I've Never Made Something From Leather. Am I Being Too Ambitious For My First Project?

[fernandizzel]

I want to make something like this camera holster below.

Before I go out to my local Tandy leather, I was hoping to get some feedback on what I'm in for if I decide to undertake this project. I enjoy making stuff and I'm pretty good with wood, but leather is new for me. What kind of time, tools, expense and probably mistakes am I in for?

I'm not trying to make an exact replica, I'm open to using simpler methods.

Thanks for any feedback or suggestions!

Edited November 13, 2013 by fernandizzel

[MikeG]

Get a copy of Al Stohlman's "Art of Making Leather Cases." Get into a couple of classes at the Tandy store. Don't know where you are, but there might be a guild nearby where you can learn.

My finding - good leather is expensive; cheaper leather is harder to work with. I really hate to mess up a good piece of leather. I have to give myself the right to start with refrigerator art before trying to create a masterpiece.

If all you want to do is have a camera case - you may not want to invest yourself in the time, tools, and materials. If you want to learn a new craft and eventually be able to make a case like this, it's a worthwhile undertaking and a skill that can last a lifetime.

Good luck!

[Sylvia]

Hello:

I think that is pretty ambitious for a new leather worker. I see piping which in itself can be a challenge to make from scratch, without a sewing machine and the right foot.

Gussets (the side piece) are challenging for the novice too, in my humble opinion.

I suggest that you put this into your "someday" file and start with something a little less ambitious... like a knife sheath.

At bare minimum you'll need...

Leather (veg tanned)

box cutter

straight edge ruler

saddle needles and thread (for hand stitching)

hole punch

stain/dye and finish.

selected stamps,

As you begin your venture into leather working you'll find you'll need this and that "Oh and that too."

[camano ridge]

I agree pretty much with everything that MikeG said. If all you want is acamera case go buy one. If you make it yourself it will cost you two to three times the cost of one in your time tools and materials. On the other hand if you want the satisfaction of making it yourself and cost is secondary then go for it. Do all the things Mike said. You also might want to get some cheap vinyl or vinyl remanents (you may be able to check with an upholstery shop for some remanents) and make your first on out of the vinyl. This will give you a feel for how to do it and not wate leather.

Edited November 13, 2013 by camano ridge

[dirtclod]

IMO the first two things you need to do is make yourself form out of wood a little bigger than your camera. The get some poster board / file folders and make a pattern. All of that before you cut anything.

[ikewineb]

That exact case would be quite an undertaking. I could think of a lot easier ways to make a camera case for a beginner. The piping and all would be a bit much. The toughest part, would be making the pattern, but if you have a mechanical mind, it's not impossible. The pattern is nothing more than poster board cut out to the size of the pieces you need. Be sure to allow enough room for your stitches. It looks like the front piece is sewn on first, since the seam is on the inside of the case and then just sewn to a back piece. The lid might get a little complicated in terms of getting the measurements right. The piping is pretty much decortive anyway. They guy at your local Tandy I'm sure would go through the basics with you.

If you are doing this as a one time or I want to see how it goes thing, get a single shoulder. I'd say at least 6oz. Just buy a strap, the width you want. I'd get a two prong diamond chisel, pack of needles, waxed thread, mallet, small poly board, hardware (snaps, buckle), a cheap rotary hole punch, 4oz dye of choice, 4oz top coat of choice. You'd probably have $75-$80 worth of stuff. That's bare minimum. Time wise...for a first time project, that's another story.

I would suggest doing some searches on this forum to determine if it something you would like to take on. There are a few threads on making patterns, quite a few on hand sewing and dying.

[MadMorbius]

You may be a novice leatherworker but are you familiar with textile work in general? IE, how to use machines, stitching & assembly methods, etc?

Piping is just any material run between the joints on an inside gusset. I see bias tape on the edge which is easily done with a bias feeder mounted in front of the foot of the machine. If you're planning on making it out of vegtan leather you don't need that, you can just put a nice bevel and burnish on the edges.

I wouldn't call it a novice project, but I'd go for it. You could do this with a half shouler of 6-7oz leather. Trace the camera profile on cardboard 3/8 to 1/2 around the tracing to allow for your gusset and seam allowance. Cut the cardboard out and transfer to the leather (make mirror tracings to ensure you get good leather out on both sides. Then measure your camera width and again, add 3/8-1/2 on each side...use a string to measure along the outside of the camera tracing (the perimeter) to get the gusset length and add some fudge room (so if the camera is 3 inches "deep" you should have a rectangle about 4" across and probably 23" long.

Dry assemble it inside out, line up your seams and stitch at 1/4" if you added 3/8, and 3/8 if you added a 1/2". Flip it right side out, trim the extra gusset and bob's yer uncle.

Well, you need to do the flap, but you get the picture.

[WillAdams]

One possibility to simplify this would be to make the pattern out of posterboard as suggested, then draw it up, including stitching holes in a vector drawing program using the template from Ponoko.com and have them laser cut it.

Then you'd ``merely'' have to form and stitch it.

[MadMorbius]

I don't know how you get much simpler than tracing onto cardboard, but interesting to find someone who will laser-cut my templates

[fernandizzel]

Thanks so much for introducing me to Ponoko.com! I used to do space planning and know my way around CAD. I could totally build it in 3D and test out my patterns with craft foam. I'm going to try this route so I can have someone else cut the pieces out of finished dark brown leather so all I need to do is stitch or lace them together. I think leather laced seams might look nice. I should also glue the seams I lace, right?

[RoyalLeatherDesigns]

If your checking out this forum your probably interested in the hobby so go for it try to make the case and learn from your mistakes. Get the basic essential tools that you need to complete this project if you like what your getting yourself into then go about and expanding your tools and machinery that you'll need to do stuff like this and other projects that you'll be interested in after getting the feel for it. Good luck with your venture if you run across any problems or questions ask and we will all try to help you.

Ralph