! It was a bugger to make, and still looks to me like a handbag made by a holster maker But I'm pretty happy with it, all in all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClayB Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Karl, You're gonna have to change your title to holster maker/purse maker!! That looks really nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HARVEY Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Ditto on all the above comments. But, Karl, howzabout a close-up of that maker stamp? That in and of itself looks pretty cool. Let's see it up close and personal. Harvey Los Angeles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Looks great, Karl! Why did you only use the Pearson to punch the holes, though? Tony. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nomad Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Very beautiful bag. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leatheroo Report post Posted March 29, 2009 love this bag!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnBarton Report post Posted March 29, 2009 This is a bag I just finished for my Wife's Aunt Megan.It's her Birthday, but we're really celebrating the 'all clear'. She may very well have beaten Thyroid cancer. We're delighted she's still here, and I thought I'd make something a little special. The bag is about 8 inches wide and 6 high, chestnut dyed vegtan and some lovely whipsnake I got from our own Patrick Weill (thanks Patrick!). It was a bugger to make, and still looks to me like a handbag made by a holster maker But I'm pretty happy with it, all in all. Cheers, Karl Fantastic work. I love the flow of this piece. Hope Aunt Megan stays cancer free and uses this bag for decades to come! This bag is 1000s of times better than any Coach bag I have ever seen. It should be on sale for $1000 in a boutique instead of what they put out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Thanks so much for the nice words about the bag, but more importantly, the good wishes to Megan on her recovery. I'll pass them on. Heartfelt thanks everyone. The maker's stamp is indeed a work of art. It was designed for me by my friend Andy Mock, of Arm Leatherworks, a member here. Take a bow Andy The stamp itself was made by Jeff Mosby at Grey Ghost Graphics. Here it is in all it's glory. I bloody love it, I do. Cheers, Karl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteveBrambley Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Hi Karl, sorry to be one of the last to congratulate you on a really beautifully made bag, it is one of the smartest I've seen for a long time! I think it would take me a lot longer than four and a half hours to make! I was very happy to hear about your aunt. Steve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
badger Report post Posted March 29, 2009 Steve, Thanks very much, I've seen your work firsthand and I really appreciate the comments. It didn't come out too bad, did it? Tony, I use the Pearson to punch the holes and then handstitch, as I use waxed linen thread and like to feel the tension of each stitch as I sew. I do sew properly with it when I've got a lot of stitching to do or if I'm in a hurry. I hand stitched the whole bag in about 40 minutes. I'm a little unorthodox when I hand stitch as, I have a habit of holding one needle at a time in my mouth. Nasty things happen when the phone rings Cheers, Karl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted March 30, 2009 Ditto Beautiful, absolutely beautiful work! Greetings from Round Rock, Texas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phlegmaticdog Report post Posted March 30, 2009 The bag is awesome and I like the stamp too. Is the "skinjob" moniker an allusion to Battlestar Galactica? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patricweill Report post Posted March 30, 2009 Karl I am very happy to have been a very small part of your this worK. All my best wishes and congratulations to your aunt . She has won a momentous battle that speaks highly of her moral strength. The bag is superb , did you thin the leather around the insert windows ? take care Patrick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyL1 Report post Posted March 30, 2009 Thanks so much for the nice words about the bag, but more importantly, the good wishes to Megan on her recovery. I'll pass them on. Heartfelt thanks everyone. The maker's stamp is indeed a work of art. It was designed for me by my friend Andy Mock, of Arm Leatherworks, a member here. Take a bow Andy The stamp itself was made by Jeff Mosby at Grey Ghost Graphics. Here it is in all it's glory. I bloody love it, I do. Cheers, Karl Hey Karl! Very nice bag and what a great thing to celebrate=life! Best wishes on your Aunt's recovery and hope the stress for your family is over. Thanks for the props on the stamp and logo too! It came out cool. It's sweet to see it in action on the back of the bag. Cheers my friend! Andy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
