First Satchel

[pnozzer]

Finished my first proper project as a Christmas present for my girlfriend. Lined with pigskin, found all the stitching quite tiring! It's 10 inches wide so just fits an A5 pad, has a 3-piece gusset, and uses Sam Browne studs to close since buckles seem like a hassle (will see how well these work though...). Had some interest in making more but would have to charge ridiculous money for it to be economical Still all good fun.

P

[Blak Smyth]

Looks really nice, did she love it?

I know what you mean, I made a small satchel and it took forever for all the hand stitching. Everytime somebody asks how much one would cost I cringe.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Blak Smyth

[Zor]

Looks great !

[AndyL1]

Looks great! How did you do the gusset in three parts? I mean it's made of three short strips instead of one long one then? Is it easier that way?

I feel you on the stitching. I used to hand stitch all my bags until I got a machine. They still take forever to make even with that though (lots of parts!)... I still don't feel I charge enough. Ha!

[needles]

very nice..... i bet she loved it...

[pnozzer]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone, and yes she did love it thank god!

About the 3-part gusset, I took some process shots because I couldn't find anything online about this, but I stole the idea from some briefcases in shops which have a similar set up. I don't know if it's easier but I did it to keep the front as flat as possible, without warping due to the stress on one long piece gusset bent around the corners. I hope you can make out the idea from the pics here.

P

[LederRudi]

Nice and clean work! Clever construction! Thanks for sharing!

[kwelna]

" Had some interest in making more but would have to charge ridiculous money for it to be economical Still all good fun" .

If some one asks, quote the price as rediculous as you might think it is, Do not hesitate, just throw it out there as if you have quoted it before. Some will say, "Oh I don't think I can afford that." and thats OK. Some will say why so much or I can get one just like that on the internet for a lot less? And your response should be ; "Because that is what the last one sold for". or "Awesome you should buy that one instead." (Respectivly) Maybe give them a couple of high end leather briefcase makers names that sell a simular product and have them look up what they go for. Do not spend time with these people as they will never buy and only gripe and try to get you to drop you price. Walk away! If you make the mistake of selling these people anything they will constntly come back with complaints. Walk away! Finially, you will run into people that will say. "Huh, not bad do you have any more?" or "Do you have other models?" etc. Here is a possible sale. Spend time with these people. LIfe is too short to sell your wares at a loss or to break even. Set a price and stick to it. Make sure you pay yourself for your time not just the materials.

[KCF2013]

" Had some interest in making more but would have to charge ridiculous money for it to be economical Still all good fun" .

If some one asks, quote the price as rediculous as you might think it is, Do not hesitate, just throw it out there as if you have quoted it before. Some will say, "Oh I don't think I can afford that." and thats OK. Some will say why so much or I can get one just like that on the internet for a lot less? And your response should be ; "Because that is what the last one sold for". or "Awesome you should buy that one instead." (Respectivly) Maybe give them a couple of high end leather briefcase makers names that sell a simular product and have them look up what they go for. Do not spend time with these people as they will never buy and only gripe and try to get you to drop you price. Walk away! If you make the mistake of selling these people anything they will constntly come back with complaints. Walk away! Finially, you will run into people that will say. "Huh, not bad do you have any more?" or "Do you have other models?" etc. Here is a possible sale. Spend time with these people. LIfe is too short to sell your wares at a loss or to break even. Set a price and stick to it. Make sure you pay yourself for your time not just the materials.

Well said...Kwelna

I take the cost of materials everything..leather,snaps,thread broke it all wown cost per sq ft, cost per foot of thread/ lacing... excel spredsheet to keep it all sorted out, and I take the actual cost of materials and times by 3,(found this was a pretty good standard among craftspeople in this area)... this covers anything I have missed and pays for my time...it takes time to make templates, time to create the project, times to market it on website, social media, etc.. It took me a long time to get the "the price is the price"...and no yard sale haggling.

I still get a hesitation at times, but once i put the price out there, then thats it...if they say nothing ..their loss I figure.

And that is a great looking Satchel Pnozzer, keep up the good work

[kwelna]

Thansk Kings country, I do not sell very much and I tend to give a lot away to my friends as gifts. But when I do sell, I ask a premium price. Why not? The worst they can say is no. And I get to keep what ever i make. I do not do this for a living, I do it for mental health and relaxation and to have a hobby once I retire if I ever get to.....So I can not see undercutting those that are trying to make it as a business it only lowers the value of my work and hurts thiers....

[pnozzer]

Thanks for the pricing advice, I'll keep that in mind if this becomes more than a hobby, for now am happy to do a few hours here and there

[PsychoSmart]

Had some interest in making more but would have to charge ridiculous money for it to be economical Still all good fun.

What is ridiculous money in your mind? and then What did this cost you strictly in materials?

