Stitching first bag questions

I bought some cheap leather to try my hand at making my first bag.

I see many fine looking bags here, but all seem to be stitched inside out and then reversed. Does anyone stitch bags on outside and not reverse, leaving the stitching showing, or is that just wrong?

Thanks.

It's not "wrong" in my eyes, but for one thing. The resulting bag is really flat without what's called a gusset, an extra panel of leather all the way round between the front and back panels. If you just sew the front and back together flat like an envelope, all kinds of small things slide down into the seam on the inside and can be the dickens to get out. Sewing inside out and reversing pretty well takes care of that, while not having to resort to a gusset and the extra seam that goes with it.

Dunno if that's clear, but look at some pics and I think you'll see what I mean.

I agree with BrownBear, a bag needs at least to be sewn inside out and then turned. That's the way I prefer, because I don't like a big, bulky bag on my hip. I like them small in dimensions and thin, so I don't make them with a gusset. If I limit my gear carried in the bag as I should, then I forget the bag is there, and it's totally comfortable to carry. The only picture I have of the side of a bag to show its thickness happens to be of a double pouch, but you can see that the bag winds up with plenty of room, and I have no difficulty fishing out what I want quickly, by feel.



Spence

Ok, I see what you are talking about. My rudimentary bag plan can be done either way, as long as I plan ahead.

Thanks.

Dmills,
what you are referring to is what I call a flat sewn bag. They are period correct and the leather can be wet shaped to eliminate some of the flatness or they will conform with use.
I have a flat sewn pouch at the bottom left of this photo.

i'll agree with the consensus: flat sewn bags aren't necessarily bad, but I like to sew and then turn the bad inside out ... gussets aren't hard, and I like them.

keep in mind that this won't be your first and only bag, do don't feel like a klutz if it's not super - pretty when it's done ...

by the way, if you don't already have TC Albert's book, you should get it: this is money well spent ... here's a link:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/49/1/BOOK-R18-CHP

good luck with your project!

MSW said:

by the way, if you don't already have TC Albert's book, you should get it: this is money well spent ... here's a link:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/49/1/BOOK-R18-CHP

good luck with your project!

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Amen to that! :thumbsup:

Here is the perfect companion book to go with Albert. Between the two of them, you're going to be making all sorts of stuff out of leather, and looking for even more to do. And going through lotsa leather too! :rotf:

Flat sewn bags and turned bags, as I call them are both correct. And a gusset is a must if you want lotsa room in either type.

For reference I would get these two books...

The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch
by Madison Grant
The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch by Madison Grant

Sketches of Hunting Pouches, Powder Horns and Accoutrements of Southern Appalachia by Jim Webb

I find gussets tend to curl up and close up on the stuff in the bottom of the bag, so I'm not crazy about them, myself.

I greatly prefer a bag with a turned seam and a welt. The welt helps keep the seam looking straight, and it just looks neat. If you wish, you can also make your welt protrude out and make scallops, fringe, etc.

I've made a couple of belt bags with a "flat seam" outside, and on one, I wet moulded it heavily in order for it to be big enough to hold anything at all and where I could get my fingers in it. The second one, I came up with a trick where I made the front panel "splayed out", angled down on either side from the center, so that when I sewed the front and back together, it had a natural "pooch" to the front.... which probably made no sense... :haha: When doing a flat outside seam, you have to make sure your stitches are all neat, and all sewn and knotted the same direction! One off stitch really shows bad!

Stophel said:

The second one, I came up with a trick where I made the front panel "splayed out", angled down on either side from the center, so that when I sewed the front and back together, it had a natural "pooch" to the front.... which probably made no sense... :haha:

Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like this one: http://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/skchbk01.html

As always, lots of good information here. This first is just a learning bag. Really cheap leather from a scrap bag from Hobby Lobby. Hope to learn some about stitching and then go on to some real leather.

What's a good reasonable source?

As far as making a fine looking bag with even stitches, I plan to make a good effort, but I want this to look like it was made in a backwoods cabin,stitched at night with dim light, and a after a couple of pulls on the jug, a couple of days before I headed west. I think I can pull that off.

That bag from the link is very similar to what I have planned. Thank you.

Disregard. I am having trouble posting photo.

Here is my first effort. Rustic, as planned.



I need to darken or age the strap.

looks pretty good from where I sit ... I would have dyed or stained the strap first ... perhaps a bit of hard use would add some color (aka dirt).

Thanks. I am thinking some natural looking stains and dirt, like it was once new and now well used. If I wear it around the house and yard on weekends, it'll soon be coffee stained and dirty. Course, the neighbors will wonder why I'm wearing a purse while mowing the yard.

If that strap is the cotton webbing I think it is Then you can darken it nicely with a soaking in strong tea. It's something you can do with it already on the bag. Should come out a nice dead leaf color.

It is a cotton web belt. Tea is a good idea thanks.