Purse Patterns

[leather1214]

Hey does anybody know where to find good quality purse patterns?

[BillB]

That is a very broad question. There:

Al Stohlman's "The Art of Making Leahter Cases Vol 1,2,3";

Making Leather Purses and Totes Book;

Handbag Pattern Pack;

You can also do what I do:

Option 1. Find a Tandy Kit that I like. Make it a s a model and using the pattern to cut my own from raw materials. I use Tandy since I know they include the pattern for the components and not just sample tooling patterns.

Option 2: Find a purse that I like, disassemble it. Use the pieces to make my own pattern. Add some improvements/changes.

Option 3: Having done Options 1 & 2 above, design my own pattern.

Since you were not specific in the type of purse pattern you were looking for it is hard to answer directly. Are you just looking for tooling patterns or for the patterns from which to cut the leather? Are you looking a clutch purse, shoulder style, tote, Native American, early settler, Civil War style ...

I was also not sure what you mean by "good quality purse pattern" since the quality is in the materials used and how it is assembled not the pattern

I hope this helps get you started.

[kathleen]

I was also not sure what you mean by "good quality purse pattern" since the quality is in the materials used and how it is assembled not the pattern

OOPS! A quality pattern is the beginnings of a quality result. Quality is rooted in engineering and that's what the pattern is. If your pattern is crappy, you'll either end up with a less than stellar result OR you'll waste time correcting the pattern. For example, if the pieces don't match, you'll have a heckuva time getting everything to line up. There's a reason Coach pays their pattern makers in excess of $100,000 a year.

Pattern quality directly impacts sewing quality. No matter how good a stitcher you are, if the pattern is crappy, you're going to have trouble.

[BillB]

As an engineer, I have always practiced the art of assembling the object to be construct from the "pattern" or design first. If it doesn't assemble properly, then the the "pattern" or "design" needs to be changed. I have never considered a "pattern" that does not pre-assemble a true pattern. I do this before I cut out any parts. I, personally, have never had a problem with a Tandy Pattern. That being said, I have had problems with the parts provided in the Tandy Kits because the person cutting out the parts and punching the holes in the parts did not take time to make sure the holes lined up when assembled. That does not mean the "pattern" lacks quality. That is why I will buy a Tandy Kit that I like, assemble it to understand the basics on how it goes together, as well as where the mistakes are made. I can then modify the "pattern" if that was the root of the problem, or more than likely, be more careful in the pre-assembly stages, cutting and punching holes, so that it assembles properly.

I prefer to do my own designs and patterns that way the only person I can blame is myself.

Good luck in your search of "Quality Patterns".