#3 Handbag Conversion

In #2 I said I would tell you what the designer needs to provide to the person who will be constructing the handbag. The more I thought about that the more confusing and out of context I thought that that would become. I decide that I had to do it the way I started out to do in #1. That is, start in the beginning with the basics, and learn it the way I did.

We are going to start the actual design and conversion of a handbag with a retro style, laced together with rawhide. You make your drawing of a basic handbag shape like the one shown below that I found at http://www.oldschoolleather.com/

Make a paper pattern for the front. Draw a line 1/2" in from the edge where the holes are going to be punched. This is your seam allowance.
Fold the pattern in half so that you determine where the center bottom is. This will also show you if your pattern is symmetrical or not. Put a mark on the seam allowance line 3/8" on either side of the center bottom. Those two marks will then be 3/4" apart. Continue making marks 3/4" apart up both sides of the seam allowance line. You will need to have an even number of holes so that when you lace it up, the lace will come out of the top hole on one side and go into the top hole on the other side. That's how it will work out since you started on the center bottom, if you have the same number of holes on each side.


You next make a pattern for the handbag, sides which I call the gusset. Draw a seam allowance line on each side. Mark off the same number of holes on that pattern as you made on the front pattern. That gives you the correct length for the gusset. Taper the ends of the gusset to make it narrower near the top on each side. If I made the gusset 4" wide, I would make it 3" wide on the ends. Start the taper about 3" from gusset ends.

Ok, now make the back and flap pattern. Draw a straight line on a piece of pattern paper. Lay your front pattern on the paper with the fold you made in it aligned with the line on the pattern paper. Trace the pattern and transfer the hole position marks. This is the back of the bag. Now we add an extension for the flap. Turn your front pattern over as if it were hinged to your pattern paper at the top. Now your front pattern top, is on the top line you traced on the pattern paper with the fold aligned with the line on the pattern paper. Move it 3" up the line... so that the two are 3" apart. This is to allow for the amount of flap you need to go over the top of the gusset. Trace the top pattern again along with 3" connecting lines on each side. Don't mark the holes this time because this is the flap and it doesn't get holes. This flap is actually marked too big, your tracing will show you how long the flap needs to be if you want it to cover the entire front of the bag. The tracing line represents the front of the bag. You can mark your flap shorter and narrower within the traced line and give it any shape you want. After you cut out your pattern fold it in half the same way you did with the front pattern. This will show you if your flap is symmetrical.

We know that this pattern will work because of the way we laid it out. The seam allowance lines are the same length and the holes are the same distance apart. I don't mark the fastener hardware location until I make the first bag. The thickness of the leather can change where the flap actually falls. This pattern was made assuming that a firm 5-6 oz leather similar to to that shown in the example above would be used.

You should now be able to make this type of bag and assemble it. The strap is just lashed to the top of the bag. You could instead, add a narrow extension to both tops of the gusset to fold around a ring, and either rivet it or lash it down through a couple holes. All you need is the leather and a few hand tools. You could add a pocket to the front or back and fasten the flap down any number of ways. Those are the kinds of changes you can make as the designer of this type of bag. Check out the other designs at the Old School link above to see some variations.

Next time we will make a soft bag using a sewing machine.

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#2 Handbag Conversion

Many people want to be designers because, at it's most basic, it's simply "Day Dreaming", which is something they think they are good at.

So, now that you have the image of what you want to make and can manipulate an image of it in your mind, what do you do with it? Well, unless you can convert that day dream into another format, that is what it will remain.
What you don't do is call me on the phone or send me an email that goes something like this actual email:

I love leather back packs! But as hard as I have looked, I have not been
able to find all the features I like in one back pack. So, I have a design
in my head, and I'm going to try to put it on paper. If I can do that, and
send it to you, can you make it for me? If so, how much would it cost me?
Please let me know. I am really, really looking forward to your response!

And this:

I'd like the exact same shape as the GUcci cruise hobo, but just a tad
rounded at the corners. Maybe cropped just where the flowers end at the
corners. The handles: I'd love a strap that is actually a double strap,
but attaches like a single strap. I'm trying to skecth something now.

This is where you get out your pencil and paper and describe what that picture in your mind is... but not in words, You draw it. How? Start in the bottom left of your paper with a straight on front view. Above it a top view a top view, as if you were looking down at it, the same size as the front view. To the right of the front view draw a side view. Other views of details are included as necessary. To learn the basics of this find a book like "French's Engineering Drawing".
The next is an Oblique view like the one below that was emailed to me by a customer. To start, learn to do this with a T square and 30/60/90 triangle.


