So this is a project I've been putting off for a while because I'm still bad at skiving and reducing the thickness of the t-pockets is kind of needed so it doesn't become super chonky.
I kind of like it? I made a bunch of mistakes, one side "pulled" a little after gluing and when I make my holes it was no longer properly aligned and ended up going through in such a way that it cut through the edge of the top layer meaning the stitching went a bit odd. I also didn't think through the assembly fully and made life harder for myself in a few ways putting it together.
Whilst I really like the look of the leather, I'm not sure how good a decision it was for this project - I feel that the natural unevenness of it looks great on a large panel but on something as small as a wallet the top edges where it is just a single layer look a bit rough and wonky.
This was also my first project using a new type of thread, I used a round waxed ramie thread rather than the normal flat waxed polyester thread I normally use. A real pain to thread onto the needle but it gives a really nice look I feel. I'd like to try a groover one day to make it possible to sink the thread into the surface a bit more.
So yeah, I'm relatively pleased, the pattern I made works even if I made mistakes in construction. If I was being fancier I could add an extra card slot or an extra wide pocket, a coin pouch or make it so that there is a pocket behind each card holder.
Nice work! Sounds like you learned a lot through the process, and that's what matters most.
I should get back into leatherwork...
Thanks! Yeah that is very much my goal at the moment, learning and building upon things I've learnt previously so that I can get to more and more technically complex projects rather than perfecting a single style of thing, so I rarely make the same item twice at the moment.
And you should! I've really been having a lot of fun with it, its nice having an outlet for my creativity and I've had so many nice things said about the stuff I've made, its addictive!
You know, you can do some fun stuff if you also know how to do chainmail. Boiled leather makes for fantastic plates.
At least that's been my plan since like high school, I just never get around to it lol
I do actually want to learn how to make some chainmail, there are a few fashion items I like to make that I think would really benefit from it.
It's not too hard! You can make the rings from wire and a dowel on a hand crank like a spring and then cut them. Then you make either 4-in-1 or 5-in-1 patches usually and then attach them together. If youre just using it for joints you won't need too much.