Dove Satchel Part 2

Here's the next part of the story behind this large-scale leather project. Once the main panels were all done, I set out to make a handle for the top and D-rings for the shoulder strap. Here are some pictures from the process:

Assembling the Dove Satchel required some careful consideration of the order of the pieces so that I would always be able to reach both sides for stitching. I started by putting the bag together in it's approximate shape using twist ties.

This process revealed that the bottom was going to overlap differently than I expected. This is because the extra layer on the bottom that overlaps the front and back is actually the same width as the sides that wrap around. It turned out that it would still work though, thankfully.

Once I was satisfied that the overall structure would work, I started by placing the buckle straps followed by the D-rings as shown below.

It was finally time to start assembling using lacing! This process was quite tedious because I needed over seven times the length of lace as the length of each edge. This meant there were a lot of times resetting needles and splicing threads. Eventually I finished.

Once the structure of the bag was fixed in place, I could figure out where to attach the other half of the buckle straps and the top handle.

Once the handle and buckles were all attached it was time to take the bag out for a test! I soon discovered an unexpected advantage of the rigid, thick leather. The bag holds its form so that it will protect even more fragile cargo. I safely transported a teapot inside!

Here are some pictures from my photo shoot out at Beaver Dam Flats today.

The final step is to finish the shoulder strap. I've already started on it, so expect another update soon.

Also, Beaver Stream Leather is on Instagram and Facebook now, so you can check those out with the buttons at the bottom of the webpage.

Thanks for reading!