I've wanted to learn to print on leather since I first saw Bahar Bozaci's work late last year - I planned to take her Skype workshop but then I broke my foot and it wasn't possible; however, last week I had the pleasure of learning from Bahar and am thrilled with the results.
Making the prints is one thing but creating something was something else. I'm not one to just blindly jump in, rather I read and ponder all the possibilities as well as gather recommended supplies. I was prepared to have to punch holes and do all sorts of maneuvers but this leather is so soft and my Brother Nouvelle 1500 did a superb job of sewing it; I'm just thrilled.
Some of the supplies you will need are leather needles, plastic clips (you can't pin leather), double sided tape which was a godsend to hold pieces together. I bought the really thin tape which worked like a charm and of course some doodads to fasten things together - there is a myriad of choices out there so you just need to determine your function.
So I made a bag and lined it with interfacing/bonded Dupioni - I don't think I would use that again, but I had it on hand but not in love with it, I will use something softer next time. Since it's for me, it's fine!
Since I was left with lots of scraps that were too nice to go to waste, I decided to do the same thing that I do with my leftover felt pieces and stitch them all together to make a piece large enough to make a wallet to match my bag! (Don't know about you, but whenever I get a new bag, I always must have a matching wallet!) There were some holes to cover up and some strange angles. I wasn't sure how to do the lining since the leather is so thin it needed body; however, I knew that all those cutouts around the front edges would be a problem. The answer? why a piece of felt of course - felt doesn't ravel and I was able to cut around it. I had an indigo botanical printed piece in my stash, not quite the color I would have selected - but it was the correct size and for this purpose, it worked! I also added pockets inside for my driver's license, credit card, etc.
Let me tell you, I really winged it as I had no clue how to do it but didn't want to waste those tiny pieces. The one problem that I had to overcome was that the magnetic closures I had would show on the right side - more scraps to the rescue, I just covered those areas up with another tiny scrap glued on. Since this is a learning experience, I will find out how the glue holds up and if I have to stitch later, no problem.
Making the prints is one thing but creating something was something else. I'm not one to just blindly jump in, rather I read and ponder all the possibilities as well as gather recommended supplies. I was prepared to have to punch holes and do all sorts of maneuvers but this leather is so soft and my Brother Nouvelle 1500 did a superb job of sewing it; I'm just thrilled.
Some of the supplies you will need are leather needles, plastic clips (you can't pin leather), double sided tape which was a godsend to hold pieces together. I bought the really thin tape which worked like a charm and of course some doodads to fasten things together - there is a myriad of choices out there so you just need to determine your function.
So I made a bag and lined it with interfacing/bonded Dupioni - I don't think I would use that again, but I had it on hand but not in love with it, I will use something softer next time. Since it's for me, it's fine!
Since I was left with lots of scraps that were too nice to go to waste, I decided to do the same thing that I do with my leftover felt pieces and stitch them all together to make a piece large enough to make a wallet to match my bag! (Don't know about you, but whenever I get a new bag, I always must have a matching wallet!) There were some holes to cover up and some strange angles. I wasn't sure how to do the lining since the leather is so thin it needed body; however, I knew that all those cutouts around the front edges would be a problem. The answer? why a piece of felt of course - felt doesn't ravel and I was able to cut around it. I had an indigo botanical printed piece in my stash, not quite the color I would have selected - but it was the correct size and for this purpose, it worked! I also added pockets inside for my driver's license, credit card, etc.
Let me tell you, I really winged it as I had no clue how to do it but didn't want to waste those tiny pieces. The one problem that I had to overcome was that the magnetic closures I had would show on the right side - more scraps to the rescue, I just covered those areas up with another tiny scrap glued on. Since this is a learning experience, I will find out how the glue holds up and if I have to stitch later, no problem.
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