How your bag is made
THE BOHLUXTM BAG
Louise was classically trained by a former Hermès employee who was trained and worked on the Kelly bag. Over the years Louise has honed her skills to become a Master Leather Artisan resulting in BOHLUXTM...Bohemian Luxury, where her motto is Handcrafted: “One beautiful piece at a time..."
THE CUTTING
At BOHLUXTM, we make bags one at a time. We start by examining the hides and skins to identify which area will work for each part of the bag. We use the same tools that artisans have used for the past 200 years like head knives, which are more precise, as they allow us to cut, prick, and make the marks for placing the clasps. Size and color may differ according to the hides and skins being used, as different leathers have different elasticity.
How much leather needed depends on the design. For example a 14” x 10” x 6” with rolled handles:
• One calfskin.
• 3 - 4 Alligator skins (as only the stomach is used, the rest is covered in bony scales).
• One and a half ostrich skins, so that there are as many follicles visible as possible.
• 4 – 5 lizard skins (the heads and tails are not used.).
At BOHLUXTM we use cotton thread or wax linen thread, which has excellent dimensional stability and will not be affected by different climates for hand-stitching. The thread is coated in beeswax so that is it waterproof and smooth.
THE TOOLS
BOHLUXTM uses the same tools that artisans did 200 years ago (we love that!) The most important element is the human hand; but there are four other tools that assist in the construction of a bag. The pricking fork resembles a comb with slanted pointed teeth that imprint the leather so that we know where to stitch, and to ensure the stitches are even. The awl is a thin, diamond-shaped pick that punctures the leather and makes way for the needles. The third tool, needles which are quite blunt and come in pairs. The fourth tool is the stitching post. Like a thimble to a seamstress, we have our own set of tools, which are extremely personal and mold and conform to our hands and movements.
THE ASSEMBLY
We start with the saddle stitching. The saddle stitch is a very solid stitch now used on all custom bags, belts, wallets and most other leather pieces. The technique involves crossing a thread over itself between two pieces of leather, and it is very strong because if one stitch breaks, the rest remain intact.
While saddle-stitching, the leather is held in a large wooden clamp (stitching post) that is held between the legs while stitching the item. It is quite a challenge to make a row of perfectly even hand-done saddle stitches, let alone an entire bag.
Other details on the bag include the manual bar tacking, which is always done by hand. There are a few parts of a BOHLUXTM bag that are machine sewn, which may include the inside pockets, the shoulder straps, and the zippers, and even these have hand-sewn manual bar tacks. The bar tack is used to finish the edge of a stitch. You can’t just leave the threads loose and you can’t cut them off at the end, as the stitch will unravel. Rather than tie a knot, at BOHLUXTM we hand-sew a bar tack which is then flattened with a hammer. The edges of the leather that are visible will be buffed with sandpaper, dyed, waxed, and polished several times to ensure they are soft, the correct color in order to match the bag, and are safe from humidity.
Any creasing on the bag is outlined by hand with a hot tool that needs a very strong, stable hand. The linings are always in leather, usually a very soft lamb, goatskin or plonge so that when the owner’s hand reaches into the bag, the inside feels soft and luxurious. Even the zipper teeth are polished to ensure they don’t have any rough edges and are soft to the touch.
As master leather artisans it takes us about 2 to 3 months lead time to assemble a bag. Essentially, the bag ends up being a part of the person it is created for. We start by stitching the lining to the inside pockets, and the linings for the small straps and the gussets. The straps are then sewn onto the back of the bag, and then the base is stitched to the two sides. The next step is to create the rigid handle, and then the shanks or handle loops are attached to the bag. The bag is no longer flat when we assemble the body, front and back with gussets. The edges are then buffed and dyed, as explained above, and the jewelry is attached (hardware.)
Once the bag is finished, it must be turned outside in, as some of the designs for BOHLUX bags are worked on from the inside out. Once the bag is turned, it will be lightly hammered and buffed to ensure the perfect shape and removes any traces of handling.
The final touch is to add the BOHLUXTM logo.
