Backpack Project: A Few Questions...

[ninovoa]

Hey everybody. I have been reading the forums and have learned a great deal about the kinds of leathers there are out there. However when it comes down to buying leather online I am having a tough time knowing exactly what will serve me for my project. My project is a simple leather backpack (pictures below)

The backpack seems to have one large piece of leather which makes up the front, bottom, back, top and cover flap of the bag while two smaller rectangular pieces make up the sides of the bag. As for the front pocket I will leave that part out in order to keep the build simple.

I would like that the backpack be rather rigid and keep its square shape however I do not know what kind of leather would be best for this. From what I have read thick leather is not necessarily stiff leather, so how do i know the stiffness of what I am buying?

Comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

[DavidL]

That is a question only the supplier can know to be absolutely sure. All vegetable tanned leather will be stiff and all chrome tan leather are the type of leather found on sofas. Ask for picture before buying online or better yet buy instore.

[ninovoa]

Alright. I would buy from a local store if I could find one. Google searches have turned up nothing when I search "leather supply" if anyone knows of some kind of leather supplier in Tallahassee PLEASE let me know!

Searching on eBay I think this piece of leather will get the job done, however I am pretty new to this so if I could get some feedback from you guys that would be phenomenal.

So far the template looks like this:

[dirtclod]

I really don't think you will be happy with that piece of leather it's a split where they have cut the good/ grain/hair side off. What your left with will be more than likely rough to the the touch. If you look at at the second picture you will see what i am talking about.

Edited February 22, 2014 by dirtclod

[ninovoa]

I really don't think you will be happy with that piece of leather it's a split where they have cut the good/ grain/hair side off. What your left with will be more than likely rough to the the touch. If you look at at the second picture you will see what i am talking about.

I see what you mean by the roughness of the leather. Would it be at all possible to alter the finish of the leather with some kind of oil (perhaps smooth it out a little)? If not then would I be able give it a light sanding in order to give it a smoother more finish like suede?

I am still searching eBay for piece of leather that is up to the task, but it is difficult to find a piece that is longer than 35 inches (without having to buy an entire side of a cow)

One more question: would I be able to recolor the leather or is that something that doesn't change after the tanning process? (I had blue or green in mind)

Just as a mini update, I bought some tools today and am stitching together small leather pouches for practice! Thanks for all the comments so far!

[mlapaglia]

Call Springfield leather and tell them what you need. They will cut you a piece the size you need. Yes you can dye or color veg tanned leather. Below is a holster I did with Pink acrylic paint and an air brush. FYI the edges are not done yet in these photos.

[ninovoa]

Call Springfield leather and tell them what you need. They will cut you a piece the size you need. Yes you can dye or color veg tanned leather. Below is a holster I did with Pink acrylic paint and an air brush. FYI the edges are not done yet in these photos.

Thanks for recommending Springfield Leather, this place looks great, just what I needed!

I printed the template I posted above and I made a mini bag with some leather from a remnant bag I bought from a local craft store. Here are the results so far:

I'll update again when I have progress on the actual bag

[dirtclod]

You wil be money ahead if buy a side. If you have them cut you a piece it's going to cost more per foot than buying a side.

[DavidL]

If you are patient tandy leather has sides that go on sale for $100.

[scootinnc]

I find that the two bottom corners are the hardest areas to get the stitching correct in. Does anyone have any advice to getting the corners to look smooth and correct?

[ninovoa]

UPDATE: I have been practicing my leatherworking with small leather pieces so here are some pictures. I also recently received my leather i plan on making the backpack with so I threw in a picture of that as well.

The Main Project^

Side/practice Projects^

[MedusaOblongata]

How is the backpack coming along?

[ninovoa]

UPDATE: There isnt a whole lot to say other than I got a lot of work done over spring break but then the project got put on hold after school started again. So without further ado, I present to you all a whole bunch of progress pictures

I originally was going to line the entire interior with this fabric but after realizing how difficult it was I decided to stick with only lining the sides

First D-Ring

Double stitched (not sure if that's the proper term) for extra security

Edited April 1, 2014 by ninovoa

[LTC]

you oughta get rid of that speedy stitcher thing and use a proper saddle stitch on it best thing i ever did to improve my leatherwork.

[ninovoa]

Is the saddle stitch the one where you use two needles and you cross them back and forth?

[LTC]

a little simplistic description (takes more than that for it to look good) but yes.

[Tejas]

I find that the two bottom corners are the hardest areas to get the stitching correct in. Does anyone have any advice to getting the corners to look smooth and correct?

Just noticed this thread and I had the same thought. I'm very much a beginner and one-after-the-other right angle corners have been a real hassel for me. I'm using a sewing machine so my experience might not be applicable to hand sewing.

To mitigate the problem, change the design, but still three pieces -- front piece, back and front flap piece, both with rounded corners, and a continuous gusset from one side, around the bottom and up the other side. Apply Tanner's bond leather craft cement and clamp before sewing. Rounded corners, gluing and clamping have made all the difference between scrap projects and keeper projects.

Use small, 40 cent spring clamps from Homedepot. I initially bought 20 and later an additional 20.

None of these are my original ideas, and most come from Arthur Porter's youtube video on making a messenger bag.

[Tejas]

Further on bottom corners, see post #12 for what seems to be a novel idea.

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=55422#entry355443