I finally took a chunk of time to make myself a new bag for daily use. When deciding on the design, the big question was "should it be simple and refined, only what it needs to be, or should it be elaborate, eye-catching and something to show off what I can do?" Showing off won out in the end, plus I've really had the urge to experiment with scales. But not just any scales - they needed to be longer, thinner and more withered looking. I ended up using a lot of the edges of the deer-tanned cowhide that was used for this bag, so there are variations in the leather from the tanning process and more frayed and ragged edges. With the exception of the flap, the bag itself is fairly simple and straightforward. One large zippered compartment, lots of smaller pockets on the outside with snap closures, and a number of slots for pens and pencils. An adjustable strap was constructed from a different leather (oily utility hide), and a brass buckle was ground on and distressed prior to tarnishing. I've gotten lots of comments on this particular bag, although some of them have been more along the lines of "why the hell did you make this?"One thing to note - I don't know what's wrong with my camera, but there was only one leather used for this bag and it's all the same shade of black, not the purple-tinted black that the photos show.
