Denim and Leather

Grandpa Moore was a leather crafter.  I remember running my fingers over the mountains and valleys of a piece that he had tooled.  He made gun holsters and rifle bags, purses and so much more.  He tooled the old fashioned way.....taking hours to make a single piece.  I loved watching him work and asked him a hundred questions each time I went to visit.  Years later, when he died, I purchased all of his leather supplies from his widow.  One of the best investments ever......always buy tools!!!

My sis and I have been playing with leather this week.  Imagine combining sewing (yesterday's project), scrapbooking and everything you need to do leather crafting?  Oh!  What a MESS!!!

I decided I wanted to create a denim and leather journal.  So I started by cutting, then stitching a frame in the denim.

 Next I hemmed a piece of denim to cover the back of the journal - it's a 5x7 "visual" journal from Hobby Lobby.  This one has watercolor paper inside but you can also get the mixed media version.

Then I decided to experiment embossing leather using embossing folders.  I just didn't feel like taking the time to tool leather today.  I've been having some trouble with my right hand and it decided to flare up again today.  Sigh.

Then I did a little experimenting with waterstain (a fairly new product at Tandy Leather) and sand paper.  I sort of like the effects.  It goes on more distressed that the old dyes.

Embossed another piece and this time I experimented with distress inks.  Watered them down and painted them on.  Sort of like this as well.  I think the fun for me is really in experimenting and playing with products.

Next I tried out copic markers.  OK, I really like how this turned out.  But it just didn't look so great next to the denim...and it wasn't the look I was going for.

I cut, stained and sanded a piece for the spine and this is the base of the journal that I came up with.  But of course....one has to embellish...can't leave it this plain....although I do love this look!

This is the journal finished and I simply LOVE how it came out.  It says so much about the things I love.  Denim.   Leather.  Living in Colorado with our pine trees in the mountains around us.  

There's an Indian Head nickel concho on the top corner holding the ribbons and leather together.

Sliced antlers from my dear friend, Shelly, who lives over in Nebraska and I don't get to see her nearly enough these days......

And silk beads with swarovski beads on silk ribbons.  

A couple of days ago, I added a new shelf in my bedroom - just to keep all the journals I've been making.  

Tandy Leather in Colorado Springs is offering a beginning leather class on 1/13 at 10 am.  2 hours.  $20.  You don't have to take a thing.  Call the store if you want to take it.  I'll be there with 3 others.  No, I'm not a beginner....but I thought it might be fun to take this class and see what's changed since I took my first class back in 1983. 

"They" will never know it's a Bible!

In countries all around the world, Bibles are being taken away from people.  Have you ever thought that it might happen here one day?  I decided to camouflage an old Bible and I don't think anyone will ever suspect it's a Bible (well, unless they started to read the contents!

Found an old 1901 American Standard Version on ebay.  It's my preference.  A better translation than the KJV.

But it was in bad shape.

You can see that the signatures are coming apart.  Now, if you know how to build signatures, you can repair them....just rebuild them.  My problem is that this paper was printed in 1901....and the paper is really fragile.

and the thread they used in the signatures were very, very fine.  So you can see here how they are broken.

I used fine silk thread to rebuild the signatures....carefully pulling through pre-existing holes.  It worked!

I then covered the book with leather book liner.  This is very, very thin leather usually used for the inside of a book.  It is too thin to be tooled, but it can be distressed.  The leather is usually a very pale shade of pink.

I used a scrap of leather to decide what shade of alcohol ink to use to get the shade I wanted.  I settled on a mix of Caramel and Butterscotch.  Have you ever mixed alcohol inks?  I used a makeup sponge to apply the ink to the leather.  I love the distress look I got.

 Inside the front, I covered the title page with sheet music and added a coordinating library card

This is inside the back cover

This is the first page you see.  Nothing saying it's a Bible

But it gets better!  I was at a thrift store and found this bag.  It is buttery soft leather - oh so yummy!  I don't know if this was used to carry arrows or what, but it was too great to resist!  I fell in love with the twisted, beaded fringe down the side.

And of course....I cut into it!  GASP!!!

Punched holes across the bottom, rethreaded them, and turned it into a book bag for the Bible.  

If you saw this would you even suspect there's a Bible inside?  Great to take camping as well.

I used a bit of the leftover scraps from the bag to create a cool front for the Bible.  You can see the distressed leather, how the tongs tie around the Bible and loop into a Buffalo head nickel button.

