Leather Crafts

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by Sara-s, Jul 7, 2022.

  1. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    @gorgo2 that is some nice repurposing!
     
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  2. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    A side note to this is that I ordered some low-odor leather cement. The dope who filled the order, sent the smellier stuff. The reason I was given was that them product I wanted was on backorder, but this is "pretty much the same, but stronger". It never occurred to anyone to ask me what I wanted to do, before shipping it. Since it's clear that this company won't make this right, I will use what I have, but not ever deal with them again.

    Of course, now I have a strong-smelling chemical, not to mention the smelly solvent. So, I got a metal ammo can to store them, so odors are contained. I cut some warning decals from adhesive vinyl to label it. It does contain the odors, in case you were wondering. (When I was working, I recall that any hazardous chemicals in the Science labs were stored in metal cabinets.
     
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  3. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    I finished 3 eyeglass cases, made from Tandy kits.

    I had some trouble with the hardware that came with it (snaps & rivets.) I have better ones in my stash, so I used mine, but had to remove a couple first. That led to a couple of scratches on the leather, but it’s always a learning experience.

    The red one is for my niece Samantha, who asked for one. The other 2 are for me.

    0434650B-4983-4DC6-B5F0-BCF263FB482B.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2023
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  4. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    I started a new project today- a passport cover. I don’t have any immediate travel plans; it just looked like a project that was within my skill set.
    I have cut the leather (3 pieces) and rounded the corners.
     
  5. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    It’s done! My hands & arms are tired from all the hammering & sewing, but it’s done. I had one slight problem with the aligning of stitches, but overall, I am pleased. I really love the way the red stitching looks.

    FB569325-774C-45E4-A6B8-FBB7B191E6A2.jpeg DBA6E044-E47F-482C-A68B-2BFD6CA7C752.jpeg 4913B91D-8F44-430E-B677-BD4CA1A29126.jpeg
     
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  6. Enrico

    Enrico Popcorn

    Great Job!

    :)
     
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  7. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    600108AC-A614-48B3-9CE0-D4E32AD55F6E.jpeg Thanks @Enrico
    Today I made a coaster and a lighter sleeve.
     
  8. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Lookin' good, Sara!
     
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  9. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Thanks @swarden43 BTW, I just signed up for my first leather working class at Tandy (the store in Lyndhurst). It will be a class on leather carving & will take place in May-in fact, on my birthday.
     
    swarden43 likes this.
  10. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Meanwhile, I bought a heavy-duty sewing machine for leather. (It should work for denim as well, though I don’t sew clothing.) It’s the Janome HD3000. Goes through leather like my other machines go through cotton.

    IMG_2023-5-14-115849.jpeg
     
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  11. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Gettin' serious about this leather working, eh?
    Niiiiiiiice!
     
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  12. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Yes I am, @swarden43 ! For my birthday (yesterday) my husband started by giving me a book on leather crafting. Then, he took me to the Tandy Leather store in Lyndhurst, for a shopping spree. Along with a double-shoulder of 2-3 ounce leather, here is the haul;
    37495152_Unknown.jpeg
     
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  13. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    I got to use the new machine to make an iPad cover for myself, in red leather.
    Then, I made another iPad sleeve for Hubby, in veg-tanned leather, which is stiffer than the chrome-tanned that I used for the red one. I had some difficulties; I need to experiment with different machine feet.
    IMG_2023-5-15-172833.jpeg

    Hubby’s case with iPad inside:
    IMG_2023-5-26-131007.jpeg

    Empty:
    IMG_2023-5-26-130916.jpeg
     
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  14. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Using some soft leather, I made 2 finger guards- one for each index finger. The right is slightly larger. It has been, ever since I broke it when I was a kid. These are meant to be used when I am hand-sewing leather & pulling thread.

    The hard parts were; 1)sewing a 1/8” seam allowance, 2)flattening & gluing down the seams and 3) turning them right-side out, when they were done.

    Here is the left one;
    IMG_2023-5-31-130911.jpeg
     
  15. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    My surgeon has cleared me to begin doing exercise & more strenuous activity, so I started my next leather project. It’s a trinket box, from a Tandy kit. I just finished the stamping. Once the leather is fully dry, I can start the dying.
     
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  16. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    Now more about the treasure box…
    The sewing was challenging. Your have to sew the 6 sides together to make a hexagon. By the time you get to the last 2 sides, the other 4 start getting in your way. Then there’s the base, which gets sewn to the hexagon. The problem is that the number of stitch holes punched into the base is not the same as the total number on the sides. It had 5 extra holes, for which I had to improvise a bit. A few backstitches did the trick.

    One problem was really my fault. When you use liquid dyes on leather, it will curve a bit. I should have flattened it out before I started sewing. (Leaving it under a heavy weight for a day usually works.). But because they are curved inward, the lid doesn’t sit properly. So I moistened the sides (from the inside) and stuffed it with lots of paper, to reshape it. It’s going to sit for about a day, before I put the finishing touches on it.
    Here is a pic of the work in progress. It’s not great, so you can’t see all the details, but you get the idea.
    IMG_2023-6-7-103731.jpeg
     
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  17. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    It’s done now. Here is a close-up of my artwork.

    IMG_2023-6-8-091346.jpeg
     
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  18. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    The next project, a tool belt, was a beast to do. There were problems with hardware and with instructions, but it's nearly done. To be clear, the project is for the panel with pouches, loops, etc that go on a belt. The actual belt is something you have to provide or make. (I knew that ahead of time though.)

    I had a nylon web belt that was almost perfect for this. The width of the belt was able to fit through the slots in the back panel. But the buckle was just a little too big and I didn't want to try & force it. So I got creative. I unpicked the stitches holding one side of the buckle & removed it. With it removed, I put the belt through. Then, I used my heavy-duty sewing machine (the Janome) to sew it back down, after replacing the buckle.

    227DF17B-9845-4EC7-A05A-79EEE02A137B_1_201_a.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2023
    mrchick likes this.
  19. Sara-s

    Sara-s This Pun for Hire

    It’s finally done, with just a little more improvising. I needed longer screw & post sets for the key fob. The nearest size I could get was a bit longer than I needed. Better than too short, but still not ideal. Fortunately, I always have some leather in the house. So I cut a couple of pieces to size & punched corresponding holes in them. After glueing them together, they became a spacer to fill the gap. Looks great and no one else would ever notice.
    IMG_2023-6-16-092350.jpeg
     
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  20. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Notice what? ;)
    Looks great!
     
    Sara-s likes this.

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