Okay, so it's been a while since there has been a blog post. Some of that is due to the success of the design and technique in our previous post. The hair-on-hide Sadie is really popular. Plus, we've begun mixing in an exotic animal hide -- Axis.
Axis is a type of adult deer that does not lose its "fallow" or "fawn" spots, even though it is fully grown. There are several spotted deer around the world. And the big designers are starting to take notice of the unique pattern. However, hardly anyone ever works with the actual hide. Most just print the design onto vinyl or fabric.
The reason that nobody makes an Axis bag is because of the difficulty in sewing hair-on-hide leather. The hair goes everywhere! Plus, one would need an additional sewing machine designed for leather and fur/hair. So, another benefit to hand-sewn leather goods is that our hands are just as capable of sewing regular leather as hair-on-hide leather.
Each Axis Sadie is fully-lined with premium lining and can have a pocket added. The lining adds the structure to make the big sit up straight. The lining is really nice, but it adds a lot of stitching. Therefore, each purse takes approximately 12 hours to make from start to finish. The end result is what I call the purse equivalent of a fur coat.