Getting started: first handbag

[TxLeather]

Very nice. Love it!

[motocouture]

6 hours ago, TxLeather said:

Very nice. Love it!

Thanks, much appreciated!

[motocouture]

Shaping the piping before gluing down. Going to be fun to stitch, I'm sure ...

[AZNightwolf]

Nice Work, Boy that is a LOT of stitching

[motocouture]

3 hours ago, AZNightwolf said:

Nice Work, Boy that is a LOT of stitching

Thank you, and yup, and somehow at the start I always think it'll be less stitching than it actually is 

[Grey Drakkon]

Good goals   and this is the practice run?  Yikes.  Looks great so far!

[Stetson912]

Very interested in this. Especially how you will do the piping and liner. 

[motocouture]

On 8/22/2017 at 10:24 AM, Grey Drakkon said:

Good goals   and this is the practice run?  Yikes.  Looks great so far!

Thanks! Chipping away at it!

11 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

Very interested in this. Especially how you will do the piping and liner. 

I'll try and post some more photos tomorrow; been out all week on business travel...will be good to get back to the bench : )

[Stetson912]

I tried a bag and it wasn't all that great. I'd like to see what you do for the lining. For some reason thats the hardest part for me haha. And I thought about welting/piping too but wasn't sure the best way to do it. Yours looks real nice so far

[motocouture]

7 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

I tried a bag and it wasn't all that great. I'd like to see what you do for the lining. For some reason thats the hardest part for me haha. And I thought about welting/piping too but wasn't sure the best way to do it. Yours looks real nice so far

I'm sure you're being far too hard on yourself! Couple of pics below on the piping progress. I just took a 30mm wide strip, hand skived it down (splitter is looking more appealing by the day), glued and folded in half. No internal welt or cord. I cut slits in the corners so it could bend ok.  Was worried about having a clean width of piping showing (cos I was a bit off when I glued the piping to the base), so I figured if I punched the stitches now while I can see the piping, then glue the sides of the bag, I can use the holes on the back of the base as a guide for an awl.

Btw, the slight staining around the stitch holes is braiding soap (David Morgan's recipe). I use a small amount to lubricate the stitching iron, which makes it really easy to pull out, and also seems to make the thread go through the hole a little easier.