First Leather Project worth showing

[MtlBiker]

As the title says, I'm going to show the first project I made that is worth showing.  It's been a long hard road but thanks to the many helpful members here who gave great advice, I'm slowly (ever so slowly) improving.  I wanted to do some hand stitching with leather (even though I have machines) and I was looking for something relatively simple that would help me gain experience with leather working in general and hand stitching in particular.  I found a business card pouch pattern (from Ivan Leatherworks) and I carefully traced the pattern on my leather and cut it out.  Then I dyed it.  And novice that I am, I was surprised at the amount of shrinkage that resulted.  A piece that was supposed to be 7 3/8" long shrunk down to only 7".  Back to the drawing board...

Then I found some patterns for making AirPod Pro cases.  I made one using chrome tanned leather (because I liked the red color of that leather) and while it's alright, the pattern wasn't all that great and the leather was too soft.  I found another one  (Ivan again) and I spent big bucks to get his PDF pattern.  (Okay, it was only ONE big buck.)  This time I was using a pre-dyed piece of veg tan.  I carefully cut out the pieces and then painstakingly finished the edges and even finished the leather with Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax.  Looking good!  Then (again novice that I am) I couldn't figure out how the pieces went together and something seemed to be missing.  Turns out that one of the pieces I cut was going to be the gusset and there was no mention at all that you'd need two of them.  Nothing in the pattern or instructions about that.  SIGH  Of course all you experienced folks would have known right away, but not me.  So I cut out the missing piece, finished the edge and used the leather balm.  Then I needed to start the stitching...  The main body part had 18 stitch holes marked in the pattern but the gusset pieces only had 17.  (The PDF pattern seems to have been wrong.)  And I'd punched all the holes as per the pattern.  So of course 17 doesn't go into 18 evenly.  SIGH  I then decided to ignore the holes I'd punched in the gusset pieces, and to simply use my (newly sharpened) awl to punch through from the main piece to the gusset, making new holes.  It was for practice after all.  I started stitching one of the gussets in place and of course this thing wouldn't fit into a stitching pony so I was holding it all in my hands.  I started stitching and it was going really really well.  I was pleased.  Then when almost finished stitching the first gusset, I pierced the thread with my needle and didn't notice until I pulled it all tight.  Screwed!  So I put that aside, with the intention of removing all the thread and starting over in the morning.

In the morning I decided to try yet another pattern for the AirPod case.  This one from Tutuia (on Youtube).  And that's what I'm finally going to present. 

I started this morning, again using a pre-dyed veg tan leather that was about 4oz.  I cut out the (two) pieces.  I finished the edges (still learning all that).  I installed the snap closure.  I glued the two pieces together and when dry I marked my stitch line.  I punched part way through the top leather layer and then used my awl to push the holes all the way through.  I managed to stitch this without piercing the thread.  When done, I sanded the edges all around and used Edge Kote to finish them.  Then I applied the leather balm.

Yes, this is a long winded story, and if I've bored you, I apologize.  But I wanted to share the frustrations I've been through as well as my experiences with these patterns.  It's been a learning experience for sure (that's what was needed) and certainly every step along the way could have been done better.  But I'm pretty pleased, and I'm sure my next attempts at a project will benefit from this experience.  And I'm extremely grateful for the kind and patient help you folks have given me with all my beginner questions.  I don't know what I would have done without that.

 

[Thescandall]

I like it.  heavy duty and should last forever..

 

[chuck123wapati]

great job !!  Nice stitching indeed.

[Dwight]

4 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

As the title says, I'm going to show the first project I made that is worth showing. ..................

In the morning I decided to try yet another pattern for the AirPod case.  This one from Tutuia (on Youtube).  And that's what I'm finally going to present. 

I started this morning, again using a pre-dyed veg tan leather that was about 4oz.  I cut out the (two) pieces.  I finished the edges (still learning all that).  I installed the snap closure.  I glued the two pieces together and when dry I marked my stitch line.  I punched part way through the top leather layer and then used my awl to push the holes all the way through.  I managed to stitch this without piercing the thread.  When done, I sanded the edges all around and used Edge Kote to finish them.  Then I applied the leather balm.

Yes, this is a long winded story, and if I've bored you, I apologize.  But I wanted to share the frustrations I've been through as well as my experiences with these patterns.  It's been a learning experience for sure (that's what was needed) and certainly every step along the way could have been done better.  But I'm pretty pleased, and I'm sure my next attempts at a project will benefit from this experience.  And I'm extremely grateful for the kind and patient help you folks have given me with all my beginner questions.  I don't know what I would have done without that.

 

All in all it looks good . . . 

Just a few quick tips though . . . 

