I haven't done any machine sewing, but I hand stitched these bags. The material is an artificially waterproofed leather, with a rather bizarre sparkly finish, not especially attractive but they've proved to be extremely useful. The material really is waterproof, and I stitched the seams tight enough that very little water gets in.



The big one on the back is an exact copy of an old English bag. Sometimes you see bags like this bearing the Schwinn brand.

The one in front is customized for the Soma 'Lauterwasser' bar, and I now have it on my commuter bike.

I've made a couple other bags, more or less by the same method, not always successful.