[bluesman1951]

Nicely done !

[pnozzer]

Hi psychosmart, your question made me think what I meant when I said that initially, and realised it was based on a feeling rather than hard numbers. Here's what I've worked out (sorry am working in pounds UK, will convert to usd at end!). All materials cost £45 (roughly 70us), and I think after putting the planning for the first one I could make one in two full time days. For it to be economical, I'd be making at least £100/days work, so would have to charge £245+ (~$400+), which to me sounds like a hell of a price for a satchel! I suppose the time side of the equation could be reduced quite a bit from practice and economies of scale. But I'm completely naive, I see lots of great buts on here and they might be selling for what I would call ridiculous money...

Edited January 3, 2014 by pnozzer

[PsychoSmart]

Your question made me think what I meant when I said that initially, and realised it was based on a feeling rather than hard numbers. Here's what I've worked out (sorry am working in pounds UK, will convert to usd at end!). All materials cost £45 (roughly 70us), and I think after putting the planning for the first one I could make one in two full time days. For it to be economical, I'd be making at least £100/days work, so would have to charge £245+ (~$400+), which to me sounds like a hell of a price for a satchel! I suppose the time side of the equation could be reduced quite a bit from practice and economies of scale. But I'm completely naive, I see lots of great buts on here and they might be selling for what I would call ridiculous money...

I'm new to the world of leatherworking, every other hobby I have been around has been called more a labor of love so the idea of charging that much for your time is astounding to me. But that being said if someone will pay it, maybe it isn't as crazy as it sounds. It is a really great bag. Thanks for the numbers. $70 isn't outside of my price range when I get a little more skilled. Maybe that is the secret, make something you can use, and then if it doesn't sell, you got yourself a new bag!

[pnozzer]

You may be on to something there! You're right thought, it is definitely a labour of love. In that calculation I was more thinking of economical as in a proper income as opposed to a hobby (no plans for that any time soon!). Good luck with your projects in future!

[Spindrift57]

Great satchel. Love the clean lines. Seems to have been a Christmas for satchels - will upload pics of the one I made for my wife.

As to selling you work. Kwelna is right, some people will recognise the craftsmanship and individuality of a truly hand made piece and will be happy to pay. You have to decide whether you want to compromise on any aspects of your work. I recently threw out a price and have my first serious commission. Probably not cost effective but then it's not my 'day job'.

Take a look on Etsy, e-bay and this site for craftsman you'd like to emulate. I'm relatively new to leatherwork but would like to think that eventually I'd get somewhere near the sort of quality people like Nigel Armitage produce. When your work is that good people don't quibble on price.

Having mentioned him, Nigel Armitage has 2 videos on YouTube showing him making a messenger style bag with a 3 part gusset. We'll worth a watch.

[robin62]

Do you have any more pictures of the brown bag that is in the background of the first picture? It looks like a nice bag too.

[bigorange]

like that

[bwillielv]

Very nice.

[MonicaJacobson]

$400 sounds about right to me for a fully lined, nicely dyed, and very well sewn satchel. I might even charge more if I put in some nice pockets. I've only sold a couple of larger things, so I'm not very experienced when it comes to pricing, but I do know that you can give stuff away all day long, no problem! But if you underprice it to be nice, the person who buys it will always think of it as inferior. You don't want to sell it as a fashion accessory, those are meant to be thrown away in a year. You want to sell it as a tool, and tools cost money.

Not that I'm very good at putting all that into practice...

Love the satchel!

[kwelna]

Hi psychosmart, your question made me think what I meant when I said that initially, and realised it was based on a feeling rather than hard numbers. Here's what I've worked out (sorry am working in pounds UK, will convert to usd at end!). All materials cost £45 (roughly 70us), and I think after putting the planning for the first one I could make one in two full time days. For it to be economical, I'd be making at least £100/days work, so would have to charge £245+ (~$400+), which to me sounds like a hell of a price for a satchel! I suppose the time side of the equation could be reduced quite a bit from practice and economies of scale. But I'm completely naive, I see lots of great buts on here and they might be selling for what I would call ridiculous money...

Look on line at some high end breifcases\messenger bags. They go for 600 to a couple thousand dollars easy. Noe if yours is custom made to the buyers requests then 400 - 600 is not unreasonable. If the quality of leather, stitching, hardware and tooling is top notch then 600 is a steal. The worst thing they can say is no. You are out nothing. Plus, you get back your time you would have lost from making a second satchel to play with leather....... I think they call that a Win/Win... At least that is how I look at it.

Take a look:

I just did a quick search for english leather messenger bags.....

http://www.saddlebac...Bags-Briefcases

http://www.mrporter....CFQtBQgodnzcA-Q

So as you can see if the quality is there that price in not unreasonable.

Edited January 15, 2014 by kwelna