Camera bag finished

[EfrainBG]

Hi, everyone!

I finally had the chance to wrap up th eproject I showed in here a few days ago. This project was a bit challenging because I had no previous experience sewing things on the inside nor with piping (which I almost skipped altogether). Considering there were almost no do-overs for individual pieces, I can brag about it as a success... I did however messed up two major pieces, which in turn led me to consume all of the leather I bought for this and this kept me from making a couple of straps for attaching stuff to the bottom of the bag... anyway, there is more time than life and I'm sure it won't take me that much of time to get a couple of straps when I embark on my next project, whatever that might be.

As I said, I had never made a bag before which was sewn on the inside, so, before I started I roamed about the Internet looking for ideas. I wanted something rugged, light and functional for something that could double as an everyday camera bag and the eventual carry-on luggage. So, I picked up the ideas, began drawing, decided on a color, bought the hardware and thread accordingly and I put my heart, my hands and my future arthritis into it. I'll describe some of the less obvious features in the pictures below.

All your questions and feedback are welcome.

Here's the whole bag, side pockets, shoulder strap and all. The side pockets are removable, as you will see in the following pictures.

Main flap and handle (the "brand" was laser printed, but I'm considering to have a stamp made for future projects).

Here I show the two sets of dees for the shoulder strap. This is an idea I got when viewing one of the reviews of James Crane's Youtube channel. The pair of dees on the back of the bag is used when you're carrying the bag cross-body style. The other pair, when carrying on the same side where the bag rests.

Here are the bottom and the sides of the bag. Here are two sets of dees just hanging from the straps that close the bag. The straps on the sides are used to attach the pockets seen above.

And here is a view of said pockets dettached from the bag. The two cross straps on the pocket rest on top of the two straps on the side of the bag. The same straps used to attach the pockets are used to close it down.

You may have noticed that I used a double dee closing mechanism as well as a stud button for all the straps. The reason is that I'll be using each system separately at different times. The button studs are there for an "on the fly" closure. The double dee is used for a more secure closure.

And here are several pics showing the contents of the bag.

[Jack142]

really, really nice. what oz  leather did you use ?  did you sew this all  by double stitch or with an awl ?

[EfrainBG]

10 minutes ago, Jack142 said:

really, really nice. what oz  leather did you use ?  did you sew this all  by double stitch or with an awl ?

Thanks a lot, Jack!

The leather is 6-7 oz... somewhere about 2-2.5 mm thick. It's all chrome tanned except for the shoulder strap.

The sewing is all saddle stitch, two needles. I finished up two reels of 0.040 Maine Thread, although I wasted about half a reel in those two pieces I messed up. Also, there are some very short seams that meant a lot of thread was used in the remnant needed to be able to move the needles.

[billybopp]

It looks really good!  Well done.

[EfrainBG]

thanks a lot, Billy!

[Jack142]

I like the bag and the different pockets, do the studs securely hold the straps ? 

[EfrainBG]

2 minutes ago, Jack142 said:

I like the bag and the different pockets, do the studs securely hold the straps ? 

Yes, they do, Jack. But, actually, I found a problem: it's either they're too tall or the leather I was using is too thin. The result was that the stud wiggled too much. Here are two pictures that show the solution I came up with.

On the black piece of leather you can see the stud set directly on the piece that holds the strap. On the brown one, I installed the stud on a separate piece of leather that went underneath the external piece, so that the stud post would hold be shorter and a better fit for the strap.

I bought these ones at the Buckle Guy. THe part numbers are B1020-0A-BOCR2-LL and B1414-0F-YP (the stud and the holding pole are sold separately).

[MADMAX22]

I gotta get one of these made for a friends wedding present. 

Yours looks really good. Alot of nice stitching. 

Mind sharing what  insert you used, there are so many to choose from. 

[EfrainBG]

57 minutes ago, MADMAX22 said:

I gotta get one of these made for a friends wedding present. 

Yours looks really good. Alot of nice stitching. 

Mind sharing what  insert you used, there are so many to choose from. 

Sure, no problem.

The one in there is from a Tenba messenger bag I had. The thing with that one is that the last time I checked (about a year ago) they didn't sell those separately... very weird!!!

Instead, I got one from Amazon. The brand is Koolerton and there are lots of sizes to choose from.

I thought before of having one made by an upholsterer or seamstress, but I haven't been able to look around. This is an alternative for me because here in Mexico I can find someone to make it for under 30 dlls, which is at least what it would cost me to buy a cheap one in Amazon and have it delivered in Mexico.

[bikermutt07]

Hercules has landed.

It looks great. After seeing your mark I remember the megabeast of a back pack you made a few months ago. You are going to be loaded down with gear, my friend.