First try for making a cylindrical case for glasses/sunglasses. Made from local Australian vegetable tanned leather and hand stitched with artificial sinew. The dye I used here is called “Mahogany”. I tried to avoid using any hardware, so I decided to add a strip of leather to keep it closed.
It fits large and curved sunglasses.
very nice piece. do you dye your own leather or do you purchase pre-dyed?
Thanks, Lance! This one started out as natural coloured veg tanned leather and I dyed it myself. Currently, the only leather I get pre-dyed and finished, is Kangaroo
Cool. Never used Kangaroo. How do you keep the backside soft on the stuff you dye? Everytime I try it’s coming out hard.
It’s not very soft actually (not like suede) but I’ve had the best results with the Fiebing’s Oil Dyes. It ends up being softer than when I use some of the water-based dyes.
I have to say that I haven’t tried all available options yet, though
Just found your site and you have some great tutorials on here! I am just getting into leatherwork and I hope you don’t mind me asking some questions.
1. Can you recommend any good leather suppliers (for hide, dyes, tools etc) in Brisbane or Australia? Or elsewhere?
2. What spray adhesive do you use for attaching the lining on your kindle cover?
3. How did you learn your craft?
Hi Karen! I’d recommend MacLace Leather in Capalaba, QLD. Very friendly people who can help you choose your tools, leathers and so on. And if you want to order online, you can go to birdsall-leather.com.au or tandyleatherfactory.com.au.
I used something called Selleys Kwik Grip spray adhesive but recently I switched to a normal contact adhesive that I apply with a brush instead (any leatherwork shop will have that). It sticks better than the spray.
I’m mainly learning by reading leatherwork books, watching tutorials online and by doing (and then using the products I made).
Hope that answers your questions. Would love to see what you’re making! 🙂