Balm for the Sole

I love the feel and look of old leather. Being a vegetarian (wannabe vegan actually) I never buy new leather products. But I enjoy using old - preferrably really old like 50 plus years - leather items like camera straps, cases and bags. Even though what I come across at second hand or flea markets finds most often is mass-produced, I cherish the sense of using something that a skilled craftsperson has used their hands to make.
  Two weeks ago I bought a leather bag for 10 crowns (€1) at a flea market. It certainly didn't look like much, being all dried up, crumpled and pale. But what caught my eye was some details that made it look like it was designed to look nice.

It is a small traveller's bag or overnight bag.

 The zipper fabric had deteriorated. Removing it was like tearing paper.

I've changed zippers on two leather bags previously, so had a couple short bits laying around. I thought it would be a nice touch to combine them.

I soaked the all surfaces in leather balm - which I bought at Haga Trätoffelfabrik in Gothenburg. It made the leather more healthier looking and gives it more strength. The zippers I sew by hand with a thick-ish cotton thread through the existing holes. It looks cool to use a colour thread that makes the sewing pattern visible, and it is rather durable - though not as if it was made by a professional, of course.

 I'm very happy with the way it ended up. I will definitely use it for weekend travel. Making a new life to vintage things gives a very satisfying feeling. And it's so easy - most of what you give/spend is time. That's why I keep selling vintage cameras. And using them!

Welcome to my Instagrams: #flashknappen #ourbooksmalmo #getourart
and the Etsy shop getOurBooks filled with old cameras and their accessories.