Leather Lady

So, not working means I have a ton of time to craft... it also, unfortunately, means I'm going slightly crazy having no actual schedule or life requirements. I decided I need to start doing something to make me feel more like a productive member of society, rather than a dirty yarn lady, crouched up in her house in her jammies all day. :)

Thus, I decided, on the excellent suggestion of the Chicago Craft Mafia's facebook post, to take a leatherworking class.

The venue was the Chicago School of Shoemaking and it was a 2 hour class for $75, all materials included! Great deal, especially since I walked away with three awesome projects!

First up was this grey suede braided bracelet:

I saw them all over the workshop and was intrigued, as it was done from one piece of leather and the three slits were braided, and the piece sort of turned about so that it evened itself out. It was like magic to me. I'm still not sure I get it, but basically, I can unbraid and re-braid it over and over. It's like a toy in a piece of jewelry! Awesome!

Then the instructor turned me loose to design and create whatever I wanted. Seriously, no direction, no suggestion, just "decide what you want to make, create a pattern, and go!" So, I decided to start small and make a cuff. I was looking at some of the cuffs she had in the store, which were cool, but I wanted something a bit different. I decided to go with a corset cuff with a little bit of asymmetry and here is the result:

Why, yes I did set my own eyelets, thanks for asking. And I also cut the black leather lace myself. :) I think it's bad ass and I only wish I felt cool enough to wear it constantly!

With a little bit of self-confidence under my belt, I still had an hour left, and decided to make a clutch purse. It seemed a little overwhelming, until I drew out the pattern and thought through the logistics. It was basically like folding paper and attaching it with rivets instead of staples.

I used double cap rivets to attach the leather to itself, after gluing it with leather glue. Closure flap is reinforced with a lining and it closes with a snap. I'm slightly obsessed with leather, now, and may have to take some more classes!