I've been looking at several designs for saddle bags and I've noticed that some bags stitch on the cover flap to the bag back and some are one piece with the back.
Is there some kind of reason why you would stitch on a flap cover rather than leave as one piece with the back of the bag? Is it purely for looks or is there a structural reason for it?
Would stitching on a flap give structure to hold the bag open more, or it is for easier placement of the closure/buckle?
Thanks for the ideas and help!
Cost. You can make more bags with a given amount of leather if you make them from separate parts rather than whole cuts. There may be other factors on occasion, but cost is the main reason.