calling all crafters???

[amazeofgrace]

OK I have inherited about 100 pounds of leather scraps from work. Each piece is about 6 x 8 inches, they have the sueded backs. I know there must be somehting I can do with them. I keep looking online, I am not the best sewer so I am afraid to do anything that complicated, it's good italian leather, but it has grain so I do not think I can burn it, but I probably could paint on it.

Thoughts? suggestions?

 

[DammitJanet]

Lets see...years ago when I was in a psychiatric hospital one of my favorite things to do was leather crafts...lol. That and ceramics.

Could you do those imprinted and painted bracelets? How about cigarette cases? Lighter cases to match. Knife sheaths. Small leather pouches to hold something.

Hmmmm....Im thinking...maybe I should get into leather again...lmao.

 

[susiestar]

Sweetie, check out Tandy Leather Factory. My mom used to do awesome leather stuff, taught me a little. they have plans and kits for the very easiest, and for the most advanced. They do have some stores, you could look and see (or I just saw a sign for a Tandy Leather in the city husband works in, so I think they still have stores).

If it comes up you don't wnat them, I will take them!! I love to work with leather, doing the patchwork stuff, etc...

Here is the link: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/

Susie

 

[Hound dog]

Susie beat me to it.

There are a ton of things you could do with leather. And I had to chucked cuz Travis was just asking if we had any big scraps around here he could have. (I think he's up to something in his room) I do, but I kept that fact to myself. Leather is NOT cheap.

 

[Jungleland]

My sister did a cool thing for a wedding gift with some leather she had. She got an awesome leather stamp thingy at Michaels Crafts and stamped this design on a set of 8. Then she hot glued the leather to a nice piece of sanded and painted wood and gave the set tied in a cool ribbon as coasters. They turned out awesome.

She has done several sets now and has painted a few of them. I love them and keep hinting that I want a set, LOL!!

Let us know what you figure out to do with them. I am a crafty person, but never have worked with leather.

Have fun!!

Vickie

 

[Marguerite]

Don't throw it away!

When husband & I moved to this town, the previous tenants of the place we moved into, had been into making leather sandals. They had put out a box of off-cuts, scraps, bits of straps etc to be collected by the garbageman.
We brought it back in.

That was 28 years ago. Since then we have used leather scraps for belts (simple to make if you just want something functional), husband made a lovely guitar strap for my best friend (although I think he bought a piece of leather for that). I used the thinner, softer patches of leather to patch the knees of my sons' trousers because lather patches were so much tougher. difficult child 1 would wear through anew pair of trousers on his first day at school in the. The school uniform was grey flannel trousers and they cost too much to always buy more, so I patched them with grey suede patches. A suede patch would hold for months.

I used some of the thinner suede to make some baby shoes - very simple pattern. Or you could use the thin leather as soles for baby shoes/booties, punch small holes all around the soles and crochet a shoe/bootie onto it. The suede means they don't slip on wooden floors so baby has something soft and clinging to the foot to wear when taking first steps - and still keep feet warm and booties from coming off (good design).

husband makes himself a change purse for his coins with the thinner scraps. One year, with the thicker leather, he made a pouch for my swiss army knife. I still have it and use it all the time. It also makes me safer from getting in trouble with the cops if they find me with a knife in public - because the pouch makes it clear that my knife is not able to be grabbed and used as a weapon in a hurry, it's clearly for use as a tool (which makes it legal). So I feel much more confident about bringing my knife out in public and using it - because it has a leather pouch. It also helps keep the knife clean of all the dust etc that rattles around in my bag.

My sewing machine can sew leather. You can put patches on elbows, stitch it on as trim for clothing (instead of patching holes), make something entirely with leather, make a leather patchwork item - all sorts of things!

Marg