am i in over my head

[gtbrothers]

I am looking to make a buskers pouch or have one made. I had a few questions for people who know what they are talking about.

The pouch looks like this http://photobucket.com/GT_BROTHERs . I have never made anything out of leather before would trying to tackle something like this be crazy... second I have spent time researching the braid that is uses is called a Mexican round braid I have searched this site and have found information but none of the techniques use 4 strips off roo leather like this one does. moving on this pouch is said to not be done with a sewing machine at all and all the stitching is done by hand a technique called saddler stitching I have not researched this at all. Last of all I found someone who sad they would attempt this. The only thing is she did not seem really confident and the price was $200 and that’s without the leather. Is this a good price and would someone who knew what they were doing be able to take these photos and go at it?

[Hilly]

I am looking to make a buskers pouch or have one made. I had a few questions for people who know what they are talking about.

The pouch looks like this http://photobucket.com/GT_BROTHERs . I have never made anything out of leather before would trying to tackle something like this be crazy... second I have spent time researching the braid that is uses is called a Mexican round braid I have searched this site and have found information but none of the techniques use 4 strips off roo leather like this one does. moving on this pouch is said to not be done with a sewing machine at all and all the stitching is done by hand a technique called saddler stitching I have not researched this at all. Last of all I found someone who sad they would attempt this. The only thing is she did not seem really confident and the price was $200 and that's without the leather. Is this a good price and would someone who knew what they were doing be able to take these photos and go at it?

First of all, welcome to the neatest place on the internet! There are many very talented people here that can answer any questions you might have relating to leatherwork.

You can make a pouch like this if you are willing to learn. Mexican round braid is not difficult, but it is VERY time consuming, and uses a LOT of lace. Saddle stitching is also easy if you have the right tools to do the job. May I suggest the following books:

"The Art of Hand Sewing Leather" by Al Stohlman, and a book called "Lacing & Stitching for Leathercraft". Both of these books are available through Tandy Leather http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/. These will get you started in this addiction we call leatherwork.

Have fun,

Hilly

[rdb]

Nobody can say whether you're in too deep, even the new to leather people can sometimes astound us with how good they do.

Doing a search right here on the forum for "braiding", "multi-colored braid", and others like that will bring up a wealth of information for you to assess if doing this project is something you want to attempt. A good example link to start might be this topic:

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;hl=braiding

As far as paying the $200, I'm not sure of the size of this bag, but lacing in the gusset could be many hours, especially with the multi-color, so depending on the hourly rate, it actually could run that high, or you could find someone willing to do the lacing for cheaper...dunno.

Before you pay out though, maybe by reading up on it, or buying some braiding books, might make you at least want to try doing it yourself first. Time and Patience would be the key to a nice job. Maybe try some simpler braid a few times for an understanding of the process, and then, well, just dive in. You never know until you try.

Good Luck, and I'm sure the braiders will chime in with much more specifics, and helpful info..

[Tina]

Here's a link with a free tutorial on the 2 tone mexican braiding:

http://www.hidestoart.com/Newsletter%20Sept%20free

Good luck to you:-)

[TwinOaks]

I don't think that's mex round braid. It looks more like two colored laces, wrapped in different directions, utilizing a repeating o/u pattern. The link to the two color M.R.B. produces a different pattern, as is seen in the pics.