Featured Etsian Artist~Satchelman

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Satchelman has some very wonderful Leather goods. All the bags are traditionally made and hand-stitched, wow, that must take a lot of work! I am far too impatient to hand stitch, my machine is used even when an item should be handstitched, lol. Kudos for the patience Satchelman!

These lustrous bags make me yearn for a motorcycle, preferably a pink one to match my favorite Pink Leather Handbag.. *sigh*

I could so be a "Pink Lady".

"Pretty in Pink Leather Purse Handbag" is my favorite! I'm a sucker for pink...

What's your favorite item?

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Satchelman

My interest in leather goods started with my grandad. As a side line (he worked a trip hammer in a foundery in Manchester) he made belts, leads and the like. As kids we always had cowboy holsters for our cap guns that he had made for us. I was fascinated with the tools and smell of leather. I used to help him a bit, really he was teaching me the basics. As I got older I borrowed his tools and started making things out of old pairs of shoes and bits of leather he had lying about. Eventually I bought my first side, I was amazed at how big it was. I read books and made bags, camera cases, slippers whatever anyone wanted. I ended up going to Cordwainers college in the 80s for a 3 year Diploma in Leather goods and Saddlery, where I filled in all the gaps in my knowledge. I worked for a few years as a pattern cutter/sample maker for various leather goods firms. I have kept my "hand in" over the years making things for people, friends and family, but as with most crafts if you try to sell to shops and even craft centres they put on a 100% markup and the prices end up far too expensive. With the advent of sites like ETSY and Folksy though it is possible to make a little money from your hobby though not enough (in my case) to turn it into a full time job. Like the majority of sellers on these sites I have a full time job as well as my hobby.

My product range is a mixture of the traditional and the unusual. Traditional styles and methods, almost all my goods are totally handmade, from start to finish no machines are used. I sometimes use unusual leathers for the style of bag, there are sometimes some wicked leathers on EBAY. I recently had a commission for a traditional two compartment briefcase in a gorgeous bridle leather that was Lipstick Pink!! A must at those important board meetings.I sometimes buy old suitcases and bags and recycle them, cutting off all the perished leather and producing new bags from old. They look fantastic with all the patina, aging and authentic knocked about look.

Almost all my bags are hand stitched and this takes time some bags take up to 8 working days to produce (that's a few weekends) and I try and price my goods as cheap as I can (I know they don't seem that way. I think we as consumers have got used to cheap imports, (I am as guilty as anyone) and if I paid myself the minimum wage I certainly would never sell anything. I would love to sell a bag to a "Movie Star" and get paid for the amount of work I put in. At the end of the day I do leather work because I love doing it and can cover my costs.

A lot of the ideas for my bags come from customers ordering something unique. Most of my work however is traditional styles that have been around for centuries. For instance, I have a "Dr's Bag" listed that is such an old style and that I intend to make in some stunning colours. I have lots of ideas floating around in my head, which as a fully trained pattern cutter and leather worker I can bring to life, I just need the time to make them reality.My favourite item is always the new project I am working on with a client, I love the challenge of making something new and different. I love almost all the items I make (there are some hideous monstrosities though ) some of the old favourites I can almost do with my eyes shut, but even with these you can alter a gusset or change a fastening and come up with a totally different bag.