U3Aleathercraft

Time to have a go at making this miniature boot keyring. I have used a set of acrylic templates but you could use this paper pattern. Lay your template onto a piece of finished leather. You can use just about any thickness - suede, chrome tanned, vegetable tanned - whatever you have available and takes your fancy. Draw round your pattern using an ordinary Biro on the back of the leather. You should have something like this. Notice that I have marked the back and front centre holes on the sole. The front centre hole on the vamp and the centre hole on the heel as well as the hole for the tag. I have also marked up the lacing holes. Cutting out can be done with leather cutting shears, a clicking knife or with an ordinary craft knife. The four pieces have been cut out and the centre holes pierced with an awl. I always forget to do this next stage first! Using a hole punch make the holes in the tag and ....... ..... rivet the tag and keyring in place. Punch the lace holes. Using a large h

  This time I am going to show you how to use leather dyes to get this multi coloured blended effect using graduated strengths of dye mixed with water. You could use spirit based dyes mixed with their appropriate thinner instead but the smell gives me a headache. I had this offcut of vegetable tanned tooling leather which looks a bit like a leaf to begin with. I dipped it into clean water and went to find a suitable dried leaf. You can use fresh leaves but they tend to crush and only make a faint impression. I put the underside of the leaf where the veins are more pronounced in contact with the damp leather. Then I covered it with an old clear plastic pocket. This is optional - if the leaf is robust and not crumbling you don't need to use the plastic. Holding everything down I pressed firmly down with a modelling spoon rubbing it over every section of the leaf. I held down one corner and checked that it had left an impression  before removing the leaf. If you want to make the vei