Colorful bifold wallets, using Saffiano leather

[DJole]

I'm building up an inventory. Here are three I completed this last week. 

Pink and Red Saffiano with beige Ritza thread.
Blue Saffiano with blue Ritza thread.
Bronze metallic Saffiano with faux ray-skin pockets, using chestnut Ritza thread.

Each time, they go a bit faster and a bit smoother!

[DieselTech]

Nice looking group of fine looking wallets there. Great work. Very nice. 

[rleather]

8 hours ago, DJole said:

I'm building up an inventory. Here are three I completed this last week. 

Pink and Red Saffiano with beige Ritza thread.
Blue Saffiano with blue Ritza thread.
Bronze metallic Saffiano with faux ray-skin pockets, using chestnut Ritza thread.

Each time, they go a bit faster and a bit smoother!

Those are very classy! How do you like working with the Saffiano leather . I am just now getting interested in making bags, and been looking at this leather as an option.

Thanks for the pics. You better make a bunch, THEY GONNA SELL!

[DJole]

On 12/29/2023 at 7:11 AM, rleather said:

Those are very classy! How do you like working with the Saffiano leather . I am just now getting interested in making bags, and been looking at this leather as an option.

Thanks for the pics. You better make a bunch, THEY GONNA SELL!

Thank you for your vote of confidence!  (I have made 2 others, not pictured, that already sold!)

The Saffiano leather which I am using was purchased from PeggySueAlso leather (https://www.peggysuealsoleather.com/shop). They're local to me, so I get to go directly to the shop and handle the leather. I find that a 12X12 panel is enough to make the front and back side of a wallet, and the pockets for this pattern, with some left over for other projects like pockets. The pink was an 8X10 piece, taking the red from a left over strip.

I found that some colors are stiffer than the others. The metallic bronze, for example, is quite a bit more flexible than the others, and the pink is quite firm. The blue and red are between the two. The firmer pieces skived very nicely (they are 1 mm in thickness).

It is difficult to get edge bevelers to work on the leather. I use sandpaper glued to popsicle sticks, a sanding stick, to smooth out the edges.  The edges sand well, for a nice flat surface for edge paint. And as a bonus, any slight overflow from the edge paint wipes up quickly and easily from the surface. The flesh side smooths very well with Tokonole, which also works on the edges.

I really like working with the Saffiano; I can see why high end bag manufacturers use it. It has a nice feel because of the texture, which helps the wallet "stick" inside a pocket.

 

[DJole]

On 12/28/2023 at 11:08 PM, DieselTech said:

Nice looking group of fine looking wallets there. Great work. Very nice. 

Thank you -- I find that every time I make one of these, I develop a bit more skill. 
Like somebody (whose name I can't recall) once wrote, doing a lot of small projects, repeating the process over and over, is a great way to learn -- and I think it's true!

[rleather]

4 hours ago, DJole said:

Thank you for your vote of confidence!  (I have made 2 others, not pictured, that already sold!)

The Saffiano leather which I am using was purchased from PeggySueAlso leather (https://www.peggysuealsoleather.com/shop). They're local to me, so I get to go directly to the shop and handle the leather. I find that a 12X12 panel is enough to make the front and back side of a wallet, and the pockets for this pattern, with some left over for other projects like pockets. The pink was an 8X10 piece, taking the red from a left over strip.

I found that some colors are stiffer than the others. The metallic bronze, for example, is quite a bit more flexible than the others, and the pink is quite firm. The blue and red are between the two. The firmer pieces skived very nicely (they are 1 mm in thickness).

It is difficult to get edge bevelers to work on the leather. I use sandpaper glued to popsicle sticks, a sanding stick, to smooth out the edges.  The edges sand well, for a nice flat surface for edge paint. And as a bonus, any slight overflow from the edge paint wipes up quickly and easily from the surface. The flesh side smooths very well with Tokonole, which also works on the edges.

I really like working with the Saffiano; I can see why high end bag manufacturers use it. It has a nice feel because of the texture, which helps the wallet "stick" inside a pocket.

 

Thanks for taking the time for a detailed review. I will be shopping around and give it a shot! Thanks again, Rick.

[CuffLeather]

Nice looking wallets, nice job!