2023 Resolution: Shopping my Own Bags and SLG Collection

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#3,139
A long standing tradition in this thread is to remind ourselves of how wonderful our own collections are by showcasing them. We can see how far we have come, collection wise, and we reminded that we have all (or most of) what we need making it easier to shop our own closets.



• New theme weeks start each Sunday

• Don’t jump ahead but, if you miss a week, please do show your bags “late”.

• Show bags individually or in a group

• You do NOT have to wear the bags that week

• For added fun, show old pictures from previous years to demonstrate how you have curated it over time.

• This is completely voluntary. There is no pressure to post at any time.





So what are the showcases? In the Fall, we group our bags by makers! Feel free to show bags, small leather goods, or however it is easiest to organize!

August 13 - Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta

August 20 - Burberry, Celine

August 27 - Coach, Chanel

September 3 - Chloe, Dior

September 10 - Dooney & Bourke, Fendi

September 17 - Ferragamo, Givenchy

September 24 - Goyard, Gucci

October 1 - Hermes, Kate Spade

October 8 - Loewe, Longchamp

October 15 - Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs

October 22 - Michael Kors, Miu Miu

October 29 - Mulberry, Prada

November 5 - Proenza Schouler, Rebecca Minkoff

November 12 - Saint Laurent, Tods

November 19 - Tory Burch, Valentino

November 26 - Bags by Jewelers: Bulgari, Cartier, Tiffany Co, Van Cleef & Arpels. Alternatively, the pillboxes, compacts and other lovelies made by jewelers that fit in your bag.

December 3 - independent artisans and custom bags.
 
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#4,277
jblended said:
I knew this was going to be a masterpiece but, I'm truly blown away by how magnificent it is, especially considering how quickly you made it! :love:

You're beyond talented. I don't know how you could ever doubt yourself when you are such a gifted artist. Your sewing is incredible and your clothing has regularly shown this but, that doesn't translate neatly to leatherwork for most people, yet here you are...effortlessly perfect bags, one after another. You are amazing! On another level! :tup:


What kind of interfacing are you using? I used leather interfacing with a couple of my bags but, since I'm hand-stitching them, the interfacing makes the work look very untidy. It's so difficult getting the needle through the layers by hand! :facepalm:
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Aww, thank you so much! Your opinion means a lot to me. You are a leather artisan!

I agree on "quickly" , but not on "effortlessly". Haha!
This bag was a lot of trying, errors, doing things again, hurt hands, tantrums and swearwords.
As I always use preloved leather no bag is like the one before.
The leathers usually behave very differently. Couch curb behaved differently depending on the part of the couch it came from. The seat area was like chewing gum...
For interfacing I usually work with felt. I buy the cheap table mats- the same I use to make bag organizers- or the table runners which are usually thinner. (This time I used some DH had bought from a proper fabric store for his own man bag project. It was expensive and disappointing. The table mats are nice quality!)

On my prior projects I had glued the leather (outer layer and leather lining) to the interfacing before assembling the bag. This gives clean surfaces, but the bulk is extremely hard to sew on my poor domestic machine. So this time I assembled the leather parts with the pipings first and then from the inside- between the upper and the lining) constructed a felt interfacing structure by hand which I only glued into the flap part and otherwise tacked onto the leather seam allowances by hand. This method even seems to be more accurate as I was able to conciously sculpt the shape. In the end a (structured) handbag is an uphostery job!

For the quilting I used a fusable volume fleece. This wasn´t a good choice. It got stuck in the feeding dog (and still kind of shifted when I tried paper underneath) and caused the irregularities in my top stitching. Next time I will use the thinnest felt I can find for the quilting! I must check the cheap store for the super cheap felt Christmas table runners. They are flimsy and will do the job!

I agree on handsewing! Mine never is as neat as it should! (I theoretically know how to do the correct saddle stitch, but never do it...) Even the domestic sewing machine often enough struggles with several layers of leather.

I had to close the lip of the handbag by hand, because my machine is a flatbed. It is almost impossible to reach the full seam unless you start in the middle and sew outwards into the corner in both directions which means sewing from the behind on one side. The red leather was to irregular and bulky (especially at the corners where the pipings are) to risk it. It took me over an hour to handstitch that one seam- with plyers! I broke at least 6 needles.... (cheap needles come in huge packs, because they are disposable! Expensive needles will bend and have to be thrown out too. So I use the cheap ones.)
Of course the spacing isn´t as regular as it should be. (I did not dare use the stitch-punch thingies on 4 layers of leather trying to escape in every possible direction. One mistake and everything would have been ruined!)
The big rings holding the chain are attached by hand too. They go into a leather fold that encases them. (I couldn´t get any suitable rings that would open, so I could have used eyelets.)

....

Sorry for rambling on.

BTW I´ve started another leather project to use up the remnants of my curb couch and a very ugly brown Massimo Dutti handbag I cut apart. (One I bought for 5€, because I wanted the zippers and even better: the perfect Bree fabric guitar strap it came with.)
It´s kind of quirky and will be a Christmas present for DH, but only if it actually works out...
 
