The pieces of this round of Tripp II handbags have all been stitched, and today, they’re being turned and burned. With around 50 hand-tied knots comprising the parts of one bag, there’s a lot of work to do here, but this is one step we’d never dream of skipping. Turning and burning adds strength and longevity to every bag- and besides, it just looks better when thread ends don’t come loose over time. 

Every one of these ends is tied in a tight square knot before being heated with a flame. We use nylon thread, which melts rather than burning like cotton does, so that the end can subsequently be pushed back into its hole and seal as it cools. A bone folder is used to push the leather back over the hole, and what results is a knot that’s completely secured. It takes a lot of work to master this step given that it’s so precise, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it. 

There are three kinds of turn-and-burns: invisible, visible, and edge wraps. The first refers to knots on a part of the bag that will be attached to another and never be seen by the naked eye- usually an interior lining or laminated layer. It then follows that a visible one will end up on a bag’s exterior, meaning that the turn-and-burn execution must be absolutely perfect. An edge wrap is the strongest of all because it involves five reinforcing threads instead of just one, making the parts of a bag most subject to stress (corners and edges) ultra-resilient. Excellence fully attained, these Tripp II pieces are now just about ready to be stitched together.

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