Things I Made Today

[cst]

I had some time today so I did this

Making this

And these

Edited June 12, 2013 by cst

[cst]

Well, stitching and final polishing on the notebook covers and wallets. I also took the coin purses out from under their rocks and put finish on about a dozen of those.

The phone case was one thing I have been wanting to do for a while, but I didn't want to pay more than five bucks for the plastic piece. I saw one in a store today for a buck. All I had to do was sand the Hello Kitty off of it and stain it brown.

Obviously I'm new at this, but I'm learning and having fun. Feel free to critique, I try not to bring my feelings to the Internet.

[RavenAus]

Great idea for the phone cover

[cst]

Thanks.

Here is a close up of one of the leaf covered covers. I know it is not a new technique, but I dig it

[RavenAus]

It may not be a new technique but I don't know it :D do you have a link to a how-to by any chance? It looks great!

[cst]

I don't know of a how to. Basically I pressed leaves into wet leather. Get it damp like you we're going to tool it then get it a little wetter. Then I mashed them into the leather with my press. I found that the length of time you squish the leaf into the leather is as important as how hard. I only used three leaves on this one, I just moved them around a lot. When the leather was dry enough to dye, I used some Fiebings Oxblood and block dyed it. About 15 or 347 times. When I got the look I wanted, I quit. I do these with an antique finish as well.

[cjdevito]

A discussion (and eventually a couple of how-to's) of imprinting leaves into leather....

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=4133&hl=%2Bimprinting+%2Bleaves

[cst]

I wish I had read that a while back. It would have saved me some experimentation. Now off to learn how to make pictures show right side up. Or up side up.

[WScott]

Great projects and the spin off benefit of learning a new technique!

Thanks for posting

[RavenAus]

A discussion (and eventually a couple of how-to's) of imprinting leaves into leather....

http://leatherworker...rinting +leaves

Excellent, thank you! I did try a search but I think I got every possible combination bar the one I was after lol.

[Harag]

I like the leaves idea, thanks for posting up the items.

[cst]

My pleasure, thanks for looking

[Aurelie]

nice job on the leaf

[Feraud]

Would one more "nice job" be too redundant? Hope not!

[Mactechbri]

How did you do the iphone case????

Bri

[cst]

First I made a template/prototype from a brown paper sack my grocery store uses. It's cheaper than experimenting with leather. When I had it worked out I cut up some 2-3oz leather, dyed it with some of Fiebing's light brown oil dye and stitched me all together. When I was in the store the other day buying paper for a book a guy asked me to make him, I saw an iPhone 4 case for $.99. I bought that and some nifty wheat fibre paper.

I had to sand the graphic off the case, dye it and then I cemented it to the leather and then stitched it on. The case is flexible which is important for inserting and removing the phone.

Cutting out the hole for the camera was easy, but burnishing it was tricky. I did this before I sewed the phone case on. I also got it fairly wet and stretched and rolled the edge of that hole hoping to make it more durable. This didn't leave much to stitch to. Here are a couple more.

Over all, it wasn't to difficult and it works pretty well. It's too easy to overstuff though.

[cst]

Here's the beginnings of the book. First one I've ever done. It's gonna be a biggun. 200 pages plus a leather cover. I've no idea what to ask for it and wasn't smart enough to get that settled beforehand.

[Harag]

How did you do the iphone case????

Bri

Bri, Look on You Tube for a guy named "Ian Atkinson" he has some excellent videos, and please dont forget to donate to him so he keeps making them.

http://ianatkinson.net/leather/