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#4,278
cowgirlsboots said:
Aww, thank you so much! Your opinion means a lot to me. You are a leather artisan!

I agree on "quickly" , but not on "effortlessly". Haha!
This bag was a lot of trying, errors, doing things again, hurt hands, tantrums and swearwords.
As I always use preloved leather no bag is like the one before.
The leathers usually behave very differently. Couch curb behaved differently depending on the part of the couch it came from. The seat area was like chewing gum...
For interfacing I usually work with felt. I buy the cheap table mats- the same I use to make bag organizers- or the table runners which are usually thinner. (This time I used some DH had bought from a proper fabric store for his own man bag project. It was expensive and disappointing. The table mats are nice quality!)

On my prior projects I had glued the leather (outer layer and leather lining) to the interfacing before assembling the bag. This gives clean surfaces, but the bulk is extremely hard to sew on my poor domestic machine. So this time I assembled the leather parts with the pipings first and then from the inside- between the upper and the lining) constructed a felt interfacing structure by hand which I only glued into the flap part and otherwise tacked onto the leather seam allowances by hand. This method even seems to be more accurate as I was able to conciously sculpt the shape. In the end a (structured) handbag is an uphostery job!

For the quilting I used a fusable volume fleece. This wasn´t a good choice. It got stuck in the feeding dog (and still kind of shifted when I tried paper underneath) and caused the irregularities in my top stitching. Next time I will use the thinnest felt I can find for the quilting! I must check the cheap store for the super cheap felt Christmas table runners. They are flimsy and will do the job!

I agree on handsewing! Mine never is as neat as it should! (I theoretically know how to do the correct saddle stitch, but never do it...) Even the domestic sewing machine often enough struggles with several layers of leather.

I had to close the lip of the handbag by hand, because my machine is a flatbed. It is almost impossible to reach the full seam unless you start in the middle and sew outwards into the corner in both directions which means sewing from the behind on one side. The red leather was to irregular and bulky (especially at the corners where the pipings are) to risk it. It took me over an hour to handstitch that one seam- with plyers! I broke at least 6 needles.... (cheap needles come in huge packs, because they are disposable! Expensive needles will bend and have to be thrown out too. So I use the cheap ones.)
Of course the spacing isn´t as regular as it should be. (I did not dare use the stitch-punch thingies on 4 layers of leather trying to escape in every possible direction. One mistake and everything would have been ruined!)
The big rings holding the chain are attached by hand too. They go into a leather fold that encases them. (I couldn´t get any suitable rings that would open, so I could have used eyelets.)

....

Sorry for rambling on.

BTW I´ve started another leather project to use up the remnants of my curb couch and a very ugly brown Massimo Dutti handbag I cut apart. (One I bought for 5€, because I wanted the zippers and even better: the perfect Bree fabric guitar strap it came with.)
It´s kind of quirky and will be a Christmas present for DH, but only if it actually works out...
Click to expand...
I love reading your detail. It’s like an adventure with a delightful ending. Thank you.

if you ever have the inclination, I would LOVE to see the different stages. I’m trying to picture in my mind the point where the felt infrastructure was created :smile: And then later when the handles were attached. . .

on the very other side of hand made creation, I peered into the Cartier bag thread. I don’t have any bags made by jewelers (and I still regret not knowing about the Bulgari Mary Katrantzou collaboration until it was sold out everywhere, but the cartiers seem to be made in a much more sturdy fashion.

Anyone has any cartier bag? thoughts?

I found in cartier site. It looks really nice with no complication. I have no doubt in its quality (just like my bvlgari bag which is not so mainstream but the quality is impeccable). I like this grey with gold tone hw.
forum.purseblog.com forum.purseblog.com
 
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#4,279
papertiger said:
Just popping in to say hi! Sorry, I have so much to catch-up on.

DH will have chemo but not abroad, then major surgery after - and then more rounds of chemo. SIL is coming over next week to help. All in this course of treatment will be exactly 8 months. Strangely (or maybe not strange) DH was understandably in-shock and depressed when first diagnosed then undergoing so many tests in the UK and abroad (it's quite a rare cancer). He's fairly young and super-fit so there is some hope. There will be no Scotland for Christmas/Hogmanay this year, no family/neighbourly gatherings so we're having a big party before the chemo starts next week

I've been using my bags, shopping from my closet for work beyond the usual H work bags, including Gucci Aphrodite, Gucci Punch, H shoppers, YSL Marjorelle and 3 BVs. No major outgoing items but plenty to sort through.

I've fished-out my Bracher Emden clutch for DH's party (see above) as it's suitably Y2K-ish. A neighbour/friend and her two children are getting Baptised - no idea what is suitable (let me know if you know - I've been to baby christenings at CoE church and catholic confirmations, but never adult baptisms).

