Problem Molding A Purse Body

[Chris N]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new here but thought I'd jump right in with a question.

I am trying to make a purse on an 8"x8" rounded bottom form.

My big problem seems to be that no mater what I try the leather wants to bunch up and fold at the bottom and not lay flat.

I think I need to make some releif cuts, but I'm not really sure how those work.

Can anyone offer any general advice on releif cutting or point me to a resource?

Thanks

-Chris

[lightningad]

it could be affected by the thickness of the leather, the wetness of the leather...etc.

I have made a couple of pouches using wooden forms for the moulding and found that the best way was to make a positive and negative form, with enough gap between the two to allow for the thickness of leather.

You need the leather to be thoroughly soaked, and then be as gentle as you can stretching it with the formers.

The formers need to be as smooth as possible because any grain. etc will be transferred to the leather.

You can see the finished pouch here...My first wet form and some photos of the forms in action are on this thread forms in action (the one thing it doesnt show is that i also put a smooth plastic sheet on top of the larger piece and weighted it down to give a flatter surface as it was bowing slightly without it.

adam

[Sylvia]

My big problem seems to be that no mater what I try the leather wants to bunch up and fold at the bottom and not lay flat.

I think I need to make some releif cuts, but I'm not really sure how those work.

Can anyone offer any general advice on releif cutting or point me to a resource?

-Chris

Hi Chris

Relief cuts work to allow the leather a way to move so it can lay flat. Most wet forms require them. You can cut 2 parallel cuts or a V cut in order to achieve this.

I tend to prefer the parallel cuts because I'm less likely to cut too deeply into the stitching line. The V cut can be tricky especially when you try to get the piece out....that's when the cut ends up too deep. that said the V shaped relief cuts are far superior to the parallel cuts when you are struggling with a lot of bunched up material.

Hope that helps some.

Sylvia

[Chris N]

Thanks for the info.

I have a mold with a framework, I'll just try putting the framedown without forming the leather around the mold first.

Then if I need to I will try the parrllel cuts.

-Chris