Prototyping and Sampling

You have it! A new design! Time to cut it out and make it! 

Whoa. Whoa, there. Hold on. I’ve also been at this point and have been all too excited to start the project…but there are some things you need to consider first before slashing into that perfect irreplaceable leather hide. Not to mention, thinking it through will save you time, energy and maybe some sanity!

To consider:

Leather type:  Leathers are all different depending on the animal and the processing the leather has gone through to make the final hide.  I will save leathers for a different post, but note that they all have a different feel and thickness. Some are soft and supple. Others are thick and very stiff.  Some are stretchy and some are non-elastic.

Leather thickness : The thickness of your leather can affect the length and width of your pattern pieces depending on your construction methods. 

Reinforcement materials:  This ties into the leather thickness. If you are working with a thinner leather that needs added stability or If your design calls for a stiffer construction or 3D effect in all/certain parts, then you need to take this into consideration. Reinforcements can be additional leather pieces, foam, fabric, salpa (a kind of reformed leather made from scrap leather and polymers) or even cardboard.

Construction steps: You don’t want to be making your bag and run into a moment where you say “shoot, I should have done X first” or “how am I going to finish this area, my piece is too short” when your project is halfway done. A prototype can help you trouble shoot the project before going to your final materials.

Hardware placement: Placement of Male/Female hardware is best done during the prototype phase so that they can line up correctly later on. Also, many types of hardware have a minimum and maximum thickness range that they work well in. If your project is thinner or thicker in the area you will be using a certain kind of hardware, you may need to add /subtract a bit thickness to aid in easy hardware installation.

…and, yes, even the overall design! It’s true. There are times where you make a prototype and discover that it just isn’t what you thought it may be. Often, a little pattern alteration or a complete revamp can be done. You’ll be glad you tested it all out beforehand.

With all that in mind, let’s keep going.

Let’s say you’ve sketched your design and/or have it in your mind’s eye. Great! If you haven’t sketched it out, do a little one. Still like it? The make it in paper first. Grab some soft paper (for a flexible or soft bag) or some cardstock paper(for a more structured bag) and mock it up in actual size. Bring out your rulers and pencil. I like to use my french curve and hip curve - rulers used in apparel clothing patternmaking - to make clean curves and subtle shaping. Cut out the shapes. Tape them up to see if you like what you see. 

From here, you can see of your shape lives up to what you were envisioning. Now, where are the handles or strap going to be placed? Is there a zipper? Draw it all out on the bag, use more paper and get what you want out of it. Now, how is this bag coming together? Are you sewing it to have all the seam allowances facing out? In? A combination? If you need to change the shapes slightly to get your construction to fit, please, use more paper and get that pattern as correct as you can. Did you add your seam allowances (the extra fabric between the stitching line and the cut edge of the fabric - this is usually overlapping or joining pieces together) Add them now if you haven’t! 

From here, I like to test in sections. For example, this one bag (above paper picture), using my paper pattern pieces, I cut out the big front and back in leather. I knew that I want this bag to be more structured, which means it is stiffer and won’t flop over. I’m using a lamb hide, which is very soft, so I needed a reinforcement layer glued to the hide. I tested out two reinforcement thicknesses with my outer leather & with a suede lining. This way, I can feel with my hands how I want the bag to feel. 

With prototype assembly, I  also like to note the order of construction assembly steps. This way you can follow a step-by-step assembly process so that you don’t miss anything along the way or glue something together at the wrong time. 

 I also tested out a section of my handle, to ensure my pattern was compatible with the leather cording that I had on hand for the interior of the handle. 

Once you feel you have tested and done your due-diligence on all the possible problem areas of construction and have your steps of assembly, then you are ready to make a more well thought out version of your design!

-Britta