I just caught this video, I'm getting into leather working late in life... My daughter will love this purse, I can't wait till I can afford the material to start this project.
I just wanted to say that the fun and energy you bring to these videos makes the whole medium seem so accessible. After watching several of your videos I worked up to this purse as a gift for my fiancé and we both couldn’t be happier. Thanks again!
Thank you for sharing an video to the public. Such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. Am already a fan and a good student of yours. I love it and have learned a lot. Hope I will be able to put it into practice.
Wonderful. Thank you. Incredibly concise and easy to follow. I would certainly be buying from you if I lived in the States. Can't wait to get started. Very inspired.
As a fellow leather crafter really liked this video and must say you two did an exceptional job in delivering the steps + construction of the purse. I normally use oaktag paper for patterns but want to try the sheeting, great suggestion will be ordering from the website.
Chuck love your energy , hope you keep making videos, I enjoy them and have learned a lot . How about doing some hip/leg bags , and some plantholders, or some biker stuff ty sincerely deb (Black Magic Woman in VT.)
Subbed I made a purse similiar to this in the 70's. I got my materials from Tandy Leather. It's like a hippy purse or a really western one. It is made with soft brown leather. I still have it and use it on occasion.
One of my most coveted presents was a beautiful suede FRINGE bag my Dad chose & gave big Sis & I one Xmasin late 60s or around 1970! I guess that started my obsession with fringe :)))
That is such a beautiful bag!! I absolutely LOVE IT!! I very much enjoyed your tutorial video. I've never made a purse before and I always wondering about the steps to it. This is a very informative video. Thank you so much for sharing!! You make it look easy. By the way, if this purse is for sale, I'll buy it!!
Hi Aimee, Good question and thanks for your comment! Yes, some hair-on leathers are just too thin (rabbit…), but, the hair-on cow is usually thick enough for cutting fringe. The down side is that cutting fringe from hair-on can be tough, cutting across the hair leaves it too short and cutting with the hair makes it look fuzzy. I would say go with the hair-on for the body and fringe cut from leather that matches something in the hair-on! That would be beautiful!
Great video! Unfortunately the link that takes you to the materials list doesn't actually do that. And, I can't find this video on your website. Where can I find the materials list? Thanks!
Hi Raema, So sorry about that! Below is the link to the correct page and we've updated the video link also. www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/cp_/shop-by-project/bags/leather-fringe-purse
Hi! I have a question regarding the Concho on the purse. I am trying to understand how the purse opens and I cant see any button, do you have to run the concho through the hole everytime you want to open the purse? It might tear the leather around the concho and its not very practical.. but it is a beautiful project.
Hey there! Really great video, following the steps was really easy for me as a beginner but I got a question: would it be possible to do this project with a 4oz. calfskin?
So glad the steps were easy to follow! Yu should be able to use 4 oz. calfskin for this, as long as it is pretty supple, otherwise the fringe might not lay as nicely .
I have a question, why don't you use a lace cutter to cut the fringe? Something like an Australian Strander. I bought one from Weaver and it works pretty well as long as the leather isn't too thin.
Jimmie, the Leather Lace Stripper would absolutely work. We just wanted to show people how to cut fringe without any equipment in case they don't have one of those. Thanks for the comment.
This is a great project. I definitely want to make it....in the video you mention using suede. What weight suede would be good to use? I am afraid I will choose a suede that is too light. I would like to use the same suede for a gusset on a backpack. Thank you for doing these videos.
Tawnya, good call! Yes, the “garment” weight in suede is probably what you’re thinking. It comes in around 2/3 oz. and is too light for a bag or purse. The average weight for a suede, typically, is 3/4 oz. and is not bad for a purse. In my opinion, it’s a little light. I tend to prefer the heavier 5/6 oz. just for the body it has, but a softer, more supple bag in suede would be gorgeous!
Had a question about your fringe bag. I want to make the bag bigger instead of 8" I want to make a 10 " bag with at least 10" of fringe or more so what would I need to make my main body size ? Right now I have my main body of the pattern (not leather yet) cut at 10 inches tall by 37 inches long that is marked 10 inches on either end for the. fringe and then my front of bag is 10" x 10" is what I doing correct ? not sure how to figure out what the middle section of the main body on the pattern needs to be at? Also what would I need to do to increase the length of my fringe ???
Hi Nancy, It sounds like you have the dimensions spot on for 10" x 10" purse. If you want the fringe longer, just increase the main body length on both ends by however much longer you want the fringe. Let's say you want 14" fringe - add 8" to your pattern (4" on either end) and mark where to start cutting the fringe. Hope that helps!
Is there any leather that doesn't make great fringes? I did a similar project and my fringes seem to crease a bit, how do I keep them straight? Thank you, great work!
