Completed: Leather Satchel

Anyone remember this little teaser that I gave last fall?

Well, I finally completed my leather satchel a few weeks ago, just a little bit behind schedule (procrastinate much?).

And although it is not perfect, it did turn out pretty well!
This bag is fully interfaced with Peltex (very stiff interfacing) to make sure it holds its shape no matter how much weight it is carrying.

The top handle is a piece of an old belt.  The bag closes with a turnlock clasp on the front.


The inside has a laptop pocket, a small zipper pocket in the back, and enough room for quite a few papers.  It also has a cell phone pocket on one side and lots of little pockets for pens, flash drives, etc. Here it is holding a binder and a textbook.

I sewed this entire bag on Veronica, my vintage Singer 201-2.  It was a challenge at times, since Veronica does not have a free-arm.  To be honest, this was a large contributor to why it took so long to finish this bag.  Some of my preferred construction techniques had to be modified to be performed on Veronica (but I needed her strength to sew through leather).

In other news, I received two whole hides of leather from the husband for our third wedding anniversary, so I definitely have more opportunities in store to continue practicing my leather sewing!

Anyone else trying any leather projects?  Is this enough inspiration to get you thinking about it?