Finally, I used distress ink to ink the edges - they were sort of red and now they're more brown

I have a total of $18 in the bag and Bible.  It took about 4 hours to cover the Bible and make the bag.  Not too bad for a Sunday afternoon.  Give it some thought - I think it's a really great idea to camouflage a Bible.  Just in case!

Alcohol ink and beeswax on leather???

Tim will probably pass out!  LOL!!!  But I wanted to do some leather tooling and didn't want to spend $10 on a bottle of leather ink, so here we go.....

First, I took a blank knife sheath and traced the design into it, then cut it out (now if you haven't done this, take a class first!)

After that I used my craftools to pound and hammer to give the whole thing lots of dimension and texture.  Took about 3 hours to do this one. But then, it's been 20 years since I've done much leather work.

Using a paintbrush, I painted alcohol inks on the leaves and acorns to give it color.  Used 8 different colors of inks.  And then used caramel for the background and expresso to distress the edges.  I think it came out pretty cool.

I did not want a "new" look like they will show you on Tandy's website - I wanted it distressed.  You can click on these photos to get a closer look.

I think the distress look on the handle is exactly what I was going for - but notice the edges as well!

I normally use a Tandy product to seal my leather, but found online that you can use a mix of melted beeswax and olive oil to protect the leather.  I tell you what - I love it!  I painted the wax on to the leather and then set it with my Heat-it tool.  Totally cool!!!

This is a gift for my brother-in-law as I saw the one he made in high school is falling apart.  I like that it looks old, not new.....but that it's new, so it should last for years to come.

Who knew I'd be using Ranger products on leather?  What next?  LOL!!!

Day 2 - Shavout

In the Diaspora (every place in the world except Israel) Shavout is 2 full days. So day 2, today, started at sunset last night and ends at sunset tonight.

In Israel, it was just one day. I wanted to know why. So, as part of my own personal continuing education, I googled it (what did we do before google?) The Laws and the Service of Shavuot. And there, it says, "no laborous work". For me, art is not "labor". So today, I played. I finished up a wonderful journal that will go with me on my trip to Israel.

Have you ever tried to tear and distress leather? Not as easy as you think. This started from a flat piece of cowhide. Pretty tough stuff! I used to tool leather. Years ago. Made wallets, purses, wall hangings. Hammered each piece to create a design. And I still have all those tools, dyes, and leather. Time to drag it all out and do something with it. Time to "start over" again.

The inside is all watercolor paper signatures. Hand torn to size.

And then I stitched it all together and beaded the spine as I went along. More work than I had anticipated, but the results are exactly what I had pictured in my mind before I started.

After the beading was done, I added charms

Definitely a one-of-a-kind watercolor journal

The top is a button cover from the Golden Bear in Vail, CO. I've had it for years. Sterling Silver. Definitely turns this into a keepsake.

Three feasts to be kept. Passover - a full week. Sukkot, a full week. Shavout - 2 days here, 1 day there. Study the Torah. When you finish, start all over. Sort of like art. When I think I'm done, when I think I don't have another idea...I simply start all over again.

Night 3 - Eight Nights of Lights 2009

Night 3 is about storytelling. Hanukkah is about the Feast of Dedication - the rededication of the Temple. Have you ever built a model temple or tabernacle? Do you know how the tabernacle/temple and the traditions and riturals associated with it illustrate God's plan of salvation? It was in 164 BCE, the Maccabees recaptured the Temple and it was purified....rededicated.

Do you know the meaning behind the lampstand? Ex 25:31-40 actually gives a detailed exlaination of what it should look like. Hammered from 1 piece of gold, 4 1/2 feet high, weighting 100 pounds. It was to burn continually (Lev 24: 1-4). But it didn't! Each sacred vessel and vestment has been recreated by the Temple Institute and is ready for use in the 3rd Temple! WOW!!!

Several years ago, I tooled this lampstand in leather. It took me days to make - but learning what knops and flowers were - studying the design, researching (without the internet) was an education that's lasted me a lifetime!





I don't think any of the detail has worn the least bit and I probably made this at least 25 years ago.




So, tonight, I'm going to show you simple tooling methods - because if you design it in leather, it will last a lifetime.



Many people think of leather and think of flowered purses, gun holsters, etc. I like to think of it simply as another medium that I can play with. I make Jewish Immigrant Peddler dolls




and this is a very detailed box that they were required to wear to carry scripture in, the cord had to be wrapped 7 times around the arm and the box had to be facing the heart.



By simply applying water and stretching leather, you can shape it into almost anything.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." May you study and grow this Hanukkah season and may your lampstand always be lit.