Anybody making concealed carry purses here?

[CaptQuirk]

The wife is wanting a carry permit, and I suspect it is mostly so she can get a new purse. While I have made holsters, never thought about making a purse, but I'm game. So, has anybody here done one, or maybe more? I could use some ideas and inspiration.I already have a few thoughts, but it never hurts to see how the real craftspeople do it.

[NVLeatherWorx]

Did a couple about 2 years ago but dropped them from my offerings as nobody wanted to pay for a concealed carry purse that would last, they would rather buy those cheaply made purses that will develop issues within a few months.  Now when I am at a show and one of those "damsels in defense" booths is around I just sit there and watch how they are all drawn to the "carry bags" like a moth to a light.  Even get a few questions from some of the moth's when they stop and ask if I could repair an older purse that they purchased from one of those "defense specialists" and I kindly decline to do the work on the grounds that my little fix isn't going to stop the problem and it should be repaired by the people who put you in it in the first place.  Don't even have any of the patterns anymore.

[CaptQuirk]

@NVLeatherWorx- I hear ya, you make it, you fix it. But, in todays world of WallyMart mentalities, it is easier to replace than to repair. Pride in craftmanship went out with men's hats and ladies gloves. I guess I'm stuck in the olden days, where I would rather spend a bit more for something that can be passed on... but that has nothing to do with this topic.

I have never made a purse, but I have a few Ideas on what I want to do, I just have never done it before. I'd like to have a pocket on the back of the purse, easy access from the side. I can make a holster to fit her pistol, but don't want it to show an outline. So I'm thinking that a piece of bag stiffener to attach the holster to might work, or might not have the strength to hold it firmly. Never touched the stuff before. And what about piping around the outside edges? Is that too ambitious for a beginning hand stitcher? How heavy a leather would I want to use? Most purses I've seen her go through, are so thin, maybe 2oz if I were to be generous. So would 4-6 oz be too heavy? Or should I go with 8oz, and make sure it is stiff enough to hold up?

[HBAR]

My wife has one of the carry purses from gun totn mamas.  She only bought it because it was half off at a local store and she had to use up a in store credit.

Ok features, but it is junk. It started falling apart very quickly.

 

I have been meaning to make her a new one. This time one that will last.

[Northmount]

Check this post 

Tom

 

[CaptQuirk]

Thanks Tom, I did see that post yesterday, but didn't see anything to help me. The link Dwight posted only showed purses for sale, no patterns, no mention of materials. I also tried clicking the purse tag, and it only showed one post. So much for tag technology I also went through the purse and wallets section for a while, and it is heavy on wallets, not so much on purses. I did see a few things that caught my eye though.So, I started my own post, where I can get the details I'm hoping for... I hope.

[NVLeatherWorx]

@CaptQuirk - I do recall that Tandy had a pattern posted on their Leathercraft Library site about a year ago (maybe a bit longer) that you could purchase and download.  If I recall correctly it was designed around one of their standard purse models from a few years ago (very similar in design to their Revival handbag) and that the "carry feature" was nothing more than another divider panel that was inserted into the main compartment that would separate the firearm from the rest of the contents of the bag.  This "concealed" compartment was to the very back of the bag (closest to the carriers body).  The versions that I designed were modeled in very similar styles to the common shoulder bags that you see everywhere and I put the concealed pocket on the exterior of the bag (again, closest to the carriers body) with the opening set so that the person could just reach into the bag and get their gun.  I used a French clasp styled closure for the pocket opening (two of them to ensure that it didn't just fall open) and made sure that there was bit of a lip (so to speak) that would prevent the weapon from just sliding out of the pocket if it had come open.  The hardest part was actually giving the clients the interior features of the actual purse; the damn carry section was easy compared to the rest of it.

@HBAR - Your little story there about the bag your wife got just proves my point and if she had to pay full price for it I can guarantee that she wouldn't have.  It is bad enough that she received a piece of garbage at a highly discounted price and now has a worthless bag sitting around.

I participated in a recent show (about a month ago now) where there was one of those groups set up (it was in fact Damsels in Defense) and found out that the two young ladies who were operating it were nothing more than franchise owners for the line; they didn't know squat about the reality of owning a weapon, how to use it properly, the concepts behind the true methods and art of concealment, nor anything about ANY of the product that they were marketing; they only knew what the corporate program gave them in the books and manuals.  I have many, many years in hands-on experience related to weapons, their employment, how to conceal them, how to retain them, and even achieved certification levels as an instructor in these areas (to include self defense and unarmed defensive tactics at the LE level) and every time I see one of these groups out there I can't do anything but laugh to point that my body aches for a week afterwards.  This is a truly under-served market and these groups are doing nothing more than hurting this demographic even more than they would be if you just did nothing.

 

[CaptQuirk]

@NVLeatherWorx- I'm not much for buying a pattern or a kit, I tend to see what works with other's stuff, what doesn't, and in the end, just do my own thing. I was just hoping to get some concrete foundations to build on. Leather weight and bag stiffeners for example, whether I should or shouldn't attempt a piping, since I don't use a sewing machine. Stuff like that, the things I have never attempted to do. If I attach the holster to the inside of the back, close to the body, will the weight cause the bag wall to sag?  When it comes to design, I have a good basic knowledge of what should and shouldn't work, and add my own style and flair to it.

[NVLeatherWorx]

The bags that I made were cut from 6 to 7 oz. veg-tan so as to provide the strength and rigidity that was needed to hold up against the weight.  The interior elements were all cut from various other weights (thinner of course) as they needed to be flexible and pliable.  If you were to go to thinner materials or those of the chrome tanned variety that are much more pliable then you will be wanting to use bag stiffeners everywhere you can to "prop up" the weight of the weapon.  If I were the one making the purse and using the more pliable chrome tanned leathers then I would stitch the assembly lines with the bag turned inside out; never been a fan of a welt of any kind as it offers two sides for potential failure versus just the one if stitched in a standard fashion.  That is just my personal preference (and I don't use machines either; it is all done by hand using the saddle stitch so that I can guarantee that it won't fail anytime soon).

 

[CaptQuirk]

Now THAT is the kinda stuff I was looking for! I was planning on using veg tanned and doing some tooling. How stiff are those bag stiffeners by the way? As far as the welts (Same thing as piping?), I like the look, and thought that it would be another nice point for the missus to show off... if I don't completely screw it up. So, thanks again for the tips

[dirkba]

CaptQuirk,

I have tried my hand at a concealed carry "pouch" which came out quite different than I intended - rather has a diary look!

My 2c would be to use veg tan leather without liner and perhaps take a "moonbag" approach with a concealed back piece for easy access

 

[CaptQuirk]

@dirkba- I'm not sure what you mean by "moon bag". Could you clarify that?

[dirkba]

Searching the net I came across a "fanny pack" - seems to be the same thing!

[CaptQuirk]

Ok, I know what a fanny pack is. Funny how much geography can change what things are. You call it a "moon bag",  we call it a "fanny pack"... and apparently, in England "fanny" means something completely different

[TinkerTailor]

So being in Canada, handguns basically do not exist and only those who grow up on farms are exposed to firearms at all as kids, unless you have a hunter in the family, then its for a couple months a year during the season and only rifles and shotguns. The better half has never even come close to touching a gun. The idea of her having a heater in her purse is terrifying.......

To her as well as me.

Edited November 7, 2016 by TinkerTailor

[CaptQuirk]

In a way, I kinda envy your way of life. But, the sad reality is, gun control is only affecting the average law abiding citizens. The less abiding type have no problems getting weapons. Home invasions by addicts and other freaks, muggings, murders, rapes... it just isn't a safe world. There were 2 cops shot last night, only an hour away from here, by a nut in body armor. And back home in Florida, you also had to worry about the L.E.O.s shooting you, kicking in your door and shooting home owners, when they "made a mistake". I may not prefer to carry in the city, but I am always armed and alert. The latter is more important.

[dirkba]

Same here on both issues - fanny here has the same connection as in England! 

As for gun control....I use BOTH hands!!

[CaptQuirk]

@dirkba- I just gotta ask... what kind of stuff do you hunt down there?

[NVLeatherWorx]

That is Classified.  I see gun control as another method of keeping the law abiding citizen under wraps but as a retired special missions operator and a VERY experienced person in the field of firearms my philosophy on gun control is as simple as ensuring that you hit your target with the first round and never giving your opponent the opportunity to try and repay you for the "gift" that you just gave him.  I have yet to receive any returns.

