Research

For research purposes I asked my friend who does leather bag making at London College of Fashion what her step by step process is in bag construction.

Method of bag construction

• Get design, basic construction eg an envelope shape
• Cut shapes out of card
• Build bag out of card to find right shape
• Make card shapes again including seams
• Place shapes on leather and cut them out
• Assemble interior first, either drop in lining or fixed lining
• Attach pockets, fastens first before constructing final bag
• Attach the other layer to the bag to finish

Since we are doing Chanel I asked her how she would achieve the embossed CC design that they are known for.

The method is called plugging, get a piece of leather that would be the top layer, cut out the logo on card and glue the top leather to the bottom layer. Use a bone folder (ivory stick) to press down the leather between the logo to bring out the detail.

Rachel