The Handbag

When anyone clears out their fabric cupboard, I am more than happy to be on the receiving end. This happened recently, when I received some pieces of leather that had to be used up or thrown out. I’d always thought leather was a strong material that lasts a long time but was told that if the storage conditions aren’t  right the leather will perish very quickly.

So I happily took some home and told my mom about my bounty! She reminded me of a conversation we’d a while back about making her a small bag she could use when she goes to church. She didn’t want anything fancy but just something small that she can put her belongings in.

I looked through the rolls of leather I had and found a very nice green leather that had the correct thickness for what I was thinking of. When mom approved of the colour, I went and drafted the pattern.

The design wasn’t complicated – essentially a box with handles.

One of the main requirements my mom wanted was to have a zip on the bag. Previous bags I’d made her excluded a zip and she’s been wary of pickpockets when using those bags.

This handbag was very easy to sew. All I had to do was glue the pieces together with leather adhesive, before using a compensating foot to sew it up. Once that was done, I sealed the edges with ‘Edge Kote’ to obtain a more professional finish.

I have to admit it looks very simple. Definitely not a fashion statement but more of a utilitarian item to carry stuff around in. It’s just like a tote bag, the only difference is it’s made of leather.