I've paused searching for the BV lizard Knot I was after, shopping's kind of taken a back seat. I will get one one day.
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Sending positive thoughts and good wishes to you and your DH. Have a wonderful party. :hugs:
 
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#4,283
880 said:
I love reading your detail. It’s like an adventure with a delightful ending. Thank you.

if you ever have the inclination, I would LOVE to see the different stages. I’m trying to picture in my mind the point where the felt infrastructure was created :smile: And then later when the handles were attached. . .
Click to expand...
Thank you! It´s nice to be able to talk about all the little steps that go into a project and are invisible in the finished product.

I wish I had continued taking photos of the stages. I gave up after the basic assembling of the pieces was done. Next time I do a flap bag I´ll make sure to take more photos. Building the internal structure and attaching the handles are both very chaotic / intuitiv steps where I decide in the moment how to do it best. No exact patterns or instructions for me... as always I tend to feel my way around in the dark and follow the materials.
 
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#4,284
November Update: Intentions, Challenges, and Stats
  • Bag Rotation: carried 16
  • Most frequently carried: Chanel Black Reissue 226
  • Read 1 book: My Best Mistake by Terry O’Reilly, “recounts how some of the biggest breakthroughs and best-loved products originated with a mistake.” An insightful and enjoyable read - recommend.
  • Exited 29 items - household items, clothing, sports equipment
November 2023 Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out

YTD 2023 Stats
Bags - 0 in, 0 out
SLGs - 0 in, 0 out
 
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#4,286
cowgirlsboots said:
Scratching my bag itch while avoiding the flood of sales advertisements in my inbox:

Please meet "curb couch".

I bought a batch of leather at a fleamarket a while ago. Curb couch at its best sprinkled with wall paint and stained with blue glitter. The price was great and I simply had to grab the challenge.

View attachment 5901415

Here´s the finished product:

View attachment 5901416

Yes, there a a few wrinkles I am not happy about and not all stitches are perfect...

But there´s a bag charm:

View attachment 5901424

And both bags are leather lined. The big one has a bag organizer. I hate making them, but the fit is perfect.

View attachment 5901425View attachment 5901426
Click to expand...
Wow, I almost missed this, which certainly would have been my loss. Your work is so impressive! They’re beautiful.
 
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#4,288
No bags in or out for me this month, although a friend will be taking one I had set aside to sell off my hands when I see her in mid-January. I purchased two card cases at the Coach outlet. One was a second purchase since DH absconded with my first! I am a sucker for card cases and the price points on these were great.

I succumbed to the lululemon Black Friday sale, as mentioned earlier in this thread. Bought way too much, but some were items I had been eyeing, but didn’t purchase, and the prices were excellent. DD also got a number of items and I bought quite a few for DH, too, since he asked for lightweight, long sleeve shirts from lulu to go with his joggers. Tomorrow is try-on day in our house to see what stays and what goes back. I love that they changed their return policy on sale items by belonging to their (free) membership, since anything that doesn’t work out can now be returned for store credit. I was always hesitant to purchase sale online before because I didn’t want to be stuck.

To make up for my spreading spree, so to speak, I passed along a winter coat, four tops, two sweaters and a blazer to the niece who stayed with us over Thanksgiving. She’s in her early twenties and just starting out professionally, so needs to look corporate, but doesn’t have a ton of discretionary spending. Luckily we wear the same sizes in things likes tops and coats, and she loves many of the brands I wear (Vince, Theory), so was eager to shop my closet. She put a new winter coat on her Christmas list (a fancy PowerPoint; no joke!), but is having problems finding a nice one that is lined. Turned out what I passed along was exactly what she is looking for, even the color, which made me that much happier. I suspect her mother (my SIL) is breathing a sigh of relief that one pricey item is now off that list!
 
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#4,290
DME said:
No bags in or out for me this month, although a friend will be taking one I had set aside to sell off my hands when I see her in mid-January. I purchased two card cases at the Coach outlet. One was a second purchase since DH absconded with my first! I am a sucker for card cases and the price points on these were great.

I succumbed to the lululemon Black Friday sale, as mentioned earlier in this thread. Bought way too much, but some were items I had been eyeing, but didn’t purchase, and the prices were excellent. DD also got a number of items and I bought quite a few for DH, too, since he asked for lightweight, long sleeve shirts from lulu to go with his joggers. Tomorrow is try-on day in our house to see what stays and what goes back. I love that they changed their return policy on sale items by belonging to their (free) membership, since anything that doesn’t work out can now be returned for store credit. I was always hesitant to purchase sale online before because I didn’t want to be stuck.

To make up for my spreading spree, so to speak, I passed along a winter coat, four tops, two sweaters and a blazer to the niece who stayed with us over Thanksgiving. She’s in her early twenties and just starting out professionally, so needs to look corporate, but doesn’t have a ton of discretionary spending. Luckily we wear the same sizes in things likes tops and coats, and she loves many of the brands I wear (Vince, Theory), so was eager to shop my closet. She put a new winter coat on her Christmas list (a fancy PowerPoint; no joke!), but is having problems finding a nice one that is lined. Turned out what I passed along was exactly what she is looking for, even the color, which made me that much happier. I suspect her mother (my SIL) is breathing a sigh of relief that one pricey item is now off that list!
Click to expand...
That was so nice of you. I am sure she is delighted with everything.
 
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