How Hand Crafted Leather Bags Are Produced

Most ladies and gentlemen pay a premium price to get their hands on hand made leather goods. It is known that many premium fashion brands showcase leather goods that are hand crafted. In this age of mass production techniques, it is indeed a rare thing to get your hands on hand crafted leather goods. There are unique leather tooling kits that are used by craftsmen who are a specialized profession and harbor techniques and skills that have been passed on from generations.

How bags are made

Whether you are looking at totes, messenger or satchel bags, there is unique leather tooling kits that are needed to make them. Totes are usually elegant designs that can hail from legendary houses of fashion like Hermes or more contemporary brands. This is an elegant style that has a sturdy bag body and straps created with leather craft supplies. With any handmade bag making facility, the processes begin with leather that is outlined as per the bag design requirements. Stencils are used as well as ruler and scalpel for cutting out the main body design as well as side panels among leather craft supplies.

Steps in bag production

When one is making bags by hand, after the basic design parts are cut off, the leather hide is burnished with dye. This adds a certain shine to the hide. Straps are created from tough hide portions. The edges are shaved to smoothen them out with leather tooling kits. The ends are sliced off to make them rounded. Slits and holes are formed as required by the bag design. Tools are different for every aspect of bag production by hand. The next step involves the art of saddle stitching. Here both seam sides are stitched together. Those who are apprentices in this process might not be able to get expert stitches in place the first time as it requires some practice.

Finishing touches

Needles are guided with stitch marks that are created with a pricking iron. The stitching process is laborious and needs expertise to maintain uniformity and long lines. Usually stitches are created with cotton fiber, which is coated with beeswax. Stitching clams are also used to ensure that the leather parts do not move out of position.

Exclusivity of hand stitched bags

In this era of mass produced items, there is a higher price associated with any handmade item. Hence, when it comes to leather bags, hand stitched designs are priced more. As these bags are usually associated with premium brands, the price tags tend to be higher. As a result, you will probably be paying thousands for a skill that is now known and practiced by a few select craftsmen in certain regions of the world. It is a craft that is mastered with time and techniques that have been handed down through generations of craftsmanship.

Andrew Jacowski, is a pioneer in the industry, his recommendations are reliable and appreciated by the users. In this article he provides brief information on leather craft supplies and leather tooling kits.