Khela, progress

My latest Collection is big leap from the first attempts to sew leather three years ago. And, the very trustworthy new machine I got last year has been an extraordinary help. I am so glad I was able to do the kind of stitching I always wanted, and in the past, although I knew I had the skills to do it well, I simply did not have the machine, that does not let me down in those critical moments. I like exposed stitching, pleats, folds and sculpting, and this Collection has been based on that...

My new confidence has delivered perhaps the most complex crown to date - a low-key and  functional one, which was the true intention behind it. You've probably did not even notice it, yet is has been relentlessly doing its job - on Khela bag... The bat-wing zipper expansion....

The zippers inserted into the crown of Khela allow the wearer a wider access to the inside of the bag when needed, and close it when not needed. I came up with that idea after once trying to quickly allocate an umbrella inside one of my bags. What if there was a space inside a bag, I thought, where I could stand the umbrella upright, with the handle right at the top, so I can pull it out in a split second...

The zips are facing the outside, and the nubuc of the 'bat wing' faces the inside. I need to do at least four inversions of the bag parts, before I can fully attach it to both  - front and back of the bag. Then, four more for the other side...

Now, it is time to connect the top of the crown and enclose it: two more inversions to the inside-out to stitch, and back again - to, later, top-stitch. I love top-stitching, and do it whenever possible. The varying tensions bring out the colour properties of leather. Here, a Khela is being built in gorgeous Harness Brown - coming soon for FW 2012...

Top-stitching is the most demanding part of the build. It comes, when most of the bag has already been assembled, so way too late to mess up - and practically no room to start over...  Yet, top-stitching can be the most important detail of the design, and it can be the one trait, that grabs the eye. The zippers get sewn in twice - on the bad side, and then, top-stitched on the good side.  Those are some firmly holding zips...

 The top-stitching also follows through the very centre of the bag - this is where I tend to go really slowly, especially through those centre folds of the outer shell. It pays.

And then... some fifteen inversions, countless folds and pleats later, we have the assembled bat-wing crown of the Khela...  Lastly, on comes the flap closure and the strap holes. The zips look gorgeous, and really do serve a purpose. See a Khela wearer pull out a water bottle right out of that corner, or swing out an umbrella in a second, makes it all worth the effort and the handiwork.

This is how they look like, when complete: Mahogany, Harness Brown and Cafe.  

Khela bags are available at the Webshop and Favourite Gifts in North Van


Posted by Jolanta http://jolavdesigns.com