m26: Navy Bridle Leather, Orange Stitch on the Flap
Navy bridle leather, a sand suede lining, and a stitch design on the flap in orange.
Navy, orange and blue
UK English bridle leather in navy, lined in sand calf suede. A nickel key lock closes the front, and a top handle with a ring sits above it. The flap carries a stitch design in orange. Everything else is stitched in blue. I made it in early 2024.
The stitch design
Every stitch is saddle stitched by hand: one thread, a needle at each end, both needles through the same hole from opposite sides. Tanner Bates notes that each stitch holds on its own, so one break does not unravel the row. New custom orders will not carry the flap design, so it is a feature of this sample only.
How navy bridle ages
English bridle leather starts as vegetable tanned leather and is hot-stuffed with oils and waxes before it is dyed. Nick’s Boots, a bootmaker says that leaves it stiffer and harder-wearing than other leathers, slower to break in and slower to patina.
Size
10 x 7 x 4 inches, hand saddle stitched, adjustable shoulder strap with 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.