After you glue the edges together . . . take a sander (I have a little 30 inch belt sander . . . even out the edges . . . then mark your stitch line.  

Finish your stitching . . . and then bevel the edges.  Your finished product will be better that way.

AND . . . you said you installed the snap.  That is something I only half way do.

I'll figure out where I want that male part of the snap . . . and I'll in stall it . . . 

But I never install the female part until everything else is done . . . and the reason is  . . . it is all too easy to put the female part on just a little off kilter . . . and there is no way hardly of fixing that.

When you are ready to install the female part . . . fold the leather over onto the male part and with your thumb . . . press down on the leather covering the male piece . . . keeping it where it should be when it is done.  

When you lift up the top piece . . . look at the bottom side . . . you'll see a small circle imprint of the male piece.  Pop your hole for the female piece . . . and unless you really missed it somehow . . . it will always be right where it should be.

This is most important on gun holsters and knife sheaths.

May God bless,

Dwight

[tsunkasapa]

Very nice. As stated, it will hold up for ever. 

[Handstitched]

That looks quite good  

What is the contents out of general interest ?  Is the press stud pressing against whatever is inside ? 

HS

[kgg]

Looks good.

kgg

[PastorBob]

Thanks for sharing the LOOONG process of learning with us.  It can be frustrating, especially as you get started.  Been there, done that.  Still have quite a few projects going to the scrap pile from time to time.  Great work.  As Dwight mentioned, the edges and stitching lines are what most folks notice.  I will take the top piece of a project and make sure the edges are good and straight and that all corners have the proper radius on them and the bottom piece it attaches to is larger (cut it a little bigger).  At that moment, I will punch through the top layer with my stitching forks.  I then glue it together, punch the holes in the bottom layer using the holes punched in the top layer as a guide.  Then I will cut/sand the bottom piece edges to match the top.  When done sanding the edges, it looks like one piece of thick leather.  You can't see the seams between them.  Then I do the slicking.  Hope this helps.  Wish I could afford a pair of Ipod Pros, if so, i would have you make me a case for them.  Great work!!!!

[MtlBiker]

16 hours ago, Thescandall said:

I like it.  heavy duty and should last forever..

 

Thanks!

15 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

great job !!  Nice stitching indeed.

Glad you like it!  And thank you for the helpful advice you offered me, over and over.  Without that my result wouldn't be anywhere near as good.

@Dwight - Great advice, thanks!  You're right on about installing the female part of the snap at the very end.  I didn't do that, and it is slightly off center.  Next time will be better.

I forgot to mention that I was very skeptical that this particular technique would work, but it did.  That is, I stitched it all together without first having formed the leather.  Only then did I wet the leather and try to open up the inside by forcing it with my fingers.  I was surprised that I was able to stretch out the leather enough for the AirPods to fit inside.  I'm pretty pleased with the result even though there's lots of room for improvement.

9 hours ago, tsunkasapa said:

Very nice. As stated, it will hold up for ever. 

Glad you like it!  And thank you for the often given advice.

4 hours ago, Handstitched said:

That looks quite good  

What is the contents out of general interest ?  Is the press stud pressing against whatever is inside ? 

HS

The contents?  Apple AirPod Pro.  And the inside of the snap is extremely thin and flat but I also skived around the hole a bit so that it would really be a little below the surface of the interior leather.  No danger of scratching the AirPod case.

@PastorBob - Great advice!  Thank you.  After you sand the edges you say you can't see the seam... is that even before you edge kote or burnish the edge?  One thing I'm having a lot of trouble with is radius-ing the corners.  I'm doing it bit by bit using my skiving knife.  I did buy a rounded corner punch from Zelikovitz in Ottawa, and it was a total waste of money.  It is SO dull that even pounding away at it with a mallet all it does is depress the leather.  Doesn't cut.  It is the least sharp tool I've ever seen.  And I don't really know how to sharpen it properly as obviously you cannot use a flat stone.  I've got to find a better chisel for doing round corners.  SIGH

Yes, it was a long learning curve for me, especially so since my only real resource is the kind folks on this forum and YouTube.  I made a lot of beginner mistakes.

I think I'm going to try making another one, just to see if this experience taught me anything.

Cheers!

 

[alpha2]

Regarding corners: Look at what Pastor Bob said above, about sanding the edges last. Your method of a lot of straight cuts to make a rounded corner is actually quite popular, but the final sanding is what smooths the corner into shape. Another tip, use a coin, or if there isn't one of the proper radius, anything round the proper size, and use that as a template, cutting around the item. There are acrylic templates from various sources with English points, half circles, and various shapes in different sizes. I use those a lot. 

