Diy Leather Pen Case

November 21, 2014

I've always really liked the Nakaya leather pen case but as I've been saving to buy my dream pen I couldn't stretch my budged to include the dream pen case as well. I like to dabble in a variety of handcrafts and when a few weeks ago at a craft fair I came across some very nice leather pieces I decided to have a go at making my own.

And here it is.

I'm very happy how it turned out especially considering I have very little experience in leather crafts. Some of it was pure luck I'm sure.

I used a cardboard tube from a tin foil roll as a mold for the larger half and a thick marker pen with paper wrapped around it to get the diameter needed for the smaller piece (and thin plastic bag on both to help put them in and take out and to protect from moisture). I bought wooden half spheres for the ends at a hobby shop. The inner diameters are 21mm for the smaller half and 27mm for the larger. The molds are 22mm and 28mm but the leather shrank a bit as it dried. That is one thing a would do differently the second time, take the molds out a bit earlier. I waited too long and the leather shrinking caused the seams to open just a bit. It doesn't show in the pictures (very difficult to get sharp pictures on a cloudy winter day, too little light) but there is a tiny crack in the seams.

The leather I found is very nice. It's 2mm thick (that is 5 oz i think). The reverse side is velvety soft. In the finished case the inside is pressed against the mold so it's no longer fuzzy but it is very smooth and I don't feel any need to make a lining for the case.

November 21, 2014

Hi thecla

Well done you should be very pleased with your first attempt. They are not as easy to make as they look.

I have made a few of this type of case did you glue your seams before stitching?

Michael

November 21, 2014

The seams are only sewed no glue used. I might use glue on the next attempt ( if there is one, at the very least my fingers need some time to recover from this one). I do have some contact sement/glue that is suitable for leather. I used it on the two holed bead thingy to get it thick enough.

November 21, 2014

Nicely done.

November 21, 2014

Very nice!

November 26, 2014

So, I made a second and third attempt.

On my second version I tried to keep the seam from forming a crack by taking it off the mold when it was still a bit damp. It didn't help. It actually cracked more than the first. It might be that my hands were a bit tired from the first pen case and I wasn't abble to pull the sewing thread as tight. Although, this time I was at least smart enough to make protective leather sleeves for my fingers. Even with premade holes, sewing thick leather is tough on the fingers.

On the first two versions I wet the leather before sewing so on the third try I decided to sew it dry. That did the trick and I'm now happy with the seams.

Here are all of them together. From top to bottom: first, second, and third.

The second and third I made a bit longer than the first.

This is what the seams looke like. Left to right: first, second, and third.

Here are most of the tools I used.

the tool with wooden handle is a leather edge beveler for rounding the edges.

Here is the whole process:

1. Draw and cut the paper pattern. This is trickier than it sounds. It is quite difficult to figure out how much bigger the outer piece needs to be to accommodate the thickness of the leather and the ridge of the seam. I was very lucky it came out perfectly the first time.

2. Cut pieces of leather that are about 5mm larger than the pattern pieces on all sides except the edge that will be the mouth of the tube. Round the mouth edge.

3. Use a blunt tapestry needle to "draw" one side of the pattern on the leather (press hard enough to leave a groove but not too hard so that the leather surface breaks, I drew the left side)

4. Fold the leather pice in half along the symmetry line of the intended piece.

5. Sew along the drawn groove using a sewing machine to create holes. Please note! only do this if you are sure that your sewing machine can handle it or if you are ok with possibly breaking it. Also, use a leather needle on the machine if you do this. You can use an awl instead of the sewing machine.

6. Take out the machine sewn thread and sew the seam by hand. Make sure to sew tight. I used strong polyester thread (Gütermann M 782) and waxed it with beeswax.

7. Cut the seam allowances to about 2mm and round the edges.

8. Make holes on the tabs (for the thong that keeps the case closed)

9. Wet the leather and put it on the mold. Let dry.

Edited November 26, 2014 by thecla