Backpack Update - The Final Steps

These are the last parts to be attached onto my backpack. These are the various connector pieces that will attach the shoulder straps. This being my first time working with this kind of hardware I have learned many lessons. Namely, brass and leather sure look good together. The next post will feature pictues of the final piece.



Backpack Progress + Laptop Sleeve

Work continues on the the backpack prototype. The actual bag portion is almost complete. The next steps will be attaching buckles and straps, the detailing of which has yet to be pinned down. This weekend will hopefully prove fruitful.

 Here are images from my latest completion. This is a laptop sleeve that I made for my new 13" Macbook Pro. This is the prototype, and I am quite happy with the outcome. It is much like making a large wallet. This spring has proven to be filled with new projects. There are a few more on the drawing board now.



Work in Progress

 I have started my greatest endeavor yet, in relation to working leather; a backpack. I have been documenting most of my steps and will be posting them as I go. The bag is made of chap leather and suede and is being hand stitched with waxed nylon thread. Below are the front pockets, and then the front panel. Below that is a detail of the stitching of the pockets. The dimensions are 12"x14"x3" (W,L,D).  

Indian Point + Eagle Creek

Pencil+Pen Pouch

For all who are looking at going back to school this Fall, like I am, I have just whipped up a handy little pouch for your most prized writing utensils. This is hand stitched suede with waxed linen thread.

Chicago In Parts - Part 4 (The Final)

Ferris Bueller House

             Pilsen Neighborhood   |   Wicker Park Neighborhood

While driving through Chicago neighborhoods, I found it odd that there was so much stuff out on the streets. Buckets, chairs, stools, and other household items seemed to be strewn about the sidewalks and streets. Remnants of post-blizzard debris?  Alas, this was no wreckage and instead an understood system of rights and ownership between neighbors. Where those chairs now stand there used to be many feet of snow. As residents shoveled out a niche for their car, they now held the rights to that space. The items scattered along the streets, therefore, were placeholders. I was fascinated and impressed that residents, without direct dialogue, had respected this code of shared public space.

Trains are an integral characteristic of Chicago's urban fabric. As a hub of industry and commerce, the city has long been a major destination for goods en cross-continental route. While most of the industrial rail lines run on the grounds surface, most of the commuter lines run above ground; with the exception of the two lines that run beneath the city. In theory, elevating the rails would allow the space below to remain uninterrupted by the impeding trains. In practice however, what has resulted is a dead zone that follows the entirety of the commuter-rail system. The disproportionate structure looming overhead, paired with the amplified sound of the trains, has generated a public space that is oppressive to its users, and neglected by its neighbors.

                                                                      Mies Van De Rohe   |   Anish Kapoor

I will end my segment on my trip to Chicago with these architecturally iconic structures. As previously discussed, Chicago respects and supports innovative design. This has lead to a flourishing art culture, as well as numerous buildings built by some of the most renowned architects. Mies Van De Rohe has a strong presence in Chicago's built environment. The building above is the School of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology. The building's structural simplicity allows for a bold, graphic impression on the setting while also allowing the interior to be expansive and unadulterated with tectonic elements. It should be noted however, that when analyzing non-structural systems within the building, it becomes obvious just how inefficiently the building functions. The exposed I-beams are freezing to the touch, and although there are a line of heat vents pumping along the perimeter of the space, the closer the user is to the window, the more buttons they snap on their jacket. The other photo above is of the iconic "bean" ; a sculpture located within Millennium Park. Its scale is impressive, however its site placement allows it to remain accessible to the multitudes of visitors who flock to it on a sunny day.

Chicago In Parts - Part 3

Garfield Park Conservatory

An oasis within snow-covered Chicago, the Garfield Park Conservatory was one of the most impressive places I visited on my trip. There are several rooms, such as the one pictured above, made entirely of glass and metal, and each containing a unique ecosystem. There is a room with a desert, another with spring flowers, another with tropical fruit trees. Stepping from below freezing slush covered street and into a humid rain forest is a truly remarkable experience. Hopefully the multitude of imagery collected from this visit will find its way into my upcoming designs.

 IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center by OMA

With my friend and I both having acquired degrees in architecture, there was a great deal of architectural nerding-out that took place. Chicago's architecture is extremely diversified. The city seems to have long held a high regard for the relationship of meaningful architecture within a dense industrial context. This relationship has resulted in an impressive architectural conglomerate. Above are photos from our visit to Illinois Institute of Technology's campus. Rem Koolhaus's design of the student recreation center is truly impactful. While the structure, spanning a section of the campus beneath the elevated rail line, has a strong exterior presence, it is the detail of the interior that really holds the impact. Above is an example of the greater effect, the warm glowing hallway that readjusts your eyes color perception, and when you walk up to the window you notice the above detail. The use of this honeycomb patterning within the window pane creates an interactive movement between the reflection of the sunlight and the location of the inhabitant. The circular streak shone above is the reflection of the sun on the window plane, this circle would move with you as you walked down the hall, while also growing and shrinking in diameter depending on your distance from the surface. The care given to detail and experience is remarkable, while the overall gesture is bold and distinctive.