My favorite customer (wife) wanted a folding clutch. Here’s what I came up with. Leather is Wickett & Craig, harness, 5-6 ounce, deer print (texture on grain) and milled. The milling process makes the temper softer then traditional veg tan leather. First time I have used W&C milled leather and I love it. Lining is an antique flour sack. Zippers are YKK Excella.

I was cleaning out my sock drawer (I know - exciting life!) and realized I was keeping some of my watches in a zip lock baggie and a cloth bag from who knows where. I thought, if I only knew someone that could make me a watch case! Since I’m waiting on leather and hardware for a couple other projects, I thought I’d make a watch case. Wickett & Craig English Bridle exterior, goat lining, #10 zipper, black velvet pillows and Vinymo #5 thread. This was a make-it-up-as-you-go project. I usually do drawings and some prototype parts to see how it will work. This was start with an idea and measurements and see where it goes. I’m happy with results. There are some things I would different next time, but that’s part of the process. And my watches look much happier!

Phil mentioned Serge Amoruso in a different post so I had to look up Serge. His work is beautiful. One item peaked my curiosity, it is a piece of luggage that combines leather and carbon fiber. I have thought about combining leather with carbon fiber or kydex but have not found a way to sew the carbon fiber. It looks to me like the leather is sewn to the carbon fiber in the image below. I’m guessing there is some type of inset with leather glued to it and then more leather sewn on but l’m not sure. Any Ideas?

I find a long run of saddle stitching is relaxing and therapeutic. I’m making a watch case and worked on the gusset and zipper today. English bridle outside, goat lining, #10 zipper, Vinymo #5 thread and KS Blade 3.38 irons. Nothing profound or special just a satifying afternoon stitching.

I‘m trying to get some 2018 hold-over projects done so I can start 2019 fresh. This duffle was mostly done and then got shelved over the holidays. All I have left is to decide and make the shoulder strap. A friend wants a simple, “non-fancy” duffle bag. Here‘s my take on his request. Duffle is 51 cm x 27 cm height x 27 cm depth. Leather is Wickett & Craig, 10-12 ounce (about 4 mm), English Bridle. Thread is Tiger thread, .8 mm and KS Blade 3.85 mm (6.5 SPI). Edges are just beveled and burnished with Tokonole. Copper rivets because I like hammered rivets. The shape was originally designed to be more square. When I was working the top and straps I decided I liked a triangle shape. Looked more fun.

One of my 2019 goals is to build a hard sided suitcase. There’s little information available on how to build a hard sided suitcase so I thought I’d post what I learn and what works and doesn’t work and see what happens. I’m relatively new to leathercraft and have little woodworking experience so any input or guidance is appreciated. I’m happy to post more pictures, links, etc for anything anyone would like to see. My suitcase will measure 45 cm width x 34 cm height x 15 cm depth.

My daughter-in-law is a cardiac nurse working for a heart device manufacturer. Her job requires her to wear a lead smock and apron to protect her from the effects of X-ray radiation during the procedures. The lead outfit weighs about 40 pounds. Since she’s in a specialized area, she also travels around to several hospitals. She was using a backpack to carry her leads so I offered to make her something more fun. We started by looking for at the size and shape of the lead. They are bulky because they are rolled around a tube to prevent them from folding and developing cracks. After some searching and brainstorming we decided to model the bag after a combination of a duffle bag and a yoga mat bag. I made a prototype out of canvas. The size was a little off and the top flap with buckles idea wasn't working like we wanted. I made a second prototype. It was close enough to make some adjustments to the plans and start building. The bag bag is made from black and cotton candy colored Italian saffiano leather, wool lining and YYK Excella zippers. This was first time using Excella zippers and I loved them. I think I like them better then RIRI zippers. I also made her a little snap top bag in pink leather to store phones, keys, etc. A couple things I learned on this bag. When something is going to be used everyday function is important. We wanted to have one pull connecting both zippers and we just couldn’t get it to work well enough. If the bag was flat and you were standing over it the one pull worked ok. If anything changed, the zippers would easily get out of sync and cause an issue. Also, making a larger seam allowance on turned bags would make gluing and stitching gussets easier. I think I’m going to try a 15mm seam allowance next time and trim excess after sewing is done.

One of my 2019 goals is to make a hard side suitcase and a trunk similar to images below. Does anyone have experience making hard sided items? Know of any books or other resources? I have watched every YouTube video I can find related to trunks and hard sided cases so I have a basic level of knowledge.

I follow a couple non-leather related forums that include build along threads. They typically start at the beginning of a project and show the decisions, steps, good/bad, etc. I thought it might be interesting to try a build along thread here and see how it works. I‘m making myself a duffle bag. My goal is to make something rustic and not too serious. Below is my pattern and build notes. It is a little scary to see my scribbles and thoughts out there for all to see. All measurements are metric and usually in centimeters. Here are some of the specifics for this bag: leather is S.B. Foot about 2.5 mm thick and has great pull-up. Thread is dark brown, Vinymo #5 (about .6 mm). Thread and leather from District Leather Supply. D-rings are actually 1.25 inches not 1 inch as per plan. I wanted something a little more rugged so went with bigger hardware. Zipper will be a #10 size. I‘m going to try a different method for attaching the end gussets. I’m not sure what it is called but the ends are attached to another piece and the trim piece is sewn to the body. I should get to this within the next day or so and will post more pictures. Happy to answer questions. Love to hear any ideas. Terry

I wanted to build a box so I decided to turn it into a handbag. The leather is 4 mm Wickett and Craig English Bridle. The box is 15 x 15 cm. Box stitching was easier then I expected.