indigofan

indigofan

Sunday, 19 July 2009

Bulletproof Tote


I've made the new bag. I'm calling it the Bulletproof Tote.

It was hard work to make, a lot more difficult than the satchel.

The body is a single piece of leather again, but there was a blemish/hole in the base, so I covered it with a rectangle of leather to match the base, which also gives the bag enough structure to stand on its own.

The side seams are fully double hand-stitched. They are also riveted at the top and bottom corners.
All together the tote has 24 rivets.

If I make it again I will leave out the side straps and the baseplate (which was a lot of work to stitch around)... and makes the bag a bit heavy.

Here are some pics of the satchel which has been getting a lot of indigo rub-off that highlights the grain.

You can also see the brass fittings that I used to change the strap. A couple of dees and clips. It's a definite improvement.

You can also see on the flap some stains from rainfall.

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6 Comments:

Blogger anton nguyen said...

hello
are the rivets copper?
and how did you put the rivets on the leather?
Did you bought the rivets separately and if where?
because i want to put copper rivets on my jeans i don't know how
thank you very much
Anton Nguyen

Wed July 22, 08:33:00 pm  
Blogger www.indigofan.com said...

Hi Anton,

The rivets are copper. They will oxidize/tarnish over time and look less bling. The leather will stain and look more antique too.

I use a couple of hammers and a rivet setting tool. I also have a hole punch with the correct diameter.

The rivets are available at several online leathercraft shops. Search for "rivets" and "washer". Note that these rivets are a lot bigger than normal denim jeans rivets. They're probably twice as big!

Wed July 22, 08:54:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Those bags look great! MAkes me want to get into this sort of hobby, too! :-)

Fri July 24, 03:08:00 am  
Blogger GENERAL GOODS said...

it is slowly turning amazing!! Super cool

Sat Aug 01, 07:38:00 am  
Blogger GENERAL GOODS said...

Sorry for quick 2nd post...

On the tote bag strap, it seems like you did not stitch up, only riveted it. Correct?

Sat Aug 01, 07:40:00 am  
Blogger www.indigofan.com said...

Thanks for the comments.

The tote strap is only attached with rivets, althought the end of the strap is sewn and sandwiched into the baseplate.

I think I will try a variation on this tote, in a lighter weight leather. More like a document folio, and with less rivets.

Sun Aug 02, 11:14:00 am  

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