![\"duffel](\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4385\/36348319630_e12284e7c6_z.jpg\")
<\/a>\nThis present was probably one of the most complex projects I’ve ever completed, and an exercise in patience. Sewing really thick fabric on my dinky non-commercial sewing machine was pretty touch and go, and for some sections of the bag I had to advance the needle manually to prevent it from snapping. The first package of cotton webbing I ordered was the wrong color, and when the second was too, I ended up dyeing it (twice) so it would better match the canvas. My leather working skills are not as good as I’d like, so as soon as I finished the first strap pad, I deemed it sub-par and started a second one. It was a process.<\/p>\n
Thank you for 8 blissful years, my love!<\/p>\n Click here for past anniversaries: 7<\/a>, 6<\/a>, 5<\/a>, 4<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nick is not easy to shop for. Not only does he not need much, the things on his wish list are typically specialized, esoteric implements that I don’t feel comfortable buying without his input. When he actually needs something I … Continue reading ![\"zipper](\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4359\/36744438355_fcc5afdedb_z.jpg\")
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\nTraditionally, the 8th anniversary gift is bronze. I tried to find bronze notions to use on this bag, but the best I could do was antiqued brass. This wasn’t going to cut it, so I ordered some bronze sheet metal (which, incidentally, looks exactly like the brass I’ve already got) and stamped out a name plate. It should develop a patina over time and match the antiqued brass I used for the rest of the duffel bag.<\/p>\n![\"name](\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4375\/36348321400_390df34f07_z.jpg\")
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\nIn spite of the sheer number of challenges this project presented (or, perhaps, because of them), I’m pretty proud of the outcome. It’s a really well made bag that should last a long time, and most importantly, Nick loves it!<\/p>\n