My life with leather - sounds a little seedy I guess... I'm going to go with it anyway.
I have been dreaming about making one of Noodlehead's, Cargo Duffles since the tutorial first came out last fall. I couldn't really find a zipper easily, though, and I couldn't cope with picking the fabrics. Then Kristin made a catnap duffle and I caught the fever all over again. Anna's been posting all kinds of beautiful versions again too - and then Sophie of C'est la vie decided to host a sewalong, complete with all of the trappings (even a post about choosing the fabric!) and I could wait no longer.
I started slowly, as planned and shared a few shots of my progress on flickr.
Soon, though, I couldn't stop. I LOVE THE CARGO DUFFLE!
I made mine using leather that I got locally, here. And a sweet paisley print from here. Originally, I had gotten this print to complement this one, but I ended up not using it and I'm so glad that I saved it for this Mary Poppins - style duffle.
It's been awhile since I've had the luxury of sewing something slowly. I totally heart Sophie's sewalong. It gave me the courage to try something new and to take my time. Her tips are invaluable and I learned plenty to apply to my other projects as well. Thanks Sophie! Oh, and did I mention that the sewalong was also bilingual? Too cool!
I lined the duffle using Kristin's tutorial and I really like the result. I would even argue that putting the lining in is easier than pinching all of the quilted layers into a binding. Kristin recommended handstitching around the bottom parts of the zipper but I was able to get in there with my zipper foot without too much trouble, making the lining installation even quicker.
Originally, I had planned to sew the outside in just the plain navy and to line it with the paisley but changed courses at the last minute - the print is a bit out of my comfort zone but I really like it.
I have sewn over the past couple of years with leather quite a bit - frequently for sales (gulp) and I've had good fortune. I've learned some tricks along the way, though I'm by no means an expert.
First, I think that the reason that a lot of people are nervous about sewing with leather is because of the supposed finality of it. It's not quite so risky, though. Leather does stretch more than a woven and more in one way than the other - it also varies from hide to hide. So - I always baste using a narrow seam allowance before taking the plunge. It's less risky this way and gives you a chance to see how the particular piece that you're using will behave. Afterwards, the holes punched by the basting can be simply hidden with your new seam. You can always trim off the ugly too if you like.
I always use a leather needle, this is pretty obvious. Probably the single most helpful tool for sewing with leather, though, is a good presser foot, made for feeding through heavier layers. Mine is called a "jeans foot" and it came with my machine. I've been advised to use a walking foot with leather but I find that the jeans foot is a surer bet. In fact, I used my jeans foot for this whole project. Also, Anna recommended these Clover Wonder Clips in a great post about sewing notions recently and they were an excellent tool for holding the leather in place while I sewed.
So, all in all, a very fun, very satisfying project. I did not sew it perfectly (surprise) but I promised myself that I wouldn't go on about the mistakes I made. Once I started, I had a hard time slowing down and as a result, there are some imperfections (oh horror). I love my new duffle and I've got two more on the cutting table for the kids. Woot! If you'd like to see some more, be sure to head over to the sewalong pool and to Anna's pool too!
P.S. I got my zipper on Amazon, just remember that it should be NON-SEPARATING.