If you don't have a sander to use on the edges, just get those foam sanding blocks from the hardware store, I use 300 and 400 grit to finish edges. A good burnish will take it from there.

Just an aesthetic thing...that snap is pretty big for the size of the item, but likely right for the thickness of the leather. 

[chuck123wapati]

or get those sanding stick things women use for their fingernails, very handy on small things. The makeup isle is your friend, lots of goodies there for finishing and dying.

[PastorBob]

2 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

After you sand the edges you say you can't see the seam... is that even before you edge kote or burnish the edge?  One thing I'm having a lot of trouble with is radius-ing the corners.  I'm doing it bit by bit using my skiving knife. 

Yep.  Before I even burnish.  Sometimes I burnish just using a dye. Sometimes with Tragacanth Gum, sometimes with Tokonole.  As for the corners, I bought a cheap set of radius knives from Amazon.  they are cheap and seem to work okay.  I have also traced around a skoal can, then cut the corner with a Japanese skiving knife or utility knife.  Either way, I can't get them perfect so I sand them down on my combo sander I purchased from Harbor freight (https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders-sanders/stationary-belt-disc-sanders/1-in-x-30-in-belt-sander-61728.html).  Below is a video describing the method I use when cutting free-hand (skoal can method)

Not affiliated with the video...informational purposes only.  Hope this helps.

[MtlBiker]

2 hours ago, alpha2 said:

If you don't have a sander to use on the edges, just get those foam sanding blocks from the hardware store, I use 300 and 400 grit to finish edges. A good burnish will take it from there.

That's a good idea!  I DO have (since last week) a belt sander which I now keep in my business workshop.  But when I'm doing my sewing stuff at home (which is where I always do it) unless there is something bigger and tougher I would sand by hand at home.  And one of those sanding blocks would certainly help.

1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said:

or get those sanding stick things women use for their fingernails, very handy on small things. The makeup isle is your friend, lots of goodies there for finishing and dying.

I can see you don't spend much time in the makeup aisle!    Neither do I, but I think you're talking about a nail file.  But what other goodies are there for finishing and dying?  Surely you wouldn't use nail polish on leather, or would you?

@PastorBob - Thank you again for the great advice!  I picked up a 4" x 36" combo belt sander just last week, on sale here at Canadian Tire.  But I'll be keeping it at my workplace workshop so unless I've got something special to sand, I'd do it at home by hand.  Are there pros/cons to using either Tragacanth Gum or Tokonole to burnish edges?  And does using something like Edge Kote eliminate the need to use them?  All I did on this one was sand by hand (and I think my sandpaper was not coarse enough) and then apply Fiebings Edge Kote.  That was my first time using it.  I buffed it a bit with a canvas cloth.  But always more questions... I applied Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax to that colored veg tan and buffed it.  But when I put the thing in my bag this morning I found the leather got marked up by other items.  Is there a product recommended for making the leather a little more resistant to indents and/or scratches?

I will certainly make another one... and try to incorporate all the suggestions and things I learned with this first one.

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

That's a good idea!  I DO have (since last week) a belt sander which I now keep in my business workshop.  But when I'm doing my sewing stuff at home (which is where I always do it) unless there is something bigger and tougher I would sand by hand at home.  And one of those sanding blocks would certainly help.

I can see you don't spend much time in the makeup aisle!    Neither do I, but I think you're talking about a nail file.  But what other goodies are there for finishing and dying?  Surely you wouldn't use nail polish on leather, or would you?

@PastorBob - Thank you again for the great advice!  I picked up a 4" x 36" combo belt sander just last week, on sale here at Canadian Tire.  But I'll be keeping it at my workplace workshop so unless I've got something special to sand, I'd do it at home by hand.  Are there pros/cons to using either Tragacanth Gum or Tokonole to burnish edges?  And does using something like Edge Kote eliminate the need to use them?  All I did on this one was sand by hand (and I think my sandpaper was not coarse enough) and then apply Fiebings Edge Kote.  That was my first time using it.  I buffed it a bit with a canvas cloth.  But always more questions... I applied Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax to that colored veg tan and buffed it.  But when I put the thing in my bag this morning I found the leather got marked up by other items.  Is there a product recommended for making the leather a little more resistant to indents and/or scratches?

I will certainly make another one... and try to incorporate all the suggestions and things I learned with this first one.

nope but the sponges and cotton balls nail sanders. things like that. That can be used as applicators or finishing. 

[Handstitched]

17 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

or get those sanding stick things women use for their fingernails

They're called emery boards. Don't ask me how  I know that  and I won't ask you about the make up aisle  ..?? 

But it is a great idea for fiddly items .  ' Q' tips or ear buds are great use too in leather work , dyes, adhesives etc. 

