Bespoke Handbag: Calf skin

When my friend Marcia stopped me in the middle of the street and asked if would remake her favorite bag with a calf skin she recently found, I simply said Yes.

The old one was in bad shape.

I started with pattern making and trying to get the most out of the hide.

The hide is beautiful.

I made a little logo out of her initials.

Trying to use every bit of the hide there was just enough for a glasses case too.

The real fun was making the lining, Bags are really two bags; one inside of the other.
A zipper pocket (with my own logo) on one side.

And a divided cell phone and whatever pocket on the other.

Shoe making is a fantastic primer for handbags; stitch size, edge finish, material thickness, etc. Leather goods are all about the details.
However, just as with shoes there are unseen internal reinforcements, stiffeners, and doublers that are essential to the function. This is the technical mechanical side that I love too.

I'm really thankful to have been challenged to make something that has been on my radar but would never have quite got to it without a little push.