My Half Term Project

[Chalet School Fan]

I wanted a leather satchel - loads of the girls I teach have them - and decided to make one from a kit I ordered at the Farnborough craft show in February. It was from a company called the Simple Way, which I think have been on C&C. I'm really pleased with the result, although my fingers are sore from using waxed thread. Haven't seen one in these colours in the shops!

[pyjama princess]

I love satchels! Must be from when I went to grammar school and had to have one for all the books. They do seem very popular at the moment and I've see kits to make them. You'll be the envy of all the pupils taking that to school CSF! Love the colours too.

[Waterlily]

That's lovely CSF.

[Dips]

That is really lovely CSF, how smashing to have made it yourself and your colour choice is gorgeous.

[clumsycrafter]

Wow, I am impressed! I love it and the colour too.

[Jacksmissis]

That's really lovely CSF, I always wanted a satchel when I was at school and eventually Mum & Dad sent one to Santa one year, I was so proud of it, used to polish it regularly with saddle soap !!

[Chalet School Fan]

If anyone else fancies making one the colour scheme I chose was cobalt blue and lipstick! I had a longish wait before I got the kit because of the difficulty of getting the blue leather - I could have had navy earlier, but I hung on for the cobalt! It's easy enough to assemble as it is only running stitch - but it took me 4 days because my fingers needed to recover from pulling on the stiff waxed thread . Sewing the handle on was the fiddliest bit as it meant working inside the bag. But the kit was very well made and pretty well idiot proof!

[lovepaperstroking2]

That is really lovely CSF.Weel Done for making it.I love satchels..reminds me of the one I had at school.Seen some lovely bright coloured ones in the shops.

[Julie]

I love it !

[Craftysusan]

Brilliant CSF, I didn't realise you could buy kits for satchels and lovely colour too.

[jube]

I love it too, the colour is lovely congratulations.

[Summer]

That's so smart CSF, what a great project!

[Little Jan]

Wow clever you I could never sew my own
you will be the envy of all the girls in your school
I had a brown leather one when I was at school
and also saddle soap it most kids had them and they were not expensive
my daughter had one bright yellow and red she loved it
when she was at school still had it in a box till she moved out and took it to charity shop was a bit miffed when she saw the price of them on ebay
we have a shop in Cambridge that does them any colour or design you like but the prices are up there with top designers

[Chalet School Fan]

It was the cost of the bags in the shops that made me sew my own - it wasn't a cheap kit, but the leather is lovely and about half the cost of ready made. Plus I could chose whatever colour combination I wanted, which made it feel more exclusive!

[debo]

Wow! Well done CSF!! That's beautiful! I love the colour and it looks so well made. I would never have dreamed that you could make one yourself. I think it's worth the sore fingers to have something that wonderful.

[RozMinis]

Brilliant. I could do with a shoulder bag, preferably one with lots of pockets. :)

Bought a Christmas heart kit from them at the Harrogate show last November. Very easy to make up, and something different for the Christmas trees. :)

Roz

[Mitzi]

This is wonderful! I can imagine it being very tough indeed on the fingers.

When I went to secondary school satchels were definitely not cool; a briefcase was the thing to have. But I wanted a satchel so that's what I got, and I never regretted it. Don't know what happened to it after I left, though.