Other Pics of this piece:
Trigger Snap and Handle Detail
Tooling and Buckle Detail
Zipper End Detail
Exterior of open Case
Interior of open Case
Pockets on inside front
Detail of Pockets, unfastened
Handle Detail
Writer's Briefcase
As of October, 1998, this was my most difficult (i.e. biggest learning experience) project yet. Not only did I have to do a whole mess of project design, figuring out how the pockets should work, I had a lot of construction techniques to learn. This description will simply not suffice, no matter how good it is. If you aren't looking at the pictures, go look at them. They'll tell you pretty much everything you need to know.A couple things worthy of making note of:
The small pockets on the inside front are held shut with button studs on the "bottom" of the pockets. This was to save/allow as much room as possible for the notepad and anything on the binder. With regular snaps, the pockets would have been an additional 1/4" or more thick. With tuck-in flaps, they might have come open.
Everything is HAND done. Even the stitching of the zipper to the gusset is hand stitching. Lacing, of couse, is by hand (about 25 YARDS of the stuff!). And all the tooling (the most I've ever done on a single project) is all hand done, from a modified pattern in an old leathercraft manual I found in a used bookstore.
Easily one of my proudest achievements to date, but there's a ton of things I'll do better next time! ;-)
This case measures approximately 11"x14"x3".
Price: $1,000+ (YES, that's correct)