Finally its finished. The bag has its handle and as you can see its a braided strap, yet another experiment. I got the idea from a leather whip braiding book and I am rather pleased with the result. At the moment it creaks a little when you move it but that will change once its settled down. The actual braiding is quite clever. You slit the middle section of a strap to make three pieces whilst remaining connected at each end, and then you plait it. Sounds simple until you try. You will need to see the video to see how its done.

This whole project has been an experiment from start to finish, a fusion of fabric and leather to create the bag, with the addition of a lining to the fabric, and finally a new style of strap. Some of the techniques I think I will use again and incorporate into my everyday designs, and some I may try and avoid. If anyone has any comments, if you love or hate the bag, or the strap do let me know, I welcome all feedback even if you hate it.

The video which goes through the techniques in more detail will have to wait a week or so, A summer holiday beckons.

Thanks for reading Tom.