Tag: leather

Blue boxy bag

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Once upon a time, around 20 years ago, I bought a bag off a street vendor in Athens. I ended up using it so much, that the loop for the handle broke off! That’s what happens when you put page-a-day Moleskines in there, and carry them around all the time.

A few years ago, I was at my parents, wanting to do something, but they couldn’t leave the house. It must’ve been either too cold or too hot.

So I decided to make a pattern of that old bag. I’d loved it so much that I’d kept it, despite it being old and broken.

Yes, I did it on baking paper. That’s what the parents had at home…

Then I cut the pieces out of leather, and glued two on either side of bag-cardboard, to make a hard bottom. No photos of that.

Next I started sewing the sides to the base, to make sure they’d be in the right spot.

The bag is only made of 3 pieces: bottom and 2 sides. It of course also has a strap and 2 strap-holders, but the main pieces are only 3.

After attaching the sides to the bottom, I added the zip on top. I really wanted to avoid the bag being somehow horizontally distorted.

I may have worked on the side seams while trying to focus at work. You’d be surprised what some manual work does for your listening focus sometimes 🙂 It really helps anchor a wandering mind!

In case nobody’s noticed, the bag was being sewn with inner seams (inside out), like a garment. After the three main pieces were all sewn together, I had to flip it.

Piercing the strap-holders was a bit stressful. Would they line up right on the end bits of the bag?
One saddle-stitch at a time!
Done!! Also stitched the bag strap.
It works!!
The boxy blue bag

It is very soft and very light. If those two metal rings weren’t on it, it might fly away!

I haven’t filled it yet. But I did try to get one of those fat A5 moleskine annual diaries in, like I used to 20 or so years ago. It fits!!

How to replace high heel insoles and add a hidden platform

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I bought a pair of shoes at London Fashion Weekend sometime around 2009. Their shape is lovely, they have ankle straps to stay on, and they are made of funky fish skin dyed nude.

But they are old and a bit too large. The insoles were knackered despite me not wearing them too much. I decided to replace them.

It’s actually very easy, replacing insoles.

All you need is a piece of leather, a scalpel, a pen and UHU glue.

In 2017 I took the shoe making course at Cordwainer’s and I was surprised how easy some parts of making a shoe are. (Also I LOVED that course. My alternative career is definitely shoe maker.)

So I ripped the insoles out.

The nails sticking out over the heel needed something thick to cover them.

I decided to add something thick to the front too a bit like a hidden platform. Just one thick piece of leather.

Then I saw some foam I had lying around… so with the shoes being very roomy, I decided to add some padding in the front.

All you need is glue. No joke. I use UHU.

Foam went first.

Then more glue and the leather front soles.

Then I again used the old insoles as pattern pieces, traced them, then carefully cut new insoles out of baby blue leather using a scalpel.

I prefer putting insoles in suede side up. I find it more comfortable and grippy against the soles of my feet. The shiny leather can give blisters and is slippery so shoes move around. Not a good look, a shoe slipping off and a twisted ankle on a London sidewalk.

Getting the new full length insoles is a bit harder but it’s very doable if you get your hand under it (and covered in glue).

Ta daaaa!!

They are aaaalmost ready to wear. I put them on and stood for maybe ten minutes to put pressure onto the glue and warm it up to help it stick.

All done!!

They are now super comfy. And they hide my favourite colour (blue) in the insoles. Yay!

My first sewing-awl saddle stitch!! Pen roll strap

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Over new year’s, I went with my parter to visit his brother in the US. While there, I happened to go to an art store and buy some pens… which I could not fit into the – frankly too small – pencil case I had brought along. So I went back ans bought a pen roll too!

Except the pen roll was so poorly made! The strap felt quite unpleasant and stiff to the touch, and the button was popping off and letting the roll unroll while in my bag!

There are few materials I like less than plastic trying to pass itself off as leather… yuck! So today, as my first project of 2017, I replaced that strap with a leather one.

I had a leather skin, with a convenient straight edge, which I followed to manually cut a mostly straight strap much longer than the one on the pen roll.

Then I had to unpick the bad strap without damaging the pen roll! Embroidery scissors came in handy.

And finally, I stitched it using a sewing awl I bought in Germany about three years ago. My first ever real saddle stitch!! It was very exciting and surprisingly not very difficult at all! I am glad I have a massive chopping board to hand for doing my leather work on, or the cutting mat would be looking like a needlepoint project by now!

Oyster card holder

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So a couple of months ago I made an oyster card holder.

I had a tough commute, and needed to be able to find the oyster card more easily. And hold onto it better, because that little thing is very slippery!

This was made with two pieces of leather, very easily saddle-stitched with gold thread all around. Then I stitched the slightly longer piece back onto the blue one, creating a loop. 

I hadn’t expected to make the loop. It sort of just happened. And it has been very good!