This guy actually knows something about drawing and did a good job with the dimensions. What do you think it is? I think it's a case that slides onto a belt for something to do with his hearing aid or something, with a slot in the cover so he can raise or lower the volume instead of playing with it in his pocket (very distracting). Looks like all the info is there... Just a matter of making it, right?
All you have to do is find "That Guy" that I mentioned in the previous chapter. When you do find "That Guy" what is he going to think of this drawing?
Well, the first thing I thought was, "It ain't going to work". If it's going on a belt it has to curve around the waist. It is going to get twisted out of shape in use and the cover won't fit properly. Maybe you think that it isn't the business of the person making it, to explain practical considerations to the designer. What happens when the customer gets it and it doesn't work? In this designers mind it works just fine, who's problem is it when it doesn't?

When I lived in the West Indies there was a guy I knew who bought a property with a house on it. He wasn't satisfied with the house, so even though it was recently built, he hired a "Designer" to remodel it. She had them rip out the walls to modify it to her design. They remade the living room. On the other end of the house they remade the bedrooms. Then they called the designer with a small problem... it seems they only had 2 feet left in the middle for the kitchen.

The thing is, the design has to work. If you were actually going to make this case, how would you put it together? If it's made out of sheet metal, no problem, just bend the corners and weld the parts together. Out of wood, you could just glue it together. Out of fabric it probably wouldn't be to hard to sew, you could just fold the fabric down and fit it in the machine to sew it. Out of leather... How thick is the leather? How firm?
Even if you could make it out of metal, wood, or fabric, to do so you would still have to make a lot of design decisions, wouldn't you? For me, that drawing is missing so much information, it's little more than an idea of what the guy wants. The first thing I would have to do is design it as something that could actually be made with the equipment available.
The designer has to specify everything so that the people in the factory can make it. There isn't "That Guy" who knows everything, at least in most factories. There is the guy who uses the dies to cut it out. There are a lot of people who only know their operation (maybe), There is the person in the spray booth, the skiver, the splitter, the "Machine operators" who sew it up. The machine operators who only use one machine... the only one they know how to use... don't get me started on the problems I have had with machine operators...
More about what a designer needs to provide in #3

#1 handbag conversion

I'm calling turning a handbag concept into a finished product, "Handbag Conversion". Where to start??? Well, I took an art course at UCONN years ago where the first assignment was to glue a black spot somewhere on a white piece of paper. The next day it was a white spot on a black piece of paper. I actually spent time pondering this placement...
I asked the instructor what the purpose of this assignment was. He said that the people in the class all had different skill levels and so to start, we have to start at the very beginning, so that everyone has the same basic understanding of the fundamentals.
I came to realize that the actual purpose was to create a grading system where Engineering students like myself, who were required to take the class, could be given a "C", and art majors could be given an "A" in a way where this bias could not be proved.
Still, it was an interesting answer that I have always remembered, and a method I am going to try to employ here.

So where do we start? Lets first copy and print the list at the bottom of this Handbag Design page and follow the instructions above it. Providing the info on this form is already way past where we need to start so lets backtrack.
You play chess one move at a time... making what you think is the best move each time it is your turn. You have no idea whether you will win or loose or what the board will look like on the last move. You can't operate that way if you are trying to create a particular product. You can't just start building.
Modern art is done that way though, you flick paint onto a canvas, make a brush stroke, flick some more paint... trying with each application to make the canvas look better than it did before and hope you end up with something that people will want to look at. If you do, it isn't because of design.
To make something by design what do you need first? If you are building a house what do you need first? If building a car what do you need first? How about a need for the product, a reason to make it. Where does it fit into your marketing efforts... already I feel I am way past the basics.
The designer thinks about those things, the maker only has to follow the designers instructions. The architect designs the house for his client and provides a plan for the builder. The builder hires people skilled enough to execute the plan. The architect has to watch the process to insure the correct materials and procedures are used.
In building construction the process is divided into fields of knowledge performed by different trades. There are the concrete people who make the foundation, the framers, the electricians, the heating and cooling people, the roofer, the painter.
In handbag construction what does the designer do? What does the maker do? My answer to the first is, not enough. The answer to the second is, everything else. Who is the designer? Anybody who thinks the title looks good on them... Who is the maker? It's, "That Guy", all designers are looking for.
Next time I'll try to cover what the Designer does, or should be able to provide the maker. In Italy last year I met a fashion design student and asked her what they teach in that expensive N.E. school.... She said, "They seem to put a lot of emphasis on drawing". That's about what I figured...
Homework assignment:
Take a handbag you have. One you are familiar with. Place it in front of you and look at it. Close your eyes and fix a picture of the handbag in your mind, suspended in air (the bag, not your mind). Keeping your eyes closed, take that picture of the bag and revolve it until you are looking at the back, turn it back to the front and open it and look inside. Close it and place it on the table. Open your eyes. Practice this over and over until you can see every detail.

See you next time

My wife read this and said, "It's fine up until the end. YOU are a VERY pragmatic guy... and it's fine if you really do it like that ... but all that opening and closing your eyes... people will wonder what you are smoking."
After 31 years of marriage she still doesn't know how I think... not a bad thing. Actually I do it without closing my eyes. The thing is that if you can't maneuver parts and assemblies in your mind like that, and I'm told some people can't, you will never be a designer. This is the most basic first step.

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Trade Books

Trade books and leather suppliers list:

Doing a google search on that phone number (414 6457500) turns up an interesting link of businesses withsic code 3111, a list of tanners, suppliers andpossible producers et al. http://www.webstersonline.com/sicresults.asp?siccode=3111Regarding the issue of getting into the sewn productsbusiness, as useful as I found _The E myth revisted_I'd be remiss in failing to mention _TheEntrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing_ aswell as Fashion-Incubator.com.

best Kathleen
http://www.fashion-incubator.com~~~Nurture people, not products~~~

Kathleen comes through again.

That search sure turned up a lot of tanners andfinishers, including a few in Gloversville. I should have mentioned Kathleen's book sooner. The emyth book is way simplistic by comparison. It just gets you thinking about your business as a finished work and tells you how to reverse engineer it right from the beginning. I actually mentioned it because it is so cheap and easy to read. If the guy would just SAY IT, it would be a one chapter book. Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing has a lot more specific info. You want more it costs more. I'm not trying to sell books here but... it's something to consider.

Oh, and don't go to her blog unless you have a lot of time to spend, you'll get hooked and read for an hour or two.
What one reviewer says about her book:

I happened upon this book one day & hesitated to pay $60 for it...now I laugh at myself for thinking:a)$60 was a big investmentb) i could "learn" my way without it Now that I have read it...and highlighted it...and consulted it time and time again, I realize it was the smartest $60 I have spent in my time in the industry. I have run the gamut-- from "how-to" and "fashion design" books to contractors, business "partners", and bad samples...NOTHING has been better for me or my business than THIS BOOK. Think I'm over exaggerating? This book is absolutely priceless if you are starting out in the industry and THINK you havea handle on how to do it. You don't. You think you do, you think you're close enough, but you are wrong! I can say all this because I made so many mistakes until I got my hands on this book. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I have caught myself saying, "Kathleen was right!".An invaluable book. Worth ten times the price-- but please only buy from Kathleen directly! This is one of the hardest-working ladies in the industry who takes her valuable time to answer newbie (like me) questions in person. What a wealth of info! What a resource! I have a LIBRARY of sewn product manufacturing, design, and production books, and NONE have been worth the price-- until this one. Oh-- I took the courses in college, too, FYI. I'll say it again-- the book has proved more valuable than all my years studying at an uppety, private university!

Well... hard to beat that review. After I published this a guy from ...@Princeton.edu sent me 3 emails wanting me to unsubscribe him. I had to email him twice that there was an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every message, and if I did it, I would unsubscribe myself not him. Guess he didn't like the "uppety, private university" part, but he did kind of validate the reviewer.

Hello All, I have been making deerskin handbags, pouches and baby moccasins (not Native American Style) for almost 30 years. There have been many changes in this business the hardest of which to deal with is finding new suppliers when tanneries close. My current delemma is trying to find a supplier for gold deerskin that is sueded on the back in 2.5-2.75 ounce. I require the gold which is almost yellow-orange in a very good quality. Can't count how many samples I've sent off and no luck so far. I usually buy around 100 square feet at a time. Thanks.Peace,MarieLeather Treasures

If you have been using deerskin that long you know that deer are wild and so they get scratched up and each one has at least one bullet hole in it. Tannerys or finishing companies can put a finish on it to cover up a lot of blemishes but if you want that naked yellow deerskin color you are going to have to deal with a lot of scuffs and scars. To me Deerskin means Gloversville NY... however just about everyone there is out of business now. There is a tannery there but I don't remember the name. Try asking Bob at www.thehitchinpost.com I asked around and I also came up with Law Tanning in Milwaukee 414 645 7500

Another Question:

I never add to the group but I have a question now. I do all of my own sewing, designing, patternmaking, selling, website developing, the whole kit and caboodle. I am ready to hand off the sewing. How can I find either good sewers who are experienced in working with leather? Is there a network or organizations you can recommend? Terina McKinney, Owner/DesignerJypsea~Eclectic Hand crafted Leathergoodswww.jypsea.com

Wouldn't it be great if we could just hand it off... I don't think that people who can sew leather are groupies. I used to advertize for them in the paper. The title is "Sewing Machine Operator". There were a bunch of shoe factories around and a lot of women did that. My experience was that they were incompitent. They couldn't start sewing...they ran a piece of scrap into the machine when they stopped so it wouldn't jam up when they started the next time. They could only "sew in a string", part after part, same operation. I found that if I put the material on their machine facing the other way they would sew it backwards instead of turning the work around. That is only the start of it. Then you have the government to deal with... and insurance...

I told more about that to the guy in India in the post before this one. What you want is someone who can do it as a subcontractor. The way I am doing it now is to train someone and set them up as self employed. You need to read the book the e myth revisited that I recommended before.

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Hi Henry,

This is Shamsuddin here from Kolkata , India. I joined this website a few months back. I am in the leather industry for quite some time now. I have an own tannery and a leather goods manufacturing facility. I have produced leather items like handbags and wallets for over 2 years. But now my work is closed. I have all the resources required for this business but i am not able to move ahead. Please advise how to move ahead and if you can help me. Thanks in advance. Regards Shamsuddin

I don't know if your problem is manufacturing, sales, or organization.In any case, you should read a book called "The E myth revisited" byMichael Gerber. It's a must read for anyone starting a business or anyone in business who can't figure out what to do next. You can get a used copy on Amazon for around $4.00

Dear Henry,

Thanks very much for your reply.
My problem is that i don't have sales.
I try a lot but i do not find genuine customers.
Inspite of having all the resources i don't have
work. Kolkata, being the hub of leather
goods manufacturing of the world its really bad
not to have business in this field having all the
resources.
Let me know what can be done.

Thanks
Shamsuddin

I guess you have to make different stuff and find someone who can sell it. Probably the easiest thing to do is find someone who is selling stuff and make stuff for them.

I did that years ago. There was a company that I was buying handbags from, to sell in my store. I would visit thenm every few weeks and pick out what I wanted from their inventory. They bought leather in big lots, that I was unable to do. I started buying some leather from them. They were good to me and sold it at their cost or maybe a little more. They sold me thread also. I was in their factory and it got so that they would sell me whatever supplies I wanted. I also learned a lot about how they made things. What I was making then was really crude handmade stuff. Tooled handbags laced together with rawhide.

I had a sewing machine but that was about it. I saw what a skiver could do and wanted one. The factory foreman found me a used machine. I started making better stuff. I bought a clicker and needed dies. There was a die shop near my store... Quality steel rule die Co. They made dies mostly for cutting out cardboard boxes. The box business was big in town at the time. All kinds of boxes with printing on them. Anyone who makes stuff has to have a box to put it in.

Well the owner was good to me and let me make my own dies in his shop. I didn't really have any money in those years. That's how I learned to do that, though I do them different now... welded, without the wood that is used in steel rule dies. I learned what equipment is used to bend the steel rule and managed to get it for my own shop. I learned about welding over the years and knew what I would need to weld the steel rule. The welder was the most expensive part of that operation.

So then what I did was to make a clutch wallet as a sample and showed it to the owner of the factory where I was buying the handbags... made out of the same leather he was using. I suggested adding it to his line to sell with the handbags. He liked the idea, it used small parts and he had a lot of scrap from the handbags. He would cut out the wallets and send them to me to be made. It is called "contract labor", he just wrote me a check for it... he called the scrap "free leather" as it was paid for by the handbags and it was something that kept his clicker operator busy when there was nothing else to cut out. I started making other stuff as well, like cigarette cases. That gave me enough steady business that I could hire people to sew, and have them make stuff for my store also.

The editor for this blog is driving me nuts. It reformats everything when I publish it to the internet.


I haven't posted anything lately. Here is my excuse... besides being overloaded with work, I've been to Italy for a couple weeks. What trip to Italy would be complete without a picture of the grand canal in Venice? So here it is.Actually Florence was a bigger highlight with so many sights to see, as well as being a center for the Italian leather industry. Here are a few interesting Handbag treatments I saw.



These two bags are interesting because the pattern is really simple and rectangular, then the bag is twisted into another shape. The strap attachment on the brown bag is really interesting .





































This bag has a feature I've only seen on luggage. You would think the teeth on the bottom would scratch furnature, nice leather though.


















On this one the interesting strap attachment doesn't save it from being just plain ugly.