EfrainBG Report post Posted February 15, 2017 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jack142 Report post Posted February 15, 2017 really, really nice. what oz leather did you use ? did you sew this all by double stitch or with an awl ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 15, 2017 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted February 15, 2017 It looks really good! Well done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 15, 2017 thanks a lot, Billy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jack142 Report post Posted February 15, 2017 I like the bag and the different pockets, do the studs securely hold the straps ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 15, 2017 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). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MADMAX22 Report post Posted February 16, 2017 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 16, 2017 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted February 16, 2017 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. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 16, 2017 8 hours ago, bikermutt07 said: 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. It is a Hercules, no doubt!! Even so, it's waaaay more light and manageable than that beast of a backpack. Thanks a lot! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted February 16, 2017 1 hour ago, EfrainBG said: It is a Hercules, no doubt!! Even so, it's waaaay more light and manageable than that beast of a backpack. Thanks a lot! Well, they should both last forever even if your knees and back don't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 16, 2017 51 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said: Well, they should both last forever even if your knees and back don't. that's for sure... I'll just have to repurpose the backpack... maybe for a computer... a desktop computer... LOL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
particle Report post Posted February 16, 2017 Wow! Very nice! I really like the leather you chose. Cool to see the brand scars included in the build as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ToddMaine Report post Posted February 16, 2017 WOW...Fantastic!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 16, 2017 4 minutes ago, particle said: Wow! Very nice! I really like the leather you chose. Cool to see the brand scars included in the build as well. thanks a lot, Eric! I really struggled to put those scars in a nice place because the scar was a bit slanted relative to the longest straight edge I could get on the side I got, which meant a potential for lots of scrap in the form of little triangles. In the end, I managed to get some of the smaller pieces out of those triangles and minimize scrap. Just now, ToddMaine said: WOW...Fantastic!!! Thanks a lot, Todd! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sideforce Report post Posted February 16, 2017 Nice work! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GrampaJoel Report post Posted February 17, 2017 That's a nice relaxed looking bag. As a camera bag it's as it should be. All saddle stitched you say. I say hats off to you. Joel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 17, 2017 6 minutes ago, GrampaJoel said: That's a nice relaxed looking bag. As a camera bag it's as it should be. All saddle stitched you say. I say hats off to you. Joel I really appreciate it, Joel! Thanks so much! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sceaden Report post Posted February 27, 2017 Outstanding work! May I ask how you liked the Main Thread? And have you compared it to Tiger? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EfrainBG Report post Posted February 27, 2017 16 hours ago, Sceaden said: Outstanding work! May I ask how you liked the Main Thread? And have you compared it to Tiger? Thanks a lot, man!! The Maine thread is a delight to work with. I have the chance to compare it with Tiger very recently and they are quite diferent, but I don't know whether it's fair to compare these two particular threads. For one, the Tiger thread I used was somewhat thinner than the Maine. They both run very smoothly, have just about the proper amount of wax (Maine is a tad more waxy). They do look different. Maine looks rougher, whereas Tiger has more of a fancier look to it. The only aspect (other than the price, of course) where Tiger stands out is how it withstands the rough handling on the point where it meets the needle. On very long stitches, Maine tends to become undone in the knot you make on the needle. This doesn't happen with Tiger. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
