If we talk about making leather crafts, then a passport cover is one of the simplest options for complexity. Sometimes it’s worth starting with something easy to get a good result, then there will be a desire to continue to create further. Even if you didn’t have to do anything from this material before, but would like to try, then the passport cover made of genuine leather is just that product from which you can start.
Pattern first
In order not to spoil many pieces of skin, it is worth preparing the pattern correctly. The size should be sufficient so that the passport is free to enter, but the product should be small and neat.
When making a leather cover for a passport with your own hands, it is worth considering the features of the material with which you will have to work. When making a pattern, it is worth considering the thickness and making a margin for what goes to the seams. It is necessary to add additional millimeters so that the cover can calmly close when there is already a passport inside.
Leather work
When the pattern maximally matches the specified parameters, you can proceed to the next step. For work, calf skin is suitable. A passport cover for men made of leather will look good in brown tones. This color always looks relevant and solid. The finished pattern needs to be applied to the skin and outlined with an awl, then cut out according to the outline.
In total, 3 parts should turn out - three rectangles. One will go to the front side, it is the largest, and two to the inside, they will naturally be smaller. It is very good for this job to have a cutting mat, it helps with the markup. Visually, it may seem that the dimensions are accurate, but in the work it pops up that the corner is beveled or the middle has gone in the wrong direction. And with such details, normal work will not work.
Think over all the details right away.
If you want to add comfortable or decorative elements, then you should immediately consider where they should be. If the product has already been made completely, then adding anything is no longer possible and inconvenient. Such details include slots on the inside of the cover, you can insert cards or notes with data that should always be at hand.
If there is a desire, then make some inscriptions, burn ornaments at this very moment, then you will get an extraordinary cover for your passport. Handmade leather sometimes behaves unpredictably. After all, trimmings of different thicknesses and different qualities are used, and each time the result may be different. But a person with experience, seeing the material with which he will have to work, already roughly knows what nuances he should take into account.
Proper assembly of parts
Even if the cover will be sewn, previously the details still need to be glued together. The glue should be applied to the edge of the skin and left to dry. The adhesive for the skin does not dry instantly, and before gluing the parts, you need to wait for it to seize. The details need to be put together and taped areas to be tapped with a shoe hammer, so the gluing will be more durable, and in working with the skin it is very important.
Externally, the product already looks like a passport cover made of leather on your own, but to achieve the ideal option you still need to work.
Phased work
The corners on the cover need to be rounded, for this you can apply different methods. Use special cutters, but they are unlikely to be found in a person who first decided to make a leather product. You can work as an engraver if you cut corners first. All slices must also be processed so that they do not wrinkle during further processing.
The next step in the manufacture of a leather cover for a passport with your own hands will be the marking of the seam. For this, it is convenient to use a compass with an indent of 3 mm. Instead of a stylus, you also need to insert a needle and extend it a little further than the other.
It’s worth mentioning right away that a material such as leather will not forgive you a single mistake, any hole made in the wrong place, or a scratch will remain, and it will be impossible to remove them. When the calculations are checked several times, the extended needle must be abutted on the edge of the skin, and a second line should be drawn along the skin in a straight line.
So on the whole product there will be a marking of 3 mm from the edge. According to the marking made by the punches, holes need to be made. There are punches with 6 teeth, they are well suited for this job. On rounding corners it is convenient to use punches with two teeth. It is better to carefully push the dimples and make sure that they are exactly in the line, because then a seam is laid along them, if it is crooked, then such a defect will become most noticeable.
For convenience, the punch periodically needs to be stuck in the wax, then the tool will be easier to remove from the skin. Under the product itself, it is better to put an unnecessary piece of skin, then the teeth at the punch will not be so dull so quickly. Each new leather cover for a passport made by one’s own hands will be more accurate, errors will be reduced to zero.
Loss of reality for an hour
It would seem that the product is small, but to flash it, you will have to spend at least an hour. Choose a thread for sewing, taking into account the color of the skin. A red thread goes well with a brown tint. With black leather, both black and brown thread look harmonious. Before work, the thread must be waxed, tucked into a needle and sew.
When the cover for the passport is completely stitched, the seam needs to be tapped with a hammer, this will reduce stress in the seams and the thread will not tighten the skin much.
The main work has been done, but do not forget about the details. The corners of the product can be moistened and put under a press having a cliche. The ends must be treated with chemistry and wax, and the skin with a finish. The necessary compounds can be bought at shoe repair shops.