Author Topic: My Latest "Bag"  (Read 5174 times)

BlackleafHats

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My Latest "Bag"
« on: September 05, 2010, 04:38:20 AM »
My latest unmarked unnamed shoulder bag. Linen Body, Ticking inner, Pewter buttons, hand sewn throughout, French seams up the sides.
Cheers
Morgan Shea


RoaringBull

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2010, 05:08:02 AM »
very nice indeed.

Offline Artificer

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2010, 05:14:25 AM »
French seams, eh?  Nice touch.

I have used haversacks patterned off originals for Rev War and War of 1812 for the past 35 years.  They probably were OK to carry bread and a portion of salt pork or beef and whatever the soldier also crammed in there.  I've found they bunch up and mishape easily and it's not real easy to get things out of it and it seems way too easy to lose things out of them.

I doubt any government would have paid for a lined haversack due to the expense, but I bet yours would be handier to carry in the field.  Also like the three button arrangement as that helps keep things in the bag better.

Gus

BlackleafHats

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2010, 04:57:26 PM »
Gents 

Thanks for the kind words. I like this one. I don't want to start up the H word conversation one more time, but this is what I think about when starting work on a bag like the last two I put up. Finding more than one directive from different colonies that their militia needed to supply a equipment at their own expense, I start asking questions.

Where would they go? Militia-Mart, Sacks-R-Us...

It's the term "at their own expense" that makes wonder, and without any specific documentation again I have to, as the artist, try to put myself back in 18th century shoes.
I'm a man charged to be part of a Civilian Militia. I need a sack. What do I do?

Lets suppose I have money: I could go to tailor or milliner of the day and have one whipped up. Lets suppose money is tight: My wife has some linen, and for my artistic interp, lets say that the linen is a little light... ah! But she also has some ticking lying around, and she lovingly sews her man a new bag so that he can be ready to go defend his country.

It's not just bags that I wonder about... we know about milliners and gun makers and the items they made. Again I am new to this community and board. Were there people who just made horns and shooting bags or would they have been done in tack shop or some other shop?

That's just a little bit of the running process my mind goes through when setting out on a project like this.

Cheers
Morgan Shea
Blackleaf Leather   

eseabee1

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2010, 06:23:58 PM »
Nice looking Bag Morgan

Offline skillman

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2010, 07:36:03 PM »
Morgan

My wife has a book No Idle Hands, the Social History of American Knitting. Anne L. Macdonald author. Read chapter two in particular.
I believe you're on the right track.
Nice bag.
Steve
Steve Skillman

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2010, 11:27:47 PM »
"Where would they go? Militia-Mart, Sacks-R-Us... "

Great humour there.  Grin. 

Here's a link to colonial occupations you may find useful or interesting.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sam/occupation.html
 
A Harness maker or saddler would most likely been the most common tradesman who made shooting bags/pouches.  Cordwainers and cobblers may also have dabbled in it as they had the tools and leather working knowledge. 

Gus

JohnnyM

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2010, 04:39:50 AM »
Hey, Morgan, nice lookin' HAVERSACK!  There! I said it!  The emperor has no clothes!  The emperor has no clothes!  But he do wear a haversack!
Good workmanship.  Neat job.
Regards,
John

rickevans

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2010, 05:39:24 PM »
I am in the process of making a few out of hemp canvas. More of a S. E. area material from what I can find. Lots of hemp growing in Virginia, Carolina, Georgia along the coasts. Hemp bag, straps made from hemp canvas, and using hemp thread to sew it all up. 

What is a french seam? I sure like your artistic interpretation and your craftsmanship.

BlackleafHats

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Re: My Latest "Bag"
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2010, 08:52:22 PM »
I am in the process of making a few out of hemp canvas. More of a S. E. area material from what I can find. Lots of hemp growing in Virginia, Carolina, Georgia along the coasts. Hemp bag, straps made from hemp canvas, and using hemp thread to sew it all up. 

What is a french seam? I sure like your artistic interpretation and your craftsmanship.

A French Seam is a seam that is sewn twice. First it is sewn wrong way out, and then the piece is turned right side out and sewn again. The First Seam is trapped inside the second seam. There are some decent tutorials online if you just google "french seam". This bag is what I would call a rough french seam... going for a more rustic look.