[PastorBob]

18 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Are there pros/cons to using either Tragacanth Gum or Tokonole to burnish edges? 

I got the TG first and used it on edges of veg tan leather, burnishing with a hand burnisher.  When I started using exotics and chrome tan leather, I switched to Tokonole, using a swatch of canvas to burnish. Now I primarily use either the tokonole or just plain dye with a hand burnisher, then finish up with canvas.  Just seems easier than having to apply edge kote.  I didn't have much luck with it.  

[suzelle]

Amazing job! Thanks for sharing with us! You put a lot of care into your work and it shows!

[MtlBiker]

On 3/23/2022 at 7:15 AM, PastorBob said:

I got the TG first and used it on edges of veg tan leather, burnishing with a hand burnisher.  When I started using exotics and chrome tan leather, I switched to Tokonole, using a swatch of canvas to burnish. Now I primarily use either the tokonole or just plain dye with a hand burnisher, then finish up with canvas.  Just seems easier than having to apply edge kote.  I didn't have much luck with it.  

I don't know what's in the TG or Tokonole but are you saying that one is better than the other for chrome tan?  I'm working on my second AirPod case, again using veg tan and I can use TG, Tokonole or Edge Kote on the edges... I just don't have the experience to know which would be best or if it really matters.  I've still got to work on the edge sanding though as I'm not happy yet with how it's coming out.  The sides look pretty good but where the sides join the top/bottom pieces it's like a flap of thin leather there.  Is that normal?  And should I just use my edge beveler to get rid of it, or is there another technique I should do before edge beveling?  In any case, I think I'm going to mark my stitch line and start stitching it up.  I'll finish the edges after that.

 

23 hours ago, suzelle said:

Amazing job! Thanks for sharing with us! You put a lot of care into your work and it shows!

Thank you for the kind words!  I'm getting better but I have SO much to learn!

 

[PastorBob]

22 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

And should I just use my edge beveler to get rid of it

yes.

22 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

I just don't have the experience to know which would be best or if it really matters.

It is entirely personal preference.  TG and Tokonole have the same results.  I find Tokonole works best.  YMMV. Edge Kote completely covers the leather.  I use that if I have a bad seam or uneven finish to hide the imperfections.  Again YMMV.

[MtlBiker]

2 hours ago, PastorBob said:

It is entirely personal preference.  TG and Tokonole have the same results.  I find Tokonole works best.  YMMV. Edge Kote completely covers the leather.  I use that if I have a bad seam or uneven finish to hide the imperfections.  Again YMMV.

Thank you again for your kind and patient advice.  I really appreciate it.

I just watched a YouTube video by Hahns Atelier and he did something I'd never seen before...  It looked like he used Tokonole on the edges and after burnishing them, he applied Fiebings Edge Kote.  Do you have any opinion about that?

[PastorBob]

2 hours ago, MtlBiker said:

Thank you again for your kind and patient advice.  I really appreciate it.

I just watched a YouTube video by Hahns Atelier and he did something I'd never seen before...  It looked like he used Tokonole on the edges and after burnishing them, he applied Fiebings Edge Kote.  Do you have any opinion about that?

I have done it for affect.  I normally just slick 'em.  Less work and I like the look of a nice slicked edge.

[AndrewWR]

On 3/22/2022 at 12:56 PM, MtlBiker said:

I forgot to mention that I was very skeptical that this particular technique would work, but it did.  That is, I stitched it all together without first having formed the leather.  Only then did I wet the leather and try to open up the inside by forcing it with my fingers.  I was surprised that I was able to stretch out the leather enough for the AirPods to fit inside.

I'm a big fan of wet forming leather after assembly. For the very best fit, I put whatever the case is for (in this case Airpods) in a reasonably heavy duty self-seal plastic bag and leave it in the case until dry. When the plastic bag is removed, it leaves a very small amount of clearance so you can get the contents in and our without having to 'break-in' the case further but its a close enough fit to be rattle-free.

[MtlBiker]

16 minutes ago, AndrewWR said:

I'm a big fan of wet forming leather after assembly. For the very best fit, I put whatever the case is for (in this case Airpods) in a reasonably heavy duty self-seal plastic bag and leave it in the case until dry. When the plastic bag is removed, it leaves a very small amount of clearance so you can get the contents in and our without having to 'break-in' the case further but its a close enough fit to be rattle-free.

This is the first time I've done that (after assembly) and I think in some (many?) cases it might be impossible to get the item inside to wet form after stitching.  For this little case, I had to work and work with my fingers to get the leather open enough to slip the case inside. And I was surprised that it actually worked so well.