Books On Bag Making?

[billybopp]

It occurs to me that there might be so few resources about leather bags because there are a TON of books about bags in general, some of which include leather. The design techniques for leather are not so different from fabric, and construction techniques using garment and other thin leathers are not so different. It's only when you start looking at certain types of leather and certain styles of bag/case that things start getting different. It may be worth looking at some of THOSE resources!

Just a thought ...

Bill

[DebHop]

I totally agree with billybop.

I have a nice collection of bag making books, and here are some of my favorite:

Sew Serendipity Bags, Chic Bags, and The Bag Making Bible - not specific to leather but adaptable.

The best for technical construction - Amy Butler's Style Stitches and Handbag Designer 101 by Emily Blumenthal.

I've also snagged some good sources and patterns on stored them on Pintrist. You're welcome to brouse:

https://www.pinterest.com/hoppythyme/bags/

Hope this helps.

[horselady21]

Just saw this topic and thought I would add the Craftsy.com video class I am taking "Making Leather Bags". It is excellent!

[JMWendt]

One thing I'd like to suggest is just dive in and do some prototyping.  You know . . . if you want to try a gusset of some kind, mock it up in paper and then do it in leather, see how it comes out.  You'll learn a lot about what will and won't work with regard to sewing and finishing.  I've learned more from my own attempts and mistakes than I have from all the many books and videos.  These days, if I want to try something new, I do it in inexpensive leather, no tooling, and take my time to figure it out.  Once I have done a design once, then I can use better materials, stamp work, etc, on future versions.