Not only is the title a tongue twister, the construction of this tote got me really worked up. Yes, it’s back to bags again. This bag was on my to-do list but was put on hold as I was busy with a course at Central Saint Martins. I finally had time last week to cut the leather and got some free time today to sew this bag up. I’m sure my tutor finally heaved a sigh of relief as he was wondering if I was ever going to make this bag for him.
The bag was supposed to be a replica of the tote bag I did previously (here) but we ran out of black leather and my tutor decided that he wanted a grey tote with black contrasting sides. So the pattern was modified to have a grey length of leather and two black side pieces.
Sewing the strap and inside pouch was pretty straightforward as I have done similar with the other leather bags.
My main problem was sewing the side pieces to the main piece, especially around the edges. I approached this problem by applying a leather bonding agent to the leather, bonded the pieces together and allowed plenty of time for the glue to work. With the pieces all bonded together, I stitched the pieces together extremely slowly so I could work around the edges.
I am actually quite happy with the result and so was my tutor. This is another design that I can add to my portfolio of work and as I am typing, the pattern for another leather bag which I cut out earlier is sitting in front of me waiting to be sewn up. But until I get matching thread, I would have to leave it for another day. Till then, best soak up the last of the summer rays!
Stephen Yong 