m23: The Saddle Bag
This one is a saddle bag, a crossbody with two compartments, and it ignores the usual rules on the inside.
Burgundy and natural
The flap and body are burgundy English bridle leather. The gusset and the strap are natural vegetable tanned leather, almost cream. A traditional nickel key lock closes the front. I made it in early 2024.
The video above shows my Blake saddle bag, a related design, in natural veg tan next to a bridle version. m23 is not the bag in that video, but the idea is the same: a small bag that hangs from the shoulder.
The cream will not stay cream
Natural vegetable tanned leather has no dye and no heavy wax. Tanner Bates, a UK leather company describes patina as the leather taking on skin oils, sunlight and moisture, getting darker in stages. On m23 that means the gusset and strap will change first, where your hands and the strap touch you. The burgundy bridle changes slowly, so the two will drift apart in color over the years.
Pink inside
The lining is pink Italian calf suede. Open the flap and the bag blushes.
Two compartments, one strap
9 x 7 x 4 inches with two 2 inch gussets, so the bag holds two compartments. Hand saddle stitched, with an adjustable shoulder strap and a 20 inch drop.
How it is made
The key lock is one of my high-end handmade locks, made by hand with brass parts, not the zinc pot metal found on most bags.
The suede is real: see the suede lining page for why I use it instead of microsuede, and the care page for how to look after it.
The bridle leather is described on my leather page, and the journal explains it in What English Bridle Leather Actually Is, and Why Briefcases Are Cut From It.
The seams are hand stitched; see The Saddle Stitch Explained: Hand-Sewing Leather Step by Step for the method.
