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Posted

Today I visited a hipster heavy 'design center' of sorts and saw a cardholder that was clearly machine stitched. Asking the staff they claimed it to be handmade. When pressured she claimed that they used their hands when operating the sewing machine. 

WTH?

When is it not hand made?

Personally I think using machines for burnishing is ok, cutting is questionable and sewing is plain not. Am I too old school? 

What's your thinking on this?

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Posted

I think handmade means it wasn't made on a large production line.

If it is made (even in an production line style) with less than say 4 to 8 people, I would still consider it handmade. 

If anyone is going to be in a successful business replication of efforts is a must. I wouldn't knock a small business for that. 

If you go to a family restaurant they aren't cooking on a wood burning stove and churning butter by hand. But it is still considered home cooking.

Mass production in my mind is not handmade. 100 people working on an a production line all making one component is not handmade. 

Anything short of mass production is handmade in my book.

This is coming from a hobbyist with no clicker press or sewing machine (yet).

I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with.

Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.

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Posted
22 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Mass production in my mind is not handmade. 100 people working on an a production line all making one component is not handmade.

I get your point but what do you say about the likes of hermes, 1 guy makes a kelly bag in about a week but they have 50 guys doing it? No machines except the clicker press. What if only the handles were made by only one guy? 

Posted
17 minutes ago, robs456 said:

I get your point but what do you say about the likes of hermes, 1 guy makes a kelly bag in about a week but they have 50 guys doing it? No machines except the clicker press. What if only the handles were made by only one guy? 

I would think that would be in a category of it's own. Still handmade but on a large scale.

Kimber does the same thing. One gun one smith (I think it's Kimber). But, they are on the large production scale.

That one guy you mention is probably an apprentice. Or a master handle maker? I don't know.

There are always exceptions to every rule. 

And this is all a matter of opinion and conjecture. I don't think there are any hard set factual rules in place that could definitely solve the argument.

So, we are just left with opinions. And my opinion isn't worth much.

 

I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with.

Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.

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Posted
44 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

And my opinion isn't worth much.

Mine neither it seems, the big brands get away with murder. 

Launching my brand as 'all handmade', seems like that might not be worth as much as I thought...

 

 

Posted
4 minutes ago, robs456 said:

Mine neither it seems, the big brands get away with murder. 

Launching my brand as 'all handmade', seems like that might not be worth as much as I thought...

 

 

What about all "handstitched"?

It's all about the marketing.

I'm not paying 80 bucks for a belt!!! It's a strip of leather. How hard could it be? 4 years and 3 grand later.... I have a belt I can finally live with.

Stitching is like gravy, it's only great if you make it every day.

From Texas but in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Posted
4 minutes ago, robs456 said:

Mine neither it seems, the big brands get away with murder. 

Launching my brand as 'all handmade', seems like that might not be worth as much as I thought...

 

 

Perhaps it would be easier to brand your products as “custom” or “made to order” to differentiate from mass produced products. 

I agree with Mutt, if you are making a product from start to finish by yourself, I would classify it as being handmade, regardless of  your use of a sewing machine or other “modern” tools.  Again, just my opinion!

Gary

Cowboy 4500, Consew 206RB-4

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Posted

Yeah, I'll make custom stuff for sure but will also have a "line" of standard bracelets to sell, though they will be made to order to keep inventory down.

Posted

It they'd said hand stitched, that would be different. 

If I roll out the hide, cut it out with a round knife, carve it or stamp it, as opposed to using an embossing machine, then dye it with a dauber, and buff it with a cloth, bevel the edges with a hand beveller, burnish it with a wooden burnisher by hand, then stitch it on a Cowboy 4500, you can bet it was hand made. Then machine stitched.

So much leather...so little time.

 

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