Leather Stamping & Dying (Luggage Tag Experiment)

To begin with, this is definitely not a one day project, I've come to realize nothing with leather is. Just a fair warning before anyone gets crazy ideas in their heads about quick turn around time. (Me, I'm 100% guilty of this.) 

This is the cute, simple looking project I picked up from Michael's. I have acquired a bunch of leather working tools over the last year because this is something I really want to get into, so I've got a lot of the basic stuff already. These kits you can make as complicated or simple as you want. You can literally stitch them up as is, and have a super simple design or go the crazy person route like I did. 

The inital monogram design I did is based on Newt Schmander's monogram from Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I won't insert a picture here because of copyrights but if you're curious just google it. 

I read this article which was amazing and super helpful to anyone starting out with leather work, went over cheaper ways to start out too which was really nice. 

I wrapped my leather in a damp, wrung out washcloth for about half an hour and once the leather felt cool, traced the pattern with a tool, and then went to work. I used a couple different types of styluses for the initial lines and then a tapered back fill design. 

I was super cautious with my mallet at first, and then not so much. I do wish I would have had a granite block to keep everything from rattling around on my desk.

I let this dry overnight, and for most of the next day until it was 100% dry, then grabbed some leather dye I had leftover a shoe diaster. It needed a lot of coats. I tried doing one of the dye and one of a leather conditioner but that made it super streaky looking. 

So I kept going until like 5 or 6 coats of the dye had been put on. I lost count, sorry friends, it was over a couple days though since every coat needed to completely dry. 

It ends up drying much more brown, and takes a few days to completely get there. I though this would be darker but so *good enough*. I set it in the pre-wrap stash for the holidays, just in case it needs to dry a little more. 

I skipped the white lacing that came with the kit, and grabbed the darkest brown I had and it was just enough, not a stitch extra of room!

This turned out really well I think for my first time doing leather work, and fully plan on making more leather gifts for holiday gifts. In the meantime friends, it's back to the sewing room!