My wife said to me, “Monty, you should make some things for women … they’re the ones who spend the money!”

 

Well, I might be a leatherworker, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to enter into the ladies’ fashion industry.  Take a look for yourself and see what you think:






Experiment in Soft Leather



  My attempts to make women’s purses taught me much.  I learned that women like purses that are not only attractive to look at, but that are also soft to the touch.

  Soft leather does not lend itself to the kind of products I am accustomed to making, because to assemble a product made of soft leathers, it is best to use a sewing machine.  I only do hand-stitching.  I hand-stitched these bags and the straps.  These purses were a challenge for me and absurdly time-consuming.

  If a lady is considering buying one of these purses, it might be best for her to make sure it will match her furniture.  That’s because the main pouch portion is made of upholstery leather.

  These purses are large enough, as well as strong enough, to hold a respectable-sized Makita cordless drill, and still have room for a set of bits.

  The strap and hardware were of extremely high quality, and the top flap, made of good, stout tooling leather, turned out rather well, I thought.  Only, instead of a purse, these might be better suited for a saddle bag.




Hand Luggage



  I don’t know if this item could accurately be called a ‘purse.’  It was made of a fairly sturdy grade of tooling leather which made it very strong, but also rather hard – something like a rounded box.

  It would have made for very stylish and reliable equipment for a Pony Express Courier, and would make for a great way to carry a good supply of ammo.  Even the strap was more like a belt and probably would have been good to use to cinch on a saddle.

  I was very happy with the tooling designs I was able to come up with, though.  Do not be surprised if you see me use patterns similar to these in future products.