.leather schmeather.

If you are into sewing you are bound to have a lot of bags. I have made myself many a bag over the years, mostly using Amy Butler bag patterns because they always suit my needs (big, easy access, slip over the pram, etc.) I have reached the point where I am ready for a change though...I still want to make myself a bag, but I want something a bit different. Something unique and not so much fabric.

I've had a design in my head for the last couple of months for a funky LEATHER bag. I have never sewn with leather before but I do have a leather foot for my sewing machine so I figure that I should just give it a go! Had no idea where to buy leather from though and sent out a few SOS emails and hunting online with not much luck, then a friend of my brother's and I were talking (she's that stunner on the front of the Shearwater Kaftan pattern) and she told me about a local leather store she bought some from recently to make a lampshade (sounds funky!). I finally got there yesterday and was so excited to find EXACTLY what I wanted. It is dark brown, thin and super soft and will get that nice crumpled look after a bit of wear. It is going to be lined with a cotton fabric and I sorted through my stash this morning and settled on this print from Amy Butler's Love collection. I'm thinking I'll need some kind of bag hardware to give it a bit of spunk so might pay a visit to this store...

I'll keep you updated...excited to be sewing something out of the ordinary!