I finally tried to design and build a bag from scratch, drawing in the things I've learned here. Many rough and unsightly pieces in the execution, but a good experience. I should have added piping at the base...
Any feedback that can help me learn from this would be greatly appreciated.
I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. The only problem is I used fabric that is not a thick or strong as canvas as a liner...let's see how it holds up.
My niece gave me specifics for her new bag.
Speedy 30 style
Gold fittings
This was the result
Materials
Shrunken calf bag body: Made on Jupiter (Forest T13)
Nice work John, I'm sure your niece loved it! That green is really nice too. I never knew Metropolitan were absorbed by GH Leathers. I don't understand why they went under owing to their popularity in the community. Not popular enough I guess.
I had a brand that reached out to me and wanted me to make a toolbox-styled bag for a runway event. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome with this project and I found most of the answers here! I referenced "The Mini Leather Trunk", "The Art of Leather Wrapped Boxes", "The Making of a Post Handle" and a few more that I'm forgetting. Just wanted to share my appreciation for Philip and the courses. Even as a professional, they are an indispensable asset!
Phenomenal work! That's a really beautiful case. I love that you used multiple courses to create something completely unique to you. It really does look like a tool box, just a lot more elevated.
Thank you for sharing that with us!
Terrific bag @leemskm!
Some favorite moments include: asymmetrical use of panels above the base; vertical panels that give the bag "lift," for lack of a better word; bold contrasting thread; a bright lining that makes it easy to find items inside, is a bit surprising and just fun to see; a closure that appears to be fairly low-fuss but is also a well integrated design feature that continues the theme of contrasty thread.
As for suggestions, that's tough. Pipe the base, sure, but this looks perfectly fine, and I wouldn't sweat this iteration. Inside, maybe a phone (other?) pocket and possibly an attached swivel snap for keeping keys handy. In a deep bag, some sort of bag organizer can be helpful, but that's not really about your bag design, I suppose. Have you continued the bold use of color or some other design feature on the strap?
The choice of color for the base seems entirely reasonable. That said, maybe consider experimenting further with base colors, possibly black or olive -- hard to say from this distance how those or others might or might not work. Also consider experimenting with a base leather of the same sheen as the panels to see if the trio hangs together in a pleasing way. As an experiment, you might be able to wax the current base to bring up the sheen a bit, if you wished.
Thanks so much for showing this original work. I'd be quite proud of this design if it were mine!