Now, to the topic at hand.  There was a time when the concealed fanny pack was very popular and the shoulder holster was right there with it but those slowly disappeared and you found everyone was using an SOB holster (which also lost its popularity and declined in use).  Now days you find just about every thing that you can dream of to carry a weapon but I like that, it keeps the bad guy guessing on who is and who isn't armed.  Here in Nevada we do the open carry thing which I just love to take advantage of as I have no problem letting everyone who may be thinking about doing something stupid that it might not be what you want to do right now because I will have you thinking differently if you follow up on your idiotic thoughts.  If you are dead set on making her a purse, and that is what she wants, then you would probably be better off going with an easy access pocket that is available from the exterior of the main bag (very much what I described to you earlier).  If you do it with veg-tan then I would go no less than 6 to 7 oz. in weight for the front and back and you could go as low as a 5 to 6 oz. for the gusset.  If you use the veg-tan then you don't need worry about the bag stiffener as the leather itself is more than sturdy enough to hold up to the weight of the weapon, unless she is going to carry an air-cooled mini gun of course, then I would recommend a new truck with a mount in the bed making it easier to handle and employ.  I would not recommend that you line it either unless you have to make some interior pockets on the outer walls of the purse (lining makes it easier to create the pockets and liner assembly as one piece before you attach it to the main panel).  The look of welts (yes, that would be piping) is neat but if you use veg-tan it really isn't necessary as you will sort of end up with a welt look anyway.  I will check my image database to see if I can find a good picture of what I am talking about and will send it off to you.  The difficulty with welts when using the thicker veg-tan is that you have to stitch the gusset with the bag turned inside out, once you have it all stitched up you have to turn it back to the right side out and that is very difficult and you won't get the corners or rounds back to the shape that they should be; doesn't create a problem when you are using the fashion leathers though but then you have to use stiffeners and other stuff that you wouldn't normally use.  To answer your question about the bag stiffener, it is basically nothing more than a thick cardboard which is probably about 1mm thick (sorry for the metric term but it is closer to that than anything else).  Hope this helps with your questions.

[CaptQuirk]

Thanks again Nv, you are doing a bang up job answering my questions, and the advice sprinkled with amusing anecdotes is great!

[CaptQuirk]

Ok, here is a very simplified line drawing of what I have in mind. It is very simplified, because Photoshop really isn't meant for doing paths, and it is hard to concentrate and put a lot of effort into anything when you are in serious pain.

The bottom and sides are one piece. If I go with a fancy lighter leather, I'd likely add a second piece to the bottom for strength. The front and rear panels would be heavier leather. You will notice that the rear has two panels, a heavy outer panel with top flap, and lighter inner panel on the inside. It is between these two pieces, that would form the pocket for the holster, attached to the rear panel. This back panel was the one I was worried about not being able to support the weight of the pistol. The top, bottom, and left side would be closed, leaving the right side open for access to said holster, as marked by the red square. I would have a flap with a snap from the back panel to the ride side panel (Not shown here) to secure the pistol pocket. Fold down the ear/tabs on the side, add rings, sew, add strap to rings.

So...?

[dirkba]

The concept looks good - I would make a separate holster (soft material) to attach with velcro, forming the pocket, as you mentioned. See my project in the first post above.

This can be detached at any time and worn inside a waistband if your wife leaves the purse/handbag in a vehicle...

 

[Willie0]

I made one for myself and wear it everywhere.   It is a crossbody, U-shaped, simple satchel type made of 2 compartments, one for lady things and the other for my gun and magazine.  It has a decorative front flap and an unadorned (not very noticeable) back flap with a magnetic snap for the gun side.  The holster is sewn to the inside back compartment, and I have a cell phone pocket on the outside in order to conceal the gun shaped stitching line.  Everything is very heavy duty, and it weighs a ton with my .45 in it.  I can’t imagine making one for sale as it took so long to make and women are pretty particular about their purses’ style.

[CaptQuirk]

@Willie0-, if you're going to mention it, go ahead and put up a pic? I'd love to see it. And mad respect for  a lady with a .45

[Willie0]

Well, here it is.   The body is just 3 identical pieces, a shorter and longer pieces for the flaps, a gusset.  Inside the holster goes against my body and the magazine pocket faces it in the same compartment.  I didn't need to tool the holster part, but couldn't resist. 

Sorry for the picture quality.  You can see that I have a hard time with highlighter muddying up when I add finish, no matter how long I let it dry.