Another hand sewn Leather Tote Bag

I just finished a improved version of my leather tote bag. First of all the leather is a bit darker and has even more character. Then I extended the length of the straps a bit. The major change went trough the inner pocket. It is now out of the same material as the other bag. I added 2 loops to hold a pen and a bigger Mont Blanc pen or Kaweco (or a mini maglite) and as well a pocket for a small knife.

Thanks to my friends of Passion France to equip me with some of the nicest pocket knifes France has to offer. Not only can I offer the Douk Douk or a Sujet various knifes from Thiers, Laguiole and St-Martin are on stock now.

On the 2nd last image you see a scar on the hide. I did choose to not hide it or cut around it. Leather is a natural material which should be treated with respect and care. The scar adds character to the bag and let us memorize that it was actually from a living creature which has its life and accidents. (since the scar is hardly a fraction of a millimeter deep, rather just on the surface, it won´t seriously harm the strength of the bag).

+++ Update October 2019 +++

More than 5 years later, I made quite a few of this bags. My leatherworkshop became my profession and passion. The bag in it´s style and concept has envolved just a bit since. To get more information an updated images please check my website – Alexander von Bronewski Manufaktur

be-cause-bag – Leather Tote bag project

It was in my mind for a long time to finally hand sew my first handbag. The ingredients were simple. First of all the best vegetable tanned leather I could get my hands on, simple design, hand stitched with saddle stitch, best thread, no zippers (they will break at first), and some well thought of practical details. Overall it took me about 10 hours to cut and sew this bag.

A while ago I took test cast of the Indian Head from Feinschmuck out of solid copper and turned it into a button. It now serves the locking for the bag. Interchangable with other buttons and the leather straps can be easily changed as well over the years. This is just a start, I will produce more leather tote bags soon – waiting for more leather hides.