Onto the third bag....

[buko]

On 10/9/2017 at 1:37 PM, the gafer said:

Fantastic work I am thinking of doing a bag myself but as I have only really made dog collars I am really stuck on ideas tbh

Gafer, what kind of bag do you want to make? I highly recommend you buy the build along patterns from either Ian Atkinson or Nigel Armitage both of which have good instructions and are only £10. Also, the book "The Leatherworking Handbook" has great ideas and techniques and is worth its weight in gold.

[JD62]

Thanks guys! They look great, and what a great design and the price  isn't as bad as I would have thought. Yes Nigel reviewed them I just hadn't checked my subscriptions in a while. He gives a good review

[motocouture]

So, finally made it back to the bench after a long week.  Feel like I’m starting to make some progress again.  Have glued the zip in, and punched the stitching holes ready for sewing (so much stitching ahead!). Also glued on the first handle ready for punching and stitching tomorrow. Next on the list is to finish the edging on the other handle, then motivate myself to cut 5 yards of strap for piping 

[RockyAussie]

Nice work.... You make it look so easy...

[motocouture]

25 minutes ago, RockyAussie said:

Nice work.... You make it look so easy...

Thanks! Ha, I wish! There are many cuss words involved lol  I managed to edge paint my shirt today. That paint really does have good holding power.....

[motocouture]

Made some progress today, before diverting to fill an order from hubby for another iPhone sleeve  . Managed to get one handle stitched on for the bag, and half of the zip in the gusset stitched. For the record, I hate stitching zips. They look so nice laying on the bench, then you shift it to the pony and they get a life of their own lol. Also prepped the piping; fingers crossed it’s long enough. 

[NeilMac]

Very nice work

[motocouture]

8 hours ago, NeilMac said:

Very nice work

Thank you! Much appreciated

[cjones]

Really looking forward to the completed project

 

Chris

[motocouture]

3 hours ago, cjones said:

Really looking forward to the completed project

 

Chris

Thanks! You and me, both!  

Have been working on samples for my piping, otherwise I’m sure to screw it up somehow....getting close though to bringing it all together 

[cjones]

I had problems with piping. If its any help I ended using a 1cm wide strip of 1.5 mm leather with pigskin glued around it.

 

Chris

[motocouture]

4 minutes ago, cjones said:

I had problems with piping. If its any help I ended using a 1cm wide strip of 1.5 mm leather with pigskin glued around it.

 

Chris

Thanks for that, great idea using the pigskin. Nice bag, too! I’m just doubling over the calf leather, trimming to 1cm wide, and seeing if I can punch the stitch line accurately enough once it’s in the seam so that the piping still looks even.

[cjones]

Thanks! Actually worked better for me when I cemented in place and put the awl thru both pieces of leather and the piping at once

 

Chris

[motocouture]

Survived another work week, and enjoying a chance to get back working on my travel bag again. I prepared the piping slightly differently this time; folded about a 4cm strip in half, glued, then trimmed down to a 1cm width using my trusty knip knife (soooooo sharp, have the cuts to prove it lol). I then lined up the piping edge with the edge of the body pieces, should give a 3 - 4mm piping. Half-way through gluing the piping on, with a close up of the corners to show the clipping to allow ease on the turn. 

[motocouture]

Also got a head start on drafting zipper pulls for the top zip (RiRi 6mm, black with silver teeth) 

[Stetson912]

Looks good. Is it going to be turned? The lining seen to the piping and panels and then turned? I'm just not visualizing the next step very well haha

[YinTx]

Is... is that.. a scratch?  Oh, my heart aches for thee!  Such a beautiful bag...

What is the wizardry you are sketching to lay out a zipper?  I've not seen that before... and I've not been too successful with zippers going around corners, either!  Do explain...

I like where your bag is going, and I suspect I will suffer some degree of envy here when you have finished...

YinTx

[motocouture]

10 hours ago, Stetson912 said:

Looks good. Is it going to be turned? The lining seen to the piping and panels and then turned? I'm just not visualizing the next step very well haha

Thanks! Yes, will be a turned bag, but there is an extra panel for the gusset / zip not shown in the photo that will form the top and sides after the main piece is folded up to form the bottom / front / back. Next fun part is stitching all that together lol.  I decided to do a fabric lining, which I’ll attach by hand after the outer leather shell of the bag is complete (probably along the inside zipper tape and at strategic seam points). 

[motocouture]

9 hours ago, YinTx said:

Is... is that.. a scratch?  Oh, my heart aches for thee!  Such a beautiful bag...

What is the wizardry you are sketching to lay out a zipper?  I've not seen that before... and I've not been too successful with zippers going around corners, either!  Do explain...

I like where your bag is going, and I suspect I will suffer some degree of envy here when you have finished...

YinTx

You have amazingly sharp eyes @YinTx!!! Fortunately, it is a by-product of my German Shepherd, who seems to be a perpetual fur generating machine. I also often end up with the super fine black fur of one of my other dogs stuck in my stitching. 

the sketch is for a tab to fold in half around the zipper pull.  The photo distorts the scale a bit, it’s actually less an inch in width. I’m trying to echo the geometric shape of the handle attachments, to keep a consistent theme. It’s my first go at one, so will see how it goes!

thank you so much for your kind words! I’m hoping it turns out ok  

[kiems]

Looks like some really nice work.

[motocouture]

5 hours ago, kiems said:

Looks like some really nice work.

Thanks, kiems!

[RockyAussie]

18 hours ago, motocouture said:

You have amazingly sharp eyes @YinTx!!! Fortunately, it is a by-product of my German Shepherd, who seems to be a perpetual fur generating machine. I also often end up with the super fine black fur of one of my other dogs stuck in my stitching. 

the sketch is for a tab to fold in half around the zipper pull.  The photo distorts the scale a bit, it’s actually less an inch in width. I’m trying to echo the geometric shape of the handle attachments, to keep a consistent theme. It’s my first go at one, so will see how it goes!

thank you so much for your kind words! I’m hoping it turns out ok  

No 1 ....it wasn't me. No 2 ... that is I am busted guilt look I reckon . It will turn out beautiful.

[motocouture]

6 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

No 1 ....it wasn't me. No 2 ... that is I am busted guilt look I reckon . It will turn out beautiful.

Ha!  so true on both of them! Thanks! In the middle of stitching the looooong side seams at the moment, starting to finally feel like it’s coming together  

 

 

[Stetson912]

Lots of stitching haha. I need to try another bag. 

[motocouture]

So, my bag is at what I affectionately call the “caterpillar” stage. Have some time off this week though, so I’m hoping to finish the stitching and get it turned in the next couple of days. 

In the meantime, made a small, detachable zippered bag for inside, in the same fabric as the lining (French cotton twill canvas from EBT Fabric, NYC). I liked the idea of the practicality of being able to use the bag separately, and since the calf is soft, I didn’t want the outside lines of the bag to be distorted by a pocket between the lining and outer leather.