How to make an embossed X on a bag?

[Alleslev]

I am looking for any tips or tutorials to make something like the embossed X seen on this picture (from hardgraft). I really don’t know what this technique is called or have any idea how to do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[fredk]

Its just embossing, but from the flesh side. Usually a 'plug' is used to make the embossing keep its shape. In this case that looks likely with a thin leather sewn over the plug to keep it in place, or is that just a pattern along the X edges?

Press the shape into cased leather. When its dry fill with a 'plug' - either felted wool, shaped leather or similar, then sew or glue a thin piece of leather, such as kid or pig, over the embossing and plug.

[Alleslev]

Thanks a lot for the reply! Would it provide a better result to make a positive and negative form and press the cased leather between the two?

[fredk]

It would, but its not really necessary for such a simple X. 

suggestion. Use polymer clay*, aka FIMO or Sculpey, to make the X on a board. Wet a piece of leather for wet-moulding and place over the X on the board. Fix down and use a modelling tool to press the leather around the X

*polymer clay needs cooked to harden it.

[RockyAussie]

If I were to tackle this I would start off with some medium soft eva foam and sand it rounded on the edges. I have done this on a lot of bag handles in the past. This gets stuck down onto a backing leather or stiffener and then the top leather gets lightly glued down and then pushed into the hollows with a bone slicker. That then would be stitched down firm to the hollow being carful not to let the needle ride up the foam bulge. The foam allows the leather to be firmly pushed out and keep the shape nicely in place. Below are a couple of pictures of the handles I am referring to.The eva in them starts off at about 10mm thick. In the case above I would start off with about 5mm + -. Sewing machine wise you would want a roller foot or a single sided set similar to the ones in the last picture. These are just a standard set that I have sanded down with an angle grinder and they allow me to get the needle right in the spot.