Looking for an iris pattern for a note book

[8thsinner]

Title pretty much says it all. I want to make a seasonal gift for someone who loves the iris flower.

If anyone has done one that can provide details it would be better.

I am not a tooler, I have one swivel knife and ten punch set. Thats pretty much all I have to work with.

It's only going onto black veg tan so no colours are needed just general shapes and stamp instructions.

Or if anyone is willing to create one and leave details, that would be nice too.

I would like to leave space for the name (4 letters)

[celticleather]

Title pretty much says it all. I want to make a seasonal gift for someone who loves the iris flower.

If anyone has done one that can provide details it would be better.

I am not a tooler, I have one swivel knife and ten punch set. Thats pretty much all I have to work with.

It's only going onto black veg tan so no colours are needed just general shapes and stamp instructions.

Or if anyone is willing to create one and leave details, that would be nice too.

I would like to leave space for the name (4 letters)

I've attached a pdf of a very basic iris design that I created a while ago for the front of a clutch bag, and a picture of the finished bag. If it's any use to you, you're welcome to use it.

Terry

iris.pdf

iris.pdf

[8thsinner]

I did say very basic, but I think that may be too basic.

I would like to try and get something that requires a few tools. So it might end up with a 3d effect

Although that is a very simple and effective design. How exactly did you get the colours done. Was that cut in tan then dyed black around it? If so, how did you keep the lines tan colour?

I did say very basic, but I think that may be too basic.

I would like to try and get something that requires a few tools. So it might end up with a 3d effect

Although that is a very simple and effective design. How exactly did you get the colours done. Was that cut in tan then dyed black around it? If so, how did you keep the lines tan colour?

Hopefully I canceled that in time...

If it's any help the pattern would need to be about 4 inches high and maybe three wide.

[MADMAX22]

By chance what tools do you have?

Patterns are allways hard for me but google images is a good friend. Do a search for Iris (saw alot of nice pics) and find one you like, save it and resize it to the size you think you want. If you have a printer print it out and trace over it with a black finetip sharpie or similer. This will give you all your lines you need to cut. Now trace this onto your transfer film and transfer that to your leather.

Keep you picture and your outline pinned up by you somehwere so you can look at it while you cut and shape your leather.

Implement styles of your choice and get as detailed as you want.

Hope this helps.

[bex DK]

I did one with trillium recently. I downloaded pics for reference then drew freehand. Did a lot of tracing of my own drawing to get the final image.

You can do quite a lot with limited tools. I would say a beveler is essential. You can probably find something else that can work to cover for a modeling spoon.

[8thsinner]

ACtually, I am have no idea what I have, It was one of those sets for starters.

And I didn't see any pictures I thought I could copy when I was hitting up on google images.

[bex DK]

A beginner set is probably enough. I think I've had one of those. If I remember right, you have a veiner or two, a basic beveler, and a pear shader. Oh, and a camoflauge tool.

What kind of iris do you want?

Try googling for "iris drawing". Even use the picture search. My first hit looks do-able.

ETA: I am probably violating copyright laws with the pic I first pasted, so deleted it. Be sure you make some changes and do not directly copy the pic you find. This is why I usually use photos and draw freehand. But I use to draw a lot of flowers when I was younger.

What I would do:

Open the pic in a photo program (I use The GIMP) and scale to my desired final size. Print it out. Trace the outline of the petals, stems, leaves, and other important parts with a different colored pen. Once satisfied they are enough, trace onto cased leather.

Cut them out with the swivel knife.

Bevel all the edges so that you get the frontmost parts in front of the back parts.

Use the cam tool on the back petals where they meet the center.

Use the textured backgrounder or matting tool on the centers--theyre probably really a fuzzy blob of pollen.

Use the pear shader to give the petals shape.

Use a modeler or something that you can push into makeshift service as one to round the edges of the protruding elements. That can also help push shape into the petals.

Cut the lines in the leaves with the swivel knife after everything else is finished.

I am sure someone else could do a better job of it than me, but I don't have enough feel for cam tools and veiners yet to feel confident using them elsehwere on the petals.

Edited November 13, 2009 by bex DK

[8thsinner]

Thank you for the instructions in such detail bex.

I still wouldn't feel confident doing that myself, but I think i'm still going to give it a shot.

I'll have to google the tools I have just to find out what your talking about though, but I do remember a pear and cam tool...the knife is about 1/2 blade...

I should be starting this next week, after I make sure I have enough leather when other note books are done. I might be using this thread as a running question.

But seriously thank you.

[bex DK]

You never learn if you don't try and if the gift is a personal one from you to someone you care about, they are sure to appreciate the effort.

If you need more help, let me know. I could probably find time to adjust a picture a bit in GIMP for you and do some graphical explanation of it.

What are you making? A purse? a wallet?

If you are really nervous, think about whether you could make the flower on a separate patch that you attached to the main project with a decorative lacing effect or plain saddle stitching. Then you need less leather if you have to redo the patch a few times until you are happy with it.