Chopinzee Report post Posted February 15, 2015 Hi, I'm Hannah and I'm very very new to working with leather! I found this site while doing some internet research about sewing leather bags, and so far I've found a huge amount of info just browsing the old threads. I've made a lot of cloth handbags, but only recently started to sew with leather. I always wanted to work with leather but assumed my sewing machine wouldn't be able to handle it, and I knew I didn't have the budget for a specialty machine. But recently I've been fooling around with a few lighter weight leathers (chrome tanned, 2-3 oz) and as long as I'm careful I can coax my sewing machine to deal with several layers. This has opened a whole new world of possibilities, and I'm excited to start making some leather bags! I recently bought some hand-stitching tools as well, and I'm very interested in learning to hand-sew leather. Here's my question (probably the first of many): when making handbags out of cloth, usually interfacing is ironed on to the fabric to give it body and structure. I've heard that heat plus leather is a Bad Thing, and one shouldn't iron interfacing to it. If that is true, how do bags made of lightweight leather get their structure? Is some kind of material sewn into the bag to reinforce it? If so, what? Is it possible to wrap soft leather around a stiffer frame? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thefanninator Report post Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) Some bags are thick enough to hold their shape without reinforcment. Some are lined inside with calf or goatskin and this helps. Some don't have anything and don't hold their shape. When it's needed you can use leather for handles, bases etc. In her book, The Leatherworking Handbook, Valerie Michael mentions grey board and Vileden. I've never used either one and I'm not quite sure where to find them. She does mention that Vileden is an iron on stiffener. Edited February 15, 2015 by thefanninator Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zikman Report post Posted February 15, 2015 You can use bontex as a stiffener for bags. It's a little funny to work with, but I don't have a ton of experience with it. For the most part, you have to find the right leather that is the perfect combo of thickness to stiffness ratio. That might be the most difficult part when first starting out. Unless you live in a large city with a garment district. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chopinzee Report post Posted February 15, 2015 Thanks fanninator and zikman for the info! I had seen that mention in the Valerie Michael book of "Vileden", and spent a fruitless 20 minutes online trying to figure out what it was. The only thing google came up with was a bunch of stories featuring a "vile den" of thieves... I wonder if maybe Vileden is some version of Vilene (the E.U equivalent of Pellon). "Grey Board" seems to be cover board for bookbinding, from what I can tell--probably too stiff for my purposes, although it could work to reinforce bag bottoms. Zikman, do you have any suggestions for a leather with the right combination of stiffness/thickness? I do have a Tandy's about an hour away that I can shop at if I know what to look for (so far I've been ordering online). They may have bontex too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fivewayswelshcobs Report post Posted February 15, 2015 Yes you can iron a backing onto leather as long as the iron is not too hot and using a cloth between the iron and the backing also taking care not to stop in one place too long. You can also stiffen the leather with gluing a lining on eg another piece of leather or fabric. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwight Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Depending on the design of the bag, . . . Tandy sells a product, aptly named, . . . bag stiffener. It comes in a large sheet about 3 ft square, . . . and is a pretty tough product. It is cut with really tough scissors or with a sharp knife, . . . I use a drywall knife. It is also very durable, . . . and is something around $10 a sheet, . . . been a while since I bought it so that is a bit of a guess, today. Stop in a Tandy shop, . . . take a look at it, . . . you may just like it. May God bless, Dwight Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chopinzee Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Thanks! I'll definitely try both the Bontex and the Tandy Bag Stiffener to see if there's any difference between them. I hadn't thought of gluing on a supporting layer--I'm so used to making bags with only fabric, I sometimes forget that I can use glue. Off to do some experiments with fusing scraps of leather to the Pellon interfacings I already have... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken G Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Besides the "bag stiffener" Tandy now has a product called TerraFlex. Its a lot more expensive than the other product. It kind of felt like the bottom layer of vinyl flooring. Both may be stiffer than you are looking for but they are an option. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lranger Report post Posted February 16, 2015 There is a rule-of-thumb for bag making that goes like this; If your outer material is thicker/stiffer, then your inner lining material should be thinner/less stiff. And, if your outer material is thinner/less stiff, then use a thicker/more stiff inner lining material. When I make fashion type handbags, I use 2-2.5 oz. garment leather on the outside and either heavy linen material for the lining or 2-2.5 oz. leather for the lining, and they end up plenty stiff enough to stand on their own. If I wanted it to be stiffer, I'd use maybe 3.5 oz. outer leather and linen or 2.5 oz. leather for the lining. I sometimes use the Tandy bag stiffener in the bottom of the bags, depending on the type of bag, but I don't like it as well as using thicker leather in the bottom, maybe a piece of 4 oz., or even two layers of 4 oz. to get it stiff enough in the bottom. In clutch bags, I've used bag stiffener just in the closing flap, and I've used layers of thicker leather underneath to stiffen it up. It just depends on the bag. You'll probably work out how you like it best after making a few different types of bags. Hope this helps. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Since members are mentioning things in terms of Ounces, I thought it'd be a good time to mention that 1oz=1/64th" of leather. Leather is ALSO sold in metric thicknesses, depending on where you get it. 3mm leather is easier to understand than 8 oz, but they both mean the same thing - 1/8th inch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thefanninator Report post Posted February 16, 2015 Tandy's website has a chart for leather thickness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chopinzee Report post Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) You folks are awesome--this is all VERY helpful! Edited February 16, 2015 by Chopinzee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sunny Day Report post Posted March 16, 2015 Has anyone here actually used Terraflex? Is so, for what purpose? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paprhangr Report post Posted March 16, 2015 Anyone use Ultra Leather fabric for bags? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
