Yahaha! I’m not done making Zelda cosplay pieces! Yay! I also jumped on the opportunity to make some leather armor for a Link costume. I cut pattern pieces from paper for the fitting, then cut the leather using the paper as a guide. The leather is vegetable tanned tooling leather 3/4 oz, which is thinner than typically used for actual armor, but is suitable for cosplay where it is better to be light weight.
Photo description: paper patterns laid out on a side of tanned leather
I used my rolling ruler to lay out strips of leather for belts. It isn’t as precise as a strip maker, but worked better than I thought it might.
Photo description: rolling ruler and number 1 pencil on a side of leather marked with pencil lead
3/4 oz leather can be cut easily with kitchen shears, which also makes it nice for cosplay applications.
My Dad has been experimenting with making hot sauce. I thought he needed a hot sauce holster for either sauces or spices so they are easy to grab, so I made him one from leather. I started the design process with card stock, so I could get the sizes and shapes right.
Photo description: gray card stock cut into various pieces with two spice jars, pencil, and ruler
Once I was comfortable with my design, I used Adobe Illustrator to lay it out digitally, including engraving and lace holes. I included a “test” rectangle, which was very helpful and something I will include in future design projects, because I was able to use those elements to test my laser cutter settings before committing to larger objects.
Photo description: four test runs of the word “test” and outline and hole cuts on scrap leatherPhoto description: leather still in the laser cutter, test swatch missing and three holster pieces engraved and cut
I rinsed the leather with water to remove the soot and smoke marks, then dyed it with leather dye.
Photo description: leather dyed with buckskin colored dye
I used waxed linen to sew the pieces together. I absolutely love how even I can laser cut the holes. Neat stitching is 90% hole placement.
Photo description: sewing leather at 90 degrees with waxed linen cordPhoto description: sewn leather holster with 3/4” grommet installed using Dritz pliers
I’m had some space at the bottom of the holster and thought that places to hang things are always potentially useful, so installed a gold hued metal grommet. I finally bought a pair of grommet pliers for this size, and it makes installation so much easier than hammering dies together.
Photo description: Finished spice holster with one spice jar and one hot sauce bottle and the words “Flavor Master”
The holster is designed to hang from a belt, and since it is wide, I separated the belt loop into two sections so it can accommodate a belt loop if necessary.
My headphones were in a tangle in the bottom of my bag. I realized that I now have a way to design and cut leather quickly, and could make a holder! I laid out an SVG file in Adobe Illustrator inspired by a Pinterest pin, put a piece of scrap tooling leather in my laser cutter, and ran the program.
Photo description: prototype leather headphone holder with key chain hole, hole for the ear buds, and slit to hold the end of the cordPhoto description: headphones wrapped around the leather holder
Hm. Not as neat as I hoped. Still, first prototypes usually aren’t spot on. This design would probably work better with headphones that don’t have a volume button on the cord, and have different shaped ear buds. I also need to beef up the keychain ring. It’s looking a little thin. Back to the drawing board. (Really, I’ll do a pencil sketch first on paper this time, then go to the computer.)
I did my first test of tooling leather in my laser cutter. I used a two color version of my business logo and did a fill engrave of the logo and a cut for the circle. The cut wasn’t quite powerful enough to go through the thick tooling leather, but not surprising for my first attempt.
Photo description: Caryn’s Creations tree logo burned into tooling leather with a laser cutter
I had to finish the cut with shears. There was smoke residue on the surface, but a quick rise removed it.
Photo description: same logo on leather, cut out and wetPhoto description: same leather logo now dry
I do take screen shots of the engraving and cutting settings because I’m pretty sure my software resets every time I open a file. I’m also starting to get a good feel for the settings.
I’m am now well and truly dangerous. I love working with tooling leather, and this opens up a whole realm of opportunities.
I had the chance to sew some reclaimed leather on my antique Singer 66 treadle sewing machine. This leather is thin and flexible so was easy to sew, I suspect that a modern machine would be able to handle it as well. (There are tales out there that these old machines are great for sewing leather, but the truth is much more complicated.) I did crank the machine by hand rather than risk the speed of the treadle, and I used upholstery thread (and found my purchased bobbins don’t fit, sigh.)
I wanted an envelope style pocket with the flexibility to thread on a belt, or hang from belt loops with carabiners.
Photo description: sewing thin soft leather on a Singer 66 sewing machine Photo description: pouch turned right-side out Photo description: pouch with carabiners through the central hole in the belt pass through
The design needs work. I like the hole in the belt loop and the flexibility it gives, but the flap makes it difficult to get the phone in. I ended up clipping the edges of the flap so it still helps the phone stay put, but is easier to get the phone inside. Not ideal, but experiments will continue.
Critters and Craft 