Bark Tanned Hunting Bag

[G. Elsenbeck]

Feeling somewhat adventurous I got some bark tanned leather (deer) and decided to try to achieve an early style hunting bag with a 'free style' flap.  This one I thought might look better if it was 'flat sewn' rather than on the inside, to depict an early made bag.  That and the fact that the hide I got seemed too 'thick' to sew more conventional.  But, once applying some beeswax well into on around the seams, this should be just fine.  The bag measures about 7 1/2 " W by 9 1/2 H.
The horns I show on the last few are the genuine antique articles.  The darker one I had to repair the tip to 'close up' 3 cracks, but everything else was fine. 
Looking for critques/suggestions??
Gary

[rich pierce]

Watch out, the man is going Southern primitive!  I like it a lot.  It's fun to work in different styles.  Is the opening restrictive at all for a big hand?

[G. Elsenbeck]

Rich, thank you sir.  I didn't have too much problem getting my hand in as the nice thing about the leather, it isn't like veg tan and will flex.  Having said that I'm not a big guy though.  And yes, the older southern style is inspiration from a bag in Jim Webb's book trying to replicate what 'could have' been a bag from the revolutionary war period? 
Gary

[Tim Crosby]

 Like always, nice work Gary.  One strap is stitched up, what's up with that? Knife sheath?

 Tim C.

[G. Elsenbeck]

Ooops.  Ran out of my normal strapping (5-6 oz) and put together a couple pieces of 3 oz pieces.  Still waiting for some buckles to come in so it's not 100% done yet.  Figured the one sewn strap and one not pretty much looks right I used whatever I had on hand, lol.
Gary

[Model19]

How'd you sew that?

[Dancy]

Nice bag and great leather! Just my personel preference, but I think it might look better with a little less hair, shaved and/or trimed off.

Thanks for sharing,

James

[G. Elsenbeck]

James, my thoughts too.  I was going to do some trimming, but I thought I'd better wait before I rush into it.  You can always trim a bit at a time as it's not going to grow back on me it too much is done at once. 

Model 19 - not sure what you're referring to, but I did all this by hand.  You don't want to see me near a sewing machine, might be too much blood splatters,   .

Gary

[Model19]

Nice straight lines.  Machine sewing something like that is borderline cheating 
My problem is 24 years of tying shoes for a living (old time workboot store) has left my forearms semi-damaged from repetitive motion use.  So projects that big get painful for me.  But all the bags I've seen you guys here make inspire me to do one or two of my own anyways.   No pain no gain!  Or no brain?

[seesbirds]

Gary,

I love that bag!  You've done a great job on it.  Can't wait to see it paired with one of the horns.

Mark

[Jefferson58]

Nice-looking pouch Gary. The old, bark-tan stuff like this is fun to do. I just made one myself, and it has gotten a lot of attention.

The hair on the flap can be looked at in different ways, but it is always going to vary with the piece of leather you have. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I am not too sure about the binding on the inside lip, but it is a nice touch. Really early stuff probably did not have any binding of any kind, but then I have been  wrong before.

Thanks for sharing that one.

Jeff

[eagle24]

Very cool and unique.  Great job.  I like seeing something a little different.  Cobbling it together with "whats on hand" seems very appropriate for a Southern Pouch.

[david50]

nice looking bag,i like it. what is your source for bark tanned leather.

[James Rogers]

Super workmanship Gary. I do agree with Jeff that the workmanship exceeds the "quality" of the materials if tying to concentrate on "in the period" terms. Of course now days that gnarly old bark tan comes at a premium.  

[Jerry V Lape]

Interesting looking bag.  I do think even a frontiers man would have neatened up the edges of the front flap though.  But you have already addressed that.  I don't see any stitching so how did you fasten that binding to the bag opening? If you did what I think you did, roll both edges of the binding under and stitch through those two blind edges and the lip of the opening, that is a tough job and well done! 

[smorrison]

Nice bag Gary!  That really turned out nice.

Scott

[Kermit]

I just love these simple bags! VERY nicely done. If you bound that inside edge the way I think you did, that's some stitchin'! I gotta keep practicing...

[G. Elsenbeck]

Thanks for all the comments guys.  It may mean I'm getting close.

Jeff, your comment regarding the binding was something I did before I thought of the free style flap.  I was using a thin piece of moose hide to practice what we had discussed awhile back and after looking over a couple of Mills bags over the years I thought it would look 'right'.  Of course, trying to make everything look old and incorporate some details may end up accomplishing the opposite.  Sigh, I keep plodding on. 

James, yes good barktanning is getting expensive, but I find it very good leather for about any period you want to portray.   

Jerry and Kermit, as far as putting the binding on it was really a discussion I had with Jeff regarding how he accomplished his binding and after seeing the same technique on other maker's bags I thought I'd do the same on this bag.  I just simply lay a strip of my binding lay face down on the face of the leather portion face up.  Face to face.  I then decide to sew the binding about a ¼ inch from the edge.  Then you fold your binding towards you and tuck to the other side of the lip (in this case the inside of the bag).  What I did next was to begin my stitching from just under the binding on the face side and continue to the end.  If you use your linen thread close to the same color as the binding it gives you the impression it was blind sewn until you look closer.   

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.  They’ve been useful and as always, the learning process continues.   
Gary