Mytridori Experiement

[Ana_]

Hello, I hope this is the right place for this posting. It is the closest I could find for what I want to post as it involves personalizing a product.

 

I am the owner of a feux midori. I am posting photos of it below. As you can see, my inserts are protruding from the top and side. I like this feux-dori, mainly because of the snap enclosure, however, I am thinking I would really like to have a tri fold vs. a bifold one.

 

Having the tri fold My-Dori would allow me to cover all my materials securely while also having an instant desk top leather surface to lay my inserts atop while I am using them. SO, to that end, I am at the forefront of an experiment.

 

I have purchased the below photographed items:

1 piece of leather that will be the tri-fold My-Dori

1 plastic jar of Eco-Flo Professional Dark Brown leather Waterstain which should give me a leather color similar to the one of my current feux-dori

1 can of Fiebing's Leather Sheen to shine and condition the leather with a flexible wax finish

1 Pro High Density sponge for applying the leather brown color stain

 

I hope to be able to begin this project over this coming Labor Day weekend. If it turns out well, i will post pictures of it.

[da vinci]

Looks like an interesting experiment Ana! Hope it goes well

[stevesurf]

Good luck with the project; this belongs in another thread so others can see your progress:

 

Paper, and Pen Accessories → Paper and Pen Paraphernalia

[Ana_]

Thank you Da Vinci,

actually today I did the cuts! Out of the leather offcut I bought, I managed to get 2 trifold pieces and 1 regular Midori size piece out of it! (For the standard Midori size I added 2 cm to the length & width..)

I also stained 1 side of 1 trifold & 1 side of the standard size (+2cm). They are drying now then I will stain the interiors in an hour. I also cut belts for them so they can be closed securely & stained the exterior sides of those. I'm excited & will post pix when done.

 

Stevesurf,

Pen & Paper Accessories -> paraphernalia ... I never would have thought to look there! Thanks I'll post there too

[my63]

I would like to offer you some tips that may assist you when using leather dye.

The leather will soak up the dye from your sponge very quickly in fact as soon as the sponge touches the leather you will have a very dark patch.

To avoid this soak your leather in cold water before you dye it and dilute the dye in a seperate container with a wider mouth.

Cut your sponge into pieces you find easy to hold and that will fit in your jar.

You will need to add more coats to get the correct colour buy you will get much better results.

Oh and remember it is meant to dye skin so wear gloves and cover everything.

I hope this helps and good luck if you want any more help just ask.

[jimhughes]

Michael is a tremendous Leather Artist. I have several of his pieces of art. A friend commissioned a bespoke Brief case this summer from Michael. His work is perfect and hes quick to share his expertise with others.

 

I'm a big fan of DIY art, and would encourage you to fabricate the design that meets your needs.

 

In another Faux Dori posting on FPN a list of etsy artisans doing this was listed. I looked down the list and found a lady who does outstanding work , top flight material, is very comfortable with special orders and custom designs, at very minimal costs. you can find her on etsy under the Artisan Name ButeoBunker. Here is a link to the latest work she did for me. She makes these in several sizes. https://www.etsy.com/listing/232198128/8-9-oz-trifold-leather-journal-covers?ref=shop_home_active_5

 

Good luck with this project and please pst photos of the final product. Usual disclaimers apply, no association , just a satisfied client.

[Ana_]

Hi DaVinci & Stevesurf,

 

It appears that this thread has now been moved to the proper pen & paper accessories section where I posted a twin thread called, "MyOwn TriDori". I have my tridori results!! And am going to post it all under the MyOwn TriDori section, looks to be 2 bullet points below this one.

 

EDIT:

As I was posting my updates, the posts called myown tridori was deleted, as well it should I suppose, it was a duplicate, so i'm just going to start a new thread called MyTriDori Experiement and post all results there. sorry for much confusions.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Ana_

[Ana_]

my63, thank you for the tips! Unfortunately, I did not read them until the project was well under way to completion! Still, I thank you.

 

Hi Jim, I definitely used the ideas that suited me. I am going to post my results on another post

[Ana_]

Hello,

 

I embarked on my own leather journal odyssey over the labor day weekend to make my own Tri-fold midori type journal. The feux-dori that I purchased before was inadequate for my needs (pics 1 and 2). One size does not always fit all. My inserts were popping out of both the top and bottom so I added 4 cms total, 2 extra for the top and 2 for the bottom. I also made my leather journal a tri fold so that there would be no inserts popping out from the sides. I figured this would be cleaner for getting it in and out of my bag, just smooth ends, no insert corners while simultaneously providing me with a nice little leather travel desk surface to work from upon opening (see pic.8). The first 2 photoss show my bulging feux-dori.

 

MyOwn TriDori Results!

 

The project went brilliantly!

 

I am so pleased with the results I will sincerely never buy one of these ever again, only make them. I only applied one coat of rich non diluted chocolate dark brown leather dye to both interior and exterior. This is exactly the color I was hoping for, it is a gorgeous rich dark brown leather. It is the exact size I wanted.

 

Adding extra cm's to the length of the standard midori now keeps my precious inserts and insert pages shielded from bumping and bending around in my bag and the tri-fold keeps my insert side margins pristine as well.

 

I took photogrpahs all along the way but I don't want to overwhelm this post with photos, so I tried to select ones that get to the point of the process.

 

If you want to see or know more, just ask and i'll be happy to post further steps, but here it is! From scrap of leather to my dream journal! :)

[Ana_]

P.S. side view shots

[macaddicted]

Nicely done. I've never rounded the corners on mine, so it's nice to see someone who take the time to properly finish it. I like the design too. I'm waiting on some A5 softcover notebooks and I might steal your setup.

 

More photos so we may rob, er, make use of your idea.

[Ana_]

LOL Thank You Mac,

Please do feel free to use anything I've used to tailor yours. As I see it we are fountain pen connoisseurs so enamored with the nib we will use nothing but the best paper, the silkiest inks and surround it with nothing but the finest leather in the sleekest designs imaginable. Nothing wrong with that. What I'll do this week is post my dimensions & a step 1,2 etc. plus materials used.

[da vinci]

Great result Ana !

[Ana_]

Thank You Da Vinci I'm very pleased

[jimhughes]

Beautiful work. Doing it yourself, means it'll fit all your needs perfectly, plus you have the joy and pleasure of being able to say , "Yes I did Make it from scratch." Very impressive for a first timer with leather, your spine stitching is very precise. The design is simple but very functional. Looks better than the vast majority of those selling on etsy. You may have found a second career here.

[Ana_]

Jim, THANK YOU! I took a great deal of pleasure in the work. I really enjoyed the precision and the meticulous care. I would love to make more & give selling them a try as I only really have need for the one. Your words are very kind & I thank you again

[stevesurf]

P.S. side view shots

 

Tri folds are what the Midori should have been; these are wonderful! I can't help but thinking how great it would be if you were to take your nice design and collaborate with one of the wonderful artisans on Etsy that uses Horween leather, Keegan of One Star Leather.