Thanks for your comment! Yes, creasing is always a problem. I can’t honestly tell you how to keep this from happening because even the most supple of leather can crease. My biggest problem is a bend in the hide where I have it rolled on my shelf. I haven’t tried this, but several folks have mentioned this as a possibility: You can use an iron set at the lowest setting (wool I think?) and this will gently press out the crease. If your leather is an oil side or heavy with waxes/tallows, I may use some kind of an overlay to keep the waxes and oils from transferring to the iron face.
Heya Chuck! What is that maroon cutting surface you use in this video? I can only find part #65-6306 in your online catalog that resembles the piece in this video, but it doesn't look to be the same size. We're building custom work benches and would like to outfit them with a similar cutting surface. Thanks!! FYI...my wife is now digging your vids and is getting involved with the craft. THANK YOU!!!! =)
Hi E.J.! The maroon cutting surface is a novolene chopping block, the largest one we have in stock is 20" x 40" and you can find it here www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/35254/001/90. You can find all of our sizes via the following link: www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/ItemCatalogListing/001/90 If you still can't find the right size, feel free to give us a call for a custom size. We're so glad your wife is enjoying the videos too! Thank you for watching!!
We don't have a downloadable pattern for this one but we do show exact measurements and how to make the bag in the video description link: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0611/5809/7036/files/making-a-leather-fringe-purse.pdf?v=1665598490
That is one of the toughest questions I get. It is tough to calculate work done by hand because the end price, at least to me, always seems outrageous. See if this helps. A standard manufacturing equation works like this: For each dollar you make, 30% needs to go to labor, 30% to materials and 30% to overhead, thus leaving a 10% net profit. That doesn’t sound like much, but as your sale/product price increases, so does your net profit (gross profit is what’s left after paying out labor and materials only). When charging for labor, you need to charge for administrative time as well as actual labor because you may work on a project for six hours but it may take another two to box it, bill it, take care of taxes and another hundred things needed to make this work. If this is just a side business you can cut out a large part of the overhead (which includes everything from rent and advertising to Sharpies and paper clips), or you may be able to drop your hourly/labor cost since it’s not your primary income (maybe start in the $20 to $30 an hour range). Be careful when dropping costs because if your business begins to flourish, then you’ll need these factors in place to make sure you’re in the plus. This is a lot of information, so please feel free to ask if I can clarify any of the above.
Hi there! It's a plastic pattern sheet, you can check it out here www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/65-4110/pattern-sheet-24-x-45/pr_8876/cp_/shop-now/kits-patterns-books/patterns/leather-patterns
There may have one missing step. My front fringe section is so much shorter than back section pouch . I had to drop the pouch front piece down to have a decent fringe on front
Hi Donna, The front fringe is going to be shorter than the back. It's hard to see in the video but it's probably at least 6" shorter in the front than the back. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the information. Congratulations on the professionalism of the video, and not leaving me feeling like "they should have explained that step better." Also, I've never seen a "tag team" approach to a youtube instructional video before. It worked nicely, and even though I'm pretty sure you weren't trying to make a political statement, it was a nice balance seeing a man and a woman doing this together and cooperatively.
Hi Spangle Craftworks. I just laid out a side so I could an accurate answer for you. With a 24 ½’ (pretty average for these) side I would say you can get 7 complete (main body panel, pouch panel, billets, lace and straps). I could possibly get 8, but, I would have to get into cutting to be that accurate, so 7 should be a good call for yield and pricing. www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/CatalogListing/001/10
Hello! We used a 5/6 oz. pebble grain leather: www.weaverleathersupply.com/catalog/item-detail/09-1007s/pebble-grain-leather-/pr_56622/cp_/shop-now/leather/chrome-tanned/top-grain-leather
Hi Celeste, At this time we do not sell the pattern however we do have step by step instructions for the purse here: www.weaverleathersupply.com/learn/how-to-videos/projects/making-a-leather-fringe-purse
@@lillianasmith3613 I'D GLADLY MAKE ONE FOR YOU IF YOU'D LIKE ONE?? PLAN ON MAKING ONE FOR MYSELF PRETTY SOON SO WOULD JUST NEED MORE LEATHER, IT'S EASILY DOUBLED FOR THE MOST PART!! LET ME KNOW MY EMAIL IS makalani69.808@gmail.com, MUCH LOVE FROM HAWAII!
Hi Raechel, You can always start with a smaller leather project like a bracelet or wallet and once you feel comfortable, move to a bag or purse. The nice thing about this bag is it's laced, so no hand stitching required. We hope you give it a try sometime!
Ive made a purse out of this stuff. Usually work with veg. Would it be appropriate to treat the bag with any products now that its all together? Thanks!
