I’m planning to make a hand sewn leather gig bag. While not exactly luthiery, I guess it’s ok to make a thread about this project?
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Leather gig bag sewing thread?
- Thread starter MPU
- Start date
So would I. Leatherwork has been one of my hobbies in the past.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I used heavy duty "button and carpet" thread recently to join two inexpensive leather straps to make a full length wide single layer strap. There are lots of good introductory Youtube videos to guide you and show how to do simple saddle stitch work.
What sort of experience do you have with either leatherwork or bag making? I've done lots of leatherwork in the past and the scope of something like this isn't for the faint of heart. Quality leatherworking tools aren't cheap either.
When I was a kid I learned a little by hanging out at a saddle shop and bugged the people that worked there. As I got older I found a retail leather shop that was full of old people that were a wealth of knowledge. One of the advantages of growing up in Texas I guess.
Don't think I'm discouraging you! I heartily encourage this endeavor.
When I was a kid I learned a little by hanging out at a saddle shop and bugged the people that worked there. As I got older I found a retail leather shop that was full of old people that were a wealth of knowledge. One of the advantages of growing up in Texas I guess.
Don't think I'm discouraging you! I heartily encourage this endeavor.
I did make a "gig bag" for my acoustic guitar after finding an entire hair on cowhide at a yard sale. I made it by simply folding the hide in half, cutting to a roughly triangular shape and adding a zipper across the lower bout end. It worked, but good soft or semi-rigid gig bags have so much engineering built into them to protect the instrument I would not attempt it now.
There's an interesting all leather banjo bag shown on the Brooks Banjo website that he had made for one of his instruments. There's probably a ton of homebrew examples out there.
There's an interesting all leather banjo bag shown on the Brooks Banjo website that he had made for one of his instruments. There's probably a ton of homebrew examples out there.
I have no experience about leatherwork. I have however studied textile crafts as a part of my teacher studies. I’ve made some clothes and boat upholstery in my past. I believe that if I can make a carbon fiber bass I can make a leather gig bag. And if everything fails I have plenty of material for my pupils to make keychains.
The gig bag I’m making is for holding the bass while going to rehearsals with my car, not to protect the bass from everything smaller than nuclear blast.
The gig bag I’m making is for holding the bass while going to rehearsals with my car, not to protect the bass from everything smaller than nuclear blast.
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We all say things like that in the beginning when we start on a project. Next thing you know, you're tearing an old Reunion Blues leather bag apart to make patterns.
Sounds like you have a good knowledge base to start with, especially if you've worked with upholstery. Very similar process with stitching and such. I bet you could find some old Al Stohlman articles online to fill any knowledge gaps you might have. He and his wife Ann sort of kicked off the idea of home leathercraft in the 60's and had some really great books and articles on how to do things.
I’ve watched hours of leathercraft videos on Youtube and gained a lot of information. While hand stitching a soft gig bag looks quite doable I’m sure there will be some things that require more studying. I think my goal is not too high, it just requires more stitching than a smaller bag. I guess Mrs will be pleased seeing me inside the house doind handcrafts versus me being in the garage doing woodworking. I suppose this is a project where the journey is more than the destination. I want to learn something new and this for sure is something I’ve never done before.
I have two leather gig bags. The black one has no label and is from the 1960’s.
It has a durable metal zipper. It fits a Precision nicely, but is very snug with a Jazz.
The brown bag is from Reunion Blues. Very nicely lined, but the plastic zipper could be better and the metal pulls are crap.
It has a durable metal zipper. It fits a Precision nicely, but is very snug with a Jazz.
The brown bag is from Reunion Blues. Very nicely lined, but the plastic zipper could be better and the metal pulls are crap.
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Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
It's all about understanding the processes, and knowing which tools are necessary (v. Merely desirable), and how to use, sharpen, and maintain them.
Since you seem to be a process-driven person, you'll do fine.
Advice: it always pays to complete a test piece before attempting the real thing.
A collection of test pieces can provide a more useful teaching experience than an entire textbook.
Good luck!
Handsewing is tough even on fabric. If you can find an older sewing machine that can do leather, that will help a lot. My wife has one and it can only do certain thickness. Also when she did it she did a lot of riveting as well, she went on a phase where she actually worked the leather from a carcass to something that you can work on -- and she employed my free manual labor and man it stunk. Anyway do not do that specially if you do not have a bigger property or live rural areas. Buy the leather ready to go.
I would suggest using vinyl for prototyping. That's what my wife did when she did bags and pouches. She actually made some cool frame drums and guess what - a logdrum.
I would suggest using vinyl for prototyping. That's what my wife did when she did bags and pouches. She actually made some cool frame drums and guess what - a logdrum.
One of the ”things” in this project is working with hands so no machine sewing. I’m making a sort of a prototype from thick paper and use that as a template. Stitch hole punch set, needles and thread should arrive on Monday, I have leather and zipper and I need to go and buy the liner and padding.
A stitching horse would be recommended for a piece as large as a gig bag. Small pieces can be done without (wallets, keychains, etc) but larger projects really need to be held firmly while saddle stitching.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
2 ply of leather, lining and padding - unlikely anything other than a commercial machine would work anyhow.
I agree that with something that big, you should have something to hold it in place, but just a few small c clamps would suffice.
I agree that with something that big, you should have something to hold it in place, but just a few small c clamps would suffice.
