TRAPUNTO - COVERED STUDS

Cool detail - look. The front of the shoe has studs on it that are covered in leather, so you can see the outline and texture of the studs with out having the normal metal look. It's kind of like a ghost image. I think this is a really cool and different way to use studs. Pour La Victoire shoes.
Trapunto is one of my favorite techniques to use when working with leather. I've been meaning to do a Trapunto project to share, but I've been rebelling against blogging and sewing lately. Such stuff takes a backseat to going to the beach and having fun when the weather gets nice out. Anyways, the loose definition of Trapunto (or stuffed technique) is taking two layers of material and sandwiching something of shape in the middle that creates a raised surface on the material. In the case of these shoes, the studs are inserted and glued between the layers of leather. The studs are defined by running a tool along the edge of the studs on the outside of the leather, creating the ghost image of the shape underneath.
After I put these bag photos up, I realized I don't think this is really "trapunto" but more of a piping topstitched onto the outside of a bag. Also interesting. Whatever it is, I'm going to make a trapunto-something over the weekend.