Discover the perfect blend of functionality and feline flair with our Cat Catchall Tray tutorial, the latest installment in our captivating cat-themed series. Building upon the success of our previous tutorials on the cat bag charm and cat face coin purse, this tutorial will guide you through creating a versatile catchall tray that is both practical and stylish.
Whether you use it to keep your keys, jewelry, or other small essentials in one place, this charming tray showcases your love for cats in an elegant and organized manner.
So grab your leatherworking tools, select your favorite leather, and let’s embark on this crafty journey to create a beautiful cat-inspired catchall tray!
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded and cut-out the pieces of the project.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
Don’t forget to mark the position of the holes that will be punched later on.
Punching the holes
Use your hole punches to punch all the holes that will accommodate the rivets and the Chicago screws or snap buttons.
Cutting-out the tray
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the project .
Bevelling the edges
Bevel the edges of your leather piece with your edge beveler (size n*1 in my case).
Use ~200 grit sandpaper to smooth-out any irregularity, then use progressively finer grit to prepare the edges for burnishing. The finer the grit, the smoother the edges will be which will make the actual burnishing a lot easier and the result look a lot cleaner.
Dampen the edge you are working on with water before sanding. It will help you obtain a sleek result much faster than if you were working dry and it will minimize the amount of leather dust in the air
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I used yellow dye.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.
Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Burnishing the edges
Burnish the edges of the tray using the method of your choice.
I usually apply some tokonole to the edge and use a wood edge slicker to create the friction necessary for burnishing.
Never apply too much pressure on the edge during this operation. Indeed we want to prevent any mushrooming from happening especially when the edge is damp. It’s all about speed and friction to create heat, not pressure.
Applying conditioner
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on the tray and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Setting-up the rivets
Use your rivet setter tool to setup up the two rivets that make up the eyes.
Folding the tray into shape
Set-up your Chicago screws or snap buttons on each of the 4 corners of the tray.
Fold each corner onto itself and secure with the closing system that you chose.
Apply pressure on the the bottom edges to define them and give shape to the tray.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project:
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Tutorial
Cat Catchall Tray
1 hour
Easy
Common for leathercraft
Discover the perfect blend of functionality and feline flair with our Cat Catchall Tray tutorial, the latest installment in our captivating cat-themed series. Building upon the success of our previous tutorials on the cat bag charm and cat face coin purse, this tutorial will guide you through creating a versatile catchall tray that is both practical and stylish.
Whether you use it to keep your keys, jewelry, or other small essentials in one place, this charming tray showcases your love for cats in an elegant and organized manner.
Plus, as a special bonus, we’re offering a free cat cable organizer pattern to help you declutter your cables in purr-fect style.
So grab your leatherworking tools, select your favorite leather, and let’s embark on this crafty journey to create a beautiful cat-inspired catchall tray!
Requirements
Skills
Tools
Bill of Materials
Pattern
Cat Themed Patterns Pack – 4 Projects – Coin Purse – Bag Charm – Tray – Cable Organizers
Walk-through
Printing and cutting the pattern
You can get the pattern here if you haven’t already.
Print it on US letter or A4 paper depending on the version you downloaded and cut-out the pieces of the project.
Make sure that the pattern is not resized by checking your print settings. You can check if it was printed properly by measuring the reference found at the bottom of each page.
Print on card-stock paper to make it easier to trace the shape on the leather.
Tracing the outline of the pattern onto the leather
Using an awl, trace the outline of the pattern pieces onto the leather.
Don’t forget to mark the position of the holes that will be punched later on.
Punching the holes
Use your hole punches to punch all the holes that will accommodate the rivets and the Chicago screws or snap buttons.
Cutting-out the tray
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the project .
Bevelling the edges
Bevel the edges of your leather piece with your edge beveler (size n*1 in my case).
Use ~200 grit sandpaper to smooth-out any irregularity, then use progressively finer grit to prepare the edges for burnishing. The finer the grit, the smoother the edges will be which will make the actual burnishing a lot easier and the result look a lot cleaner.
Dampen the edge you are working on with water before sanding. It will help you obtain a sleek result much faster than if you were working dry and it will minimize the amount of leather dust in the air
Dyeing the leather
Dyeing can be achieved through different methods. I will refer you to this Youtube Playlist in order to learn more about the subject from much more qualified craftsmen than I am.
For this project I used yellow dye.
Once the leather is completely dry, apply a coat of oil to re-hydrate it and protect the dye.
.Try to be swift in your motions once the oil is on the leather to avoid creating darker spots. If this happens not to worry though, just leave it half an hour under the sun (rough side up so that the top grain doesn’t tan). The heat will help the oil spread out evenly in the fibers of the leather.
Burnishing the edges
Burnish the edges of the tray using the method of your choice.
I usually apply some tokonole to the edge and use a wood edge slicker to create the friction necessary for burnishing.
Never apply too much pressure on the edge during this operation. Indeed we want to prevent any mushrooming from happening especially when the edge is damp. It’s all about speed and friction to create heat, not pressure.
Applying conditioner
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on the tray and rub vigorously with a cotton rag to polish it and give it a nice shine.
I use a leather balm that I make by gently melting together “au bain-marie” 1 part beeswax and 6 parts olive oil. It’s great for nourishing and waterproofing.
Setting-up the rivets
Use your rivet setter tool to setup up the two rivets that make up the eyes.
Folding the tray into shape
Set-up your Chicago screws or snap buttons on each of the 4 corners of the tray.
Fold each corner onto itself and secure with the closing system that you chose.
Apply pressure on the the bottom edges to define them and give shape to the tray.
Final result
I hope you enjoyed following along this tutorial. Please consider posting a photo of your creation in the comments below. It would mean a lot to me to see my little projects out into the world as you make it your own.
Any feedback/question about this tutorial or project idea that you’d like to see posted here is and always will be more than welcome.
Happy crafting!
Footnotes
The following online content provided some assistance and/or inspiration during the making of this project: