New Bag-Work In Progress

[AndyL1]

Hey All,

It feels like forever since I've posted something. Just had a baby a couple of months ago so I have been torn away from my leather bench. Anyway, back into it again slowly so i thought I'd share a work in progress of a day trippin' messenger bag. Tall enough to hold a couple of wine bottles so maybe for a nice little picnic? This one has sort of a celtic dragon theme going with the tooling and the pocket buttons.

Still need to sew the thing together, add the closure, make the shoulder strap and some stitch detailing on the pocket flaps (which I forgot to do before I put them on, got too into it I guess and overlooked the details)

Hope you all enjoy it!

Cheers,

Andy

[TheTrooper]

Hi Andy,

that is a very nice bag. I love those celtic patterns compared with this antique look!!

Hope this question is not to arrant, but do you have a pattern for the whole bag which you could provide ?!?

Have a nice weekend.

Cheers,

Marcel

Edited May 15, 2009 by adamant-leather

[DreadPirateRedbeard]

Exceptionally nice bag. That is the kind of skill I hope to someday achieve. I too am interested in a pattern/tutorial. But more than that I want to know what tool and/or technique is used to do that background? I think that looks awesome adn want to use it for the Motorhead backpatch I'm doing for my jacket. Again, VERY nice work and thanks for any info!

[TheTrooper]

The tool for the background might be the E294 from Craftool or something similar, but maybe I am wrong ?!?

Take a look here:

Tandy UK Search Form

Cheers,

Marcel

[leatheroo]

this is so nice, love the design and the tooling is tops!

[AndyL1]

The tool for the background might be the E294 from Craftool or something similar, but maybe I am wrong ?!?

Take a look here:

Tandy UK Search Form

Cheers,

Marcel

Thanks guys! Hope to finish this thing up in the next week, I will post complete photos of it then too. Yes Marcel, that is the tool I used for the background. I also have the smaller tear drop shaped one to get into my bevel areas and smaller parts of the knots. This pattern was a bit tough in the small details–the tool was too big to fit in there. So I used a pointy part of a modeling tool to replicate the texture in some parts. Don't worry Dread, you'll get there too! This is only my third bag and maybe my 6th time tooling something. I don't have a pattern. I just sketch out the final product in my notebook and figure out the size and pieces in my head. I take the bag apart mentally and mark out my pieces on the leather.

Cheers,

Andy

[CitizenKate]

Nice, Andy! What are you using for the antique?

Kate

[AndyL1]

Nice, Andy! What are you using for the antique?

Kate

Thanks Kate! My process is a quick wipe of Tandy's black antique with a simple kitchen sponge, this gets into all the scratches and nooks and crannys. Wipe that off with a damp rag, let it dry up a bit. Then a good rub in with Tandy's Mahogony All-In-One. Wipe off excess. Then I come back with the sponge again but with just a little black dye in it. It's sort of a dry-sponge technique with the black. I pat around the edges of the bag and kind of into the middle areas just to add a little mottling effect. The sponge has just a bit of dye in it. I build up the black slowly and randomly.

Cheers,

Andy

[CitizenKate]

I like the distressed effect you got from that.

Kate

[Excell]

Andy,

Woah. I'm in awe. I love the closures for the side pockets. The coloring is great, too.

When you tooled the front, did you bevel all the areas around the fine celtic lines before backgrounding? (Even into the backgrounded spaces?) It appears that the background lines are very clean - even in the tight spaces. Some of that really narrow lining work is killer to get right!

[SteveBrambley]

Very Nice!

Steve

[AndyL1]

Andy,

Woah. I'm in awe. I love the closures for the side pockets. The coloring is great, too.

When you tooled the front, did you bevel all the areas around the fine celtic lines before backgrounding? (Even into the backgrounded spaces?) It appears that the background lines are very clean - even in the tight spaces. Some of that really narrow lining work is killer to get right!

Yeah I beveled all the edges on everything before backgrounding. The parts I had trouble with were the very small triangles in the smaller parts of the knots. But I think it came out pretty good. Overall they blend right in. I had a little trouble with the lines flattening and spreading out on the over/under parts of the fine lines. Anybody have a tip on how to solve that problem?

Thanks for the compliments Steve! (and everybody else too of course!)

Cheers,

Andy

[Excell]

I had a little trouble with the lines flattening and spreading out on the over/under parts of the fine lines. Anybody have a tip on how to solve that problem?

Solve it, no, but I'm working on a project right now with similar knotting. (Which is one reason I'm so impressed with yours!) I went with a little wider knife work right at the overlaps and even tried a slight undercut to help bury the beveling work. Then (besides being super careful w/ the beveling) I have spent a lot of time with a modeling tool and a handmade carving tool a little like a pro-petal trying to keep the edges on the overlapping pieces sharp. I don't know how well it is turning out. I might post pics later if I don't screw it up too bad. . .

Thanks again SO MUCH for sharing this piece. I showed the pictures to my wife, and now I know what I need to do before her birthday comes around. That piece is GORGEOUS.

[AndyL1]

Thanks again SO MUCH for sharing this piece. I showed the pictures to my wife, and now I know what I need to do before her birthday comes around. That piece is GORGEOUS.

HAHA! Sweet! Glad I could inspire you for your wife's birthday. Be sure to post some pics of your project when you're done too. Thanks for the kind words everybody.

Cheers,

Andy

[ericluther]

Andy that thing is SAWEET!! I've been wanting to make one for myself.

Did you habd sew it or a machine? and if so what kind??

Thanks and great work!!

Eric

[AndyL1]

Hey Eric,

thanks Man! It is all sewed by hand. No machine yet, but I'm saving for one... my fingers can't take much more of this. :-)

I thought I'd be able to get this thing finished and some photos of the bag up, but the new baby has other plans for my time. HAHA!

-Andy

Edited May 26, 2009 by AndyL1

[ericluther]

Hey Eric,

thanks Man! It is all sewed by hand. No machine yet, but I'm saving for one... my fingers can't take much more of this. :-)

I thought I'd be able to get this thing finished and some photos of the bag up, but the new baby has other plans for my time. HAHA!

-Andy

well great job!! and congrats on the baby!!

[rhall]

That is nice work ,good finishing job too! I know exactly what you mean about the hands..I stuck my self to the bone again last week..got pissed and called Steve at the Leather Machine co. and ordered a Cobra Class 4..so now Iv'e made the big jump...