You will need:

1) Airtight leather, cut into the shape you want for your bag. Our preferred bag leather thickness is 1.6mm (our airtight hides, sufficient for 8 or 9 bags, are available to buy via the npu store).

2) 1.2 metres of strip material. 30mm or 31mm wide. 1.1mm or 1.2mm thick (comes along with hides bought via the npu store).

3) Linen thread, unwaxed.

4) Latex glue.

5) Beeswax

6) A water bath and glass bowl for melting beewax.

7) A needle nosed pliers.

8) Tapestry needles (i.e. needles without a sharp point).

9) A compass with two pointy ends (i.e. a dividing compass). The ends shouldn't be too sharp, you can dull them with sandpaper if they are.

 

Section A: Preparing the bag

Section B : Preparing the thread

 Section C: Making the holes

Section D: Stitching the bag

Section E: Testing a stitched bag

Our standard for bags is a sit test. You inflate a newly stitched bag, insert a piece of plastic to protect the inside of the neck, wrap a section of spare border leather to equalise the level of the neck leather with the stitched border strip, use two pieces of metal and clamp them tightly shut.

This is the acceptance test that we would recommend for every new bag you buy before it is cut for stocks.