I've done more changing of This into That this week.
My eldest daughter is going through an Indiana Jones phase, we re-enact the scene with the descending stone and the hat most mornings at school... with her book bag and the school gate.
Inspired by adventures and a place to collect treasures, I'd been looking for a brown leather messenger bag.
I'd been searching charity shops, of course. I didn't find one, but I did find this....
Isn't it hideous? The lining is polyester, but the outer is genuine leather. £5. Couldn't wait to take my scissors to it...
I kind of worked by eye, using what pieces I could to make up a simple messenger shape. The shoulders, which were a bizarre snakeskin effect leather, could not not find a place though..
Lots of tea helped the process along. I copied the shape I'd sewn in a beige linen, and attached to the bag using the "right sides together leave a gap and turn it through" method.
A couple of notes:
I have a Teflon foot and I used it when sewing directly on to the leather. But once I forgot, and it didn't make a massive difference. This leather was very soft so that may have helped. I've heard putting tissue paper between the foot and the leather helps if you don't have a Teflon foot.
I used a long stitch length. 3.5 or 4. It's looks nice and the leather seems to be held together strongly.
I bought a meter of pelmet facing and cut three pieces just smaller that the bag pieces and the flap piece. I sort of just fitted them in when sewing the lining and the bag together. I think this bag would be far too floppy without them.
The bag has a phone pocket and pen loops. Perfect for today's modern adventuress. I added them before I sewed the lining into the bag.
Hardware: the buckle on the strap was from my vintage stash. I had trouble finding D hooks big enough for the strap I wanted to use. I needed approx 50mm. Couldn't find them. I got these from a children's belt I bought in Oxfam for 79p.
