First ever bag!

[motocouture]

My first ever bag! Horween Essex leather (4-5oz) in Parisian Blue (thanks @nstarleather!), with hardware from the buckleguy, hand stitched with 0.8mm Tiger thread in dark grey. Unlined, but has an internal pocket and a key lanyard braided from 4mm kangaroo lace. And several callouses on my fingers now 

[Goldshot Ron]

Looks really good.  I don't see a flaw.  Your stitching looks great.  Did you use a pricking iron or diamond awl?  I make quite a few rounds for horse gear, and your rounded handles look excellent.  I've only installed one zipper in the past, and it was a pain.  Your's looks professional.  Did you design the pattern for the bag?  That's a talent in itself.  Kudos.

Ron

 

[thefanninator]

Nice work. I did one very similar to this almost a year ago. I used a Horween double horse front.

[Leahlovesleather]

That's how good I wanna be!  Especially like your lanyard.  Did you keep track of how long it took to make?

Leah

[TSes]

One of the best hand stitched bags I've seen. Really great job.

[motocouture]

3 hours ago, Goldshot Ron said:

Looks really good.  I don't see a flaw.  Your stitching looks great.  Did you use a pricking iron or diamond awl?  I make quite a few rounds for horse gear, and your rounded handles look excellent.  I've only installed one zipper in the past, and it was a pain.  Your's looks professional.  Did you design the pattern for the bag?  That's a talent in itself.  Kudos.

Ron

 

Thanks so much, Ron, much appreciated! I used a stitching iron, and hammered it the full way through, so only had to use the diamond awl in a few spots. I'm indebted to Nigel Armitage's excellent YouTube video on making the rounds; I made the stitching holes exactly the same on both sides, then pulled them together over a paracord inner core, not using any glue. The zipper was a pain, did it flat which helped a bit. Would love to see some photos of the rounds on your horse gear  

I did design the pattern myself. Had to make sure the dimensions fit my husband's Harley Streetglide saddlebag + his laptop  .  More than happy to share the pattern if you like, although it's drawn on card stock, not digital.  

3 hours ago, thefanninator said:

Nice work. I did one very similar to this almost a year ago. I used a Horween double horse front.

Thanks! The Horween is definitely a lovely leather to work with. 

[motocouture]

2 hours ago, Leahlovesleather said:

That's how good I wanna be!  Especially like your lanyard.  Did you keep track of how long it took to make?

Leah

Thanks, Leah! I tried to make the lanyard long enough that you can have your keys clipped on, but still reach a door to unlock (~16 inches). I'd say all in probably around 30-40 hours, including drafting the pattern. My stitching got a little faster as I progressed, and I think the next one might would maybe take less time (I also did some experimenting with my edge treatment along the way, which took up time).

1 hour ago, TSes said:

One of the best hand stitched bags I've seen. Really great job.

Thank you so much for your kind words, TSes, really appreciate it. 

[garypl]

Really nice job on this bag!  I am envious of your stitching skills!

[DJole]

That is some NICE, careful work. It's beautiful, and I would be very proud to make (and own!) a bag like that turned out. That's like a marathon of hand stitching, and you completed the 26 mile run!
 

[motocouture]

10 hours ago, garypl said:

Really nice job on this bag!  I am envious of your stitching skills!

Thank you! The bag gave me plenty of practice, still so much to learn. 

10 hours ago, DJole said:

That is some NICE, careful work. It's beautiful, and I would be very proud to make (and own!) a bag like that turned out. That's like a marathon of hand stitching, and you completed the 26 mile run!
 

Appreciate your comments, DJole! Certainly felt like a marathon! 

[Windrider30]

I really love this and I feel for your fingers on this one lol

[motocouture]

7 hours ago, nstarleather said:

Amazing First Bag!  Great use for that leather, it's got enough body to make a great bag with that "turned style"

Thank you! Really loved working with that leather, shaped up beautifully, without being too soft. 

 

6 hours ago, Windrider30 said:

I really love this and I feel for your fingers on this one lol

Thanks mate! Yeah they're a little worn out lol. 

[Windrider30]

2 minutes ago, motocouture said:

Thank you! Really loved working with that leather, shaped up beautifully, without being too soft. 

 

Thanks mate! Yeah they're a little worn out lol. 

Most welcome and trust me I know LOL I do EVERYTHING by hand and some times I kick myself for wanting to go "old school" like that!

[Leatherhips]

That's a beautiful piece of work, thank you for sharing.

 

[Bolt Vanderhuge]

That is fantastic craftswomanship! You did a great job. I cannot see why he wouldn't, but I will say it anyways. I hope your husband enjoys that bag. 

[RockyAussie]

Wow I wish I was anywhere near that capable on my first bag. Very tasteful edging tint and so well done and the stitching is superb. I think you might drown in the orders for if your not careful. Regards Brain

[motocouture]

18 hours ago, Leatherhips said:

That's a beautiful piece of work, thank you for sharing.

 

Thank you so much! 

17 hours ago, Bolt Vanderhuge said:

That is fantastic craftswomanship! You did a great job. I cannot see why he wouldn't, but I will say it anyways. I hope your husband enjoys that bag. 

Thanks! And my husband says yes, he definitely likes the bag (he's a smart hubby )

16 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

Wow I wish I was anywhere near that capable on my first bag. Very tasteful edging tint and so well done and the stitching is superb. I think you might drown in the orders for if your not careful. Regards Brain

Really appreciate the feedback! The edge tint is the natural internal leather color from the 'Parisian Blue' finish; hubby likes a more 'natural' look, so after some experimentation just used a little tokonole and beeswax. Thanks, too, for all the info you share, couldn't have made it without the amazing knowledge shared on this forum. 

[Stetson912]

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! 

Looks great. I have no clue how to do zipper so, one up on me haha. 

[motocouture]

1 hour ago, Stetson912 said:

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! 

Looks great. I have no clue how to do zipper so, one up on me haha. 

Why thank ya! The zipper wasn't too bad (though I did say a few choice words trying to get it straight). Used double sided basting tape, and a super long zipper so I could unzip it far enough to stitch one side at a time in the pony. And a couple of stiff scotches 

[Stetson912]

It's amazing your stitching stayed straight with the scotch... Unless you're like me and see a little crooked any way, scotch would even it out hehe 

[matthewb137]

Oh my... this is what people should strive for with their work. Blows my mind. It actually hurts my brain a bit with how gorgeous and great your bag looks!

[Grey Drakkon]

Beats the pants off of my first bag, that's for sure!  Beautifully done!  

[motocouture]

18 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

It's amazing your stitching stayed straight with the scotch... Unless you're like me and see a little crooked any way, scotch would even it out hehe 

Ha! It's amazing what Scotch evens out 

8 hours ago, matthewb137 said:

Oh my... this is what people should strive for with their work. Blows my mind. It actually hurts my brain a bit with how gorgeous and great your bag looks!

Wow, thank you! Was definitely motivated by the work people share here, there's some amazing talent out there!

5 hours ago, Grey Drakkon said:

Beats the pants off of my first bag, that's for sure!  Beautifully done!  

Thank you!! Now I just need to make one for myself  

[goody2shoes]

Omg this is gorgeous! 

[JHobbs]

Incredible job, everything looks  great, edging stitching, even the design.  You should be proud of that, and husband must be happy. GREAT JOB!