*** The official and awesome DIY thread ***

[colabear]

Mixed Print shirt

 

[havensk]

Hello, I made these two belts last week and was very happy with how they turned out.

 

[Kwaker]

Very nice work on the edges.

 

[colabear]

Tutti Frutti shirt

 

[noob in 89]

The last two are great, but you need a label. Something like:

a
~ COLA-BEAR ~
joint​

 

[havensk]

Here's a passport wallet I just sent out for someone. I make my own patterns which really helps when I need to re-make something. It's Wickett & Craig English bridle leather from Pennsylvania in Chestnut. Definitely one of my favorite leathers to work with.

 

[colabear]

Sacred Heart

 

[flowcharts]

Did some quick mods to an Alpha Industries M65 (OG107 from '82). Heavily inspired by Needles Rebuild and Sacai
-Removed epaulets & hood
-Lightly tapered the body to lessen hip flare
-replaced bottom section w/ vintage tapestry, remade and reattached drawstring hem.
-replaced drawstrings w/ paracord
-moved chest pocket to the back. I couldn't get a pic that made this look good--definitely looks better worn.

I'm still undecided, but I think I'd like to put eyelets on the outside for the midsection drawstring as. I may also sew along the edges of the elbow darts to make them more pronounced

 

[troika]

Cola, you are seriously talented my dude

 

[colabear]

Monsieur X jacket

 

[flowcharts]

Just got around to taking pics -- I made this bag and have been using it for a couple weeks now.

Spoiler: More pics & notes

• Duck canvas outer, outdoor poly liner, Wickett & Craig American Vachetta leather, Riri M6 zip, solid brass hardware
• This was my first bag-- I made the pattern and put together a half-scale paper version first. I wanted a little bit of structure while still keeping a 'tote' feel, so I made the base out of a double layer of canvas and gave it defined corners. The rest of the body is just a front & back piece, without any definition where the corners would be. It's 14"x14", 4" deep at the base tapering to 2" at the top.
• The outside pockets are slightly asymmetrical. The right pocket is made to fit a water bottle.
• The lining is drop-in, made of medium-heavy indoor/outdoor fabric--it helps with structure, and the fabric type means it's easy to keep clean. It's got standard dividers for a laptop/notebook, wallet, pens, sunglasses slot, and a hidden pocket for fun.
• I coffee-dyed the zipper to match the canvas. The color came out great. I think the heat & salt exposure caused the pull to tarnish, but I'm not too worried about it.
• I wasn't able to get rid of the glue lines. This was my first time gluing & stitching any non-black leather. I guess I'll have to put more pressure on my gluing next time.
• All the leather is saddle stitched, with a knot in every stitch. I definitely got better as I went--the shoulder strap was the last piece done, and the tension and consistency of my stitching is way better than the rest. It was something like 1600 stitches for all the leather. I'm never doing that again.
• Leather is lightly topcoated with diluted resolene. Since it's veg-tan, it should darken with time and use. I'm hoping the resolene will protect the it enough to keep it from getting that nasty look you see on a lot of unfinished veg-tan
• My only hiccup pattern-wise was recessing the zipper. There were a couple spots that couldn't be reached with a sewing machine and had to be hand-stitched.
• Last picture is next to a Filson 256, which has been my everyday bag for the past 3(?) years

 

[colabear]

A O is A O sleeveless jacket

 

[havensk]

Just got some photos of one of my wallets after 8 months of everyday use. So cool to see.

Here it is new

Here it is currently

Spoiler: More photos

 

[DubbyThaFerrgamoCZAR]

Had this shirt for a year now and just decided to do something to it two weeks ago.

 

[Spehsmonkey]

Waffled on whether to visibly or (sorta) invisibly mend my Engineered Garments shirt with a fat tear in it, and ultimately went with visible mending: