iPad Bag

I was recently gifted an iPad (very ironic because a while ago I had been running around the week before my friend’s wedding to get her this and they were SOLD OUT everywhere) and even though I still think its a giant iPhone (or a laptop with no keyboard) I decided I’d make the most of this device. It is advantageous to me for only one reason; it’s a lightweight tool for perusing the internet. You can’t really peruse with the iPhone because the screen is so small.

My main goal was to create a bag that could both house the iPad, and allow the user to use the iPad WITHOUT taking it out of my bag. I thought the bag design itself should reflect the design of the iPad, which is minimal. No design elements on this bag are added without reason.

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I really wanted to do something minimal after doing so many “visually enticing/gratuitous” projects, this was the perfect excuse. The only thing this bag showcases is the pony skin material and the iPad.
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You notice the edges of the leather are all smoothed out and polished, this is a process called burnishing, which I’ll explain later.
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Front and back, without the straps.
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The transparent material that is nested in between the leather was something I tested against the screen of the iPad. I wanted to see if my hands could still interact even with this transparent sheet on top of it and yes, it could! You can do everything you want with it without having to take it out of its case.
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earphone holes and the “Power On” button were considered for the design as well.
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I haven’t really looked into buying any applications but there is one I really like which is free, and that’s the netflix app. You can’t watch netflix on iPad the way you can on a normal computer, you need to download the application to use netflix.

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If you’re stuck in the subway waiting for a train at 2 am in the morning (you know you’ll wait a good 30 minutes to an hour) you can watch your favorite shows. In my case that would be LAW AND ORDER SVU. On second thought I really would NOT want to be watching SVU at 2 am waiting for the train. Bad idea. MUNCH is my favorite character on the show, along with Captain Cragen.

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Wearing YSL grid necklace, theory blazer, The Row long sleeved shirt and Nike leggings. The bag can be worn at at the hip or shortened. I can’t even be bothered to put on an “enticing” outfit, for now its gym leggings and a throw on blazer.
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Okay so as if this post wasn’t long enough, I’m going back a step here and going through the process of burnishing leather. It’s something you’ll notice on bags where the edges of the cut leather are sanded and smoothed out. It doesn’t necessarily make any designed object better, sometimes the designer may decide to go with the “Raw edge leather” look as an aesthetic choice, but for this bag the burnish method was used generously for that ‘finished look’. This is just one part of the process, I decided to photograph steps of the bag extension being made (you’ll notice if you scroll up you can wear it at two lengths).

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This is the extension strap that has been fed through the cutter, this device that hooks onto the edge of tables cuts such clean lines that it is almost impossible for me to go back to the knife and ruler.

The pony skin has bonded with another leather strip. You see right now the edges are raw and unfinished…

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In comes this Fortuna leather skiving machine (machine is more than 100 years old). This shaves thick leather so that it is easier to work with. Leather is hard to work with when you have to seam two pieces together, the seams can get VERY THICK and bulky, so this machine evenly shaves the leather so that its workable when you are doubling layers.

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One side of this leather has been shaved, so its easier to seam or double up.
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Creating a loop here for the D ring.
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This piece gets the treatment too, you’ll see why in a second.
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Now this piece has been thinned as well.
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I shaved this piece because I had to loop it over the D ring, and it would have created a thickness that I would not want. It is easier to sew through this piece now that it has been shaved.

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A small top stitch needs to be applied to this strap, to hold all layers together.
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I got this machine for my shoe-making projects. It is also used through the burnishing process. Machines are ugly, no?
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So now I am smoothing the edges of this piece after I stitched it.

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Now I am applying a special chemical that gives the raw cut leather a smooth and polished effect. So to perform this miniscule step, you need a chunky ass sanding machine that makes an incredibly noisy sound. I applied about 5-6 layers, before I brought it back to the sander.
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After it dries you run it through you sand it down again, with a finer grain so it gets really really smooth. This was before it was sanded.
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Here a view of the slight difference that this machine makes, you can see the painted and dried edge, and then the smoothed edge in the middle. sanded

iPad bags are now available in my shop.