| Time required | Complexity | Tools & Supplies |
|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | Easy | Common for leathercraft |
Requirements
Skills
Tools
- 1mm stitching prong
- 5mm hole punch
- Scissors or X-Acto knife
- Applicator for the dye
- 2 leather stitching needles
- Hammer or mallet
- Edge slicker
- Cotton rag
Bill of Materials
- 2/3 oz veg tanned calfskin + a little piece of black leather scrap for the eyes
- 1 key-ring
- Leather dyes
- Leather finishing product
- Leather glue
- Oil
- Thread
- Beeswax
- Polyester stuffing
Pattern
The pattern PDF is available for purchase on etsy.
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.
Keep the assembly diagram to help you position the pieces later on during the stitching process.
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.
Some pieces have to be traced twice as one side is a mirrored version of the other. For those, turn the pattern element over to mirror the piece the second time you trace it.
Don’t forget to mark the positions of the holes that we will need to punch through later on.
- A x1 regular and x1 mirrored (pattern turned over)
- B x1 regular and x1 mirrored
- C x1 regular and x1 mirrored
- D x1 regular and x1 mirrored
- E x1
- F x1
Checklist of all the pieces to trace:
Punching the stitching holes
Use stitching prongs or a hole punch to punch the stitching holes for all the pieces using the marks that you left earlier as a guide to position them.
You’ll also need to punch two holes for the eyes on both pieces A.
Cutting-out the pieces of the project
Using a pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife, cut-out all the pieces of the project .
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 a mix of blue and white to create a nice contrast between the underbelly and the upper body of the dolