My First Tote Bag

[Dan28]

Made this for my aunt Judy.

The brown portions (except for the trim around the opening) are just about the last portions I have left from the first side of leather I bought from Tandy. It was a pretty nice piece of 9 to 10 oz. veg tan (at least to my limited knowledge). It was pretty flexible compared to the Herman Oak stuff I have from Springfield. The trim along the opening is some calf skin, not sure of the weight but it is thin, maybe 1 or 2 oz. The green portion is about 5 oz Herman Oak from Springfield. The dye is Fiebings Pro green and Fiebings Pro Walnut. I barely had enough left of the Walnut to do it all all the brown portions as I only had a partial 4 oz bottle left. It has about three coats of a 50/50 water/resolene mix for the finish. It has a pig skin lining. The thread was 45mm waxed Poly cord from Maine Thread Co.

For the handles (my first of this type), I filled them with old edge trim so they would keep their shape. Every time I make laminated straps, I cut them a quarter inch wider before I glue them together. After they are glued, I run it back twice though my strap cutter taking off an eighth of an inch on each side to get the desired width with clean edges. I learned that technique here. I have save all those old strap edges thinking I might use them and I did for those handles.

I created each side separately, combining the upper and lowers, trim, adding the handles, the bag feet, and the closure. I also glued the large portions of the liner on each side right before hand sewing it up, inside out. once the entire thing was sewed together, I glued strips of pigskin over the exposed inner seams to hide them and give the inside a better look. Once the glue (Barges cement) dried on that last lining covering the seams, I filled the entire thing with hot water and let it soak a bit and then flipped it inside out. If there is a better method, please let me know.

Up next is a black and red version for my older sister. I will probably change the dimensions a bit, and do bigger handles with an English strap point thing. I may make the lower portion out of a single piece of leather, not sure yet. Finally, I also may put an inside pocket in the next one too.

[Dan28]

The interior.

[MonicaJacobson]

Dan, that is nice looking. Very solid. I've been too intimidated by that whole shape and turning it inside, etc. to try it myself, yet. Great job!

I wonder.. since you're already sewing on an edge on the top, you could probably drop a fabric (or leather) lining in there and sew it to the top with the edging about as easy (and with a cleaner look) than gluing on the covering to your seams.

[Dan28]

Thanks Monica. Every time I do the turn inside out thing, I get those stress wrinkles in the leather. Some people like them, some don't. I'm neutral on them. That red purse I did a few months ago, I flipped without wetting it first and still got a few of those wrinkles in the leather. That was really hard to flip dry and I think it was only 6 oz. leather. As far as a fabric lining goes? A manly man can't use fabric! joking. I don't have any fabric. I guess I could treat the pig skin like fabric, but that was the last of my dark brown lining, and I didn't have a big enough portion to do a solid lining like that. I suppose I could have sewed the portions I have together. Though gluing the lining to the leather gave it a slight more rigidity.

However, the red and black one I'm going to start in a few days, will get the tan pig skin lining I prefer and have a lot of. I think I will try this method on it. On this one, I actually wish I had put the top portion of the lining up under the calf skin trim, but I had already glued that whole trim piece down before I got to the lining. I thought of it right after I got the first side trim glued down, and didn't want to try and pull it up.

[MonicaJacobson]

I have the same problem with fabric; none of it, that is. I just don't have a place to keep a sewing machine set up right now. As it is, I move my leatherworking on and off the kitchen table every night. Fortunately, it's my kitchen, and since I am the wife, I don't have someone who will be annoyed at the stuff laying all over the kitchen and dining room. Fortunately, my husband isn't a neat freak. So yeah, like you, I think I'm leaning towards pig skin lining.

Thanks for going into your process. I'm definitely going to try this style of bag sometime soon.

[Dan28]

Thanks for going into your process. I'm definitely going to try this style of bag sometime soon.

Judging by the quality of your other items, I don't think you will have any problems with this style.

[MonicaJacobson]

Ha, thanks; we'll see about that.

[builderofstuff]

Excellent work. I really like the design

Chris