Sjohnsone Report post Posted August 29, 2012 Good afternoon. This is my first post on this forum. I've been doing leatherworking for a few months and attempting my first messenger bag. I'm trying to figure out how to make an exterior pocket for it but it's perplexing me. I made a sort of rudimentary gusseted one, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to make a clean exterior pocket that will be hand stitched on. Please help!! I was trying to make this a gift for a friend. Thank you for your time- Seth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted August 29, 2012 Seth, Do you have any pictures of what you have? It may be just as simple as stitching it to the front of the bag, before you assemble the main parts of the bag. But pictures would give us some more insight. Marlon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sjohnsone Report post Posted August 30, 2012 My apologies - I can't upload a drawing or photo at this time. I understand it needs to be sewn on prior to bag construction. It's a pocket - which is closed on three sides and sewn to the front of the bag panel and will be situated between two buckles. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rawhide Report post Posted August 30, 2012 I would use a leather cement to glue the pocket in place on the bag. Just imagine that the gusset will be stitched the same as if it were lined up with an edge, except that it will be placed in the center of the bag. I would use the gusset to layout the holes, since this will be the exterior of the bag. I would finish the edge of the pocket, before gluing it to the bag, then sew it on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brettra Report post Posted August 31, 2012 As Marlon indicated, gluing the pouch on will hold it in place. I glued this pull-up leather on the front of the bag (before assembling and used a 4 prong punch to drop holes down a pencil line and ended up with a large pouch and some pen holders. Hope the image is of help in what worked for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluesman1951 Report post Posted August 31, 2012 Consider placing the pocket thing on the inside stitched to a liner so the stitching dont show from the outside . The next thing I can see is the relationship between the size of thread and the holes made for sewing somehow something is just not correct there. Possibilities leather dont have enough density , thread too small, holes too big . You can solve this with a French seam and show off with two lines of stitching on the out side . The more you show of stitching the cleaner and straighter it must be . With leather of this kind your choice is smaller holes closer together and double stitch it by hand or machine sew it . I have not found a better way . You risk the whole project by attaching the pocket to the out side because if its not perfectly straight it will stand out for sure . Simple is best always . I shoot for clean simple functional and marketable . Consider if you are doing one at a time the pocket is no big deal ,lets say this year you will make 1,000 of these now the time spent with the pocket becomes significant on that many units . Lets say you were machine sewing these with nothing in the way just three passes with the machine turn it right side out and attach a pre made handle . Now your time other than cutting has been significantly reduced from start to finished product . Contract sewing is also a consideration. I like your project ,size is good ,could not see your handle . All in all its a great bag Questions on my mind If I saw it in public would I take a picture of it ? Keep on truckin some times you just need to let things marinate in your mind until you see it clearly . bluesman1951 As Marlon indicated, gluing the pouch on will hold it in place. I glued this pull-up leather on the front of the bag (before assembling and used a 4 prong punch to drop holes down a pencil line and ended up with a large pouch and some pen holders. Hope the image is of help in what worked for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sjohnsone Report post Posted August 31, 2012 Well thank you very much for your help. You're all very wonderful for offering your assitance. After hours of struggling with it and not wanting to punch holes into the bag, I devised an interior wallet system for it instead, which I honestly like even better than a pocket! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Artimus Report post Posted August 31, 2012 This is ROUGH leather work, but I had the same problem. Found this scrap of leather and just sewed it right to the back of a scaramanga bag. It's ugly but effective. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LNLeather Report post Posted September 1, 2012 FYI - if you do an Advanced (leatherworker.net) Search (upper right corner of the page) and enter Messenger Bag (also choose Display results As posts) and then you can scroll through the posts and you will see All the ones with Photos. ....Lots of different designs and lots of different ideas hope this helps Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idlewilder Report post Posted September 18, 2012 I devised an interior wallet system for it instead, which I honestly like even better than a pocket! Sjohnsone, could you talk a little about how you did that? I'm working on a messenger bag, and I'd love to hear about how you did the pockets. I'm sort of putting off pockets. It doesn't seem like inside pockets could be done without a lining, unless the stitching was gonna show on the outside. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted September 19, 2012 . It doesn't seem like inside pockets could be done without a lining, unless the stitching was gonna show on the outside. You could put a divider in the bag, attached to the gussets, and place the pockets on the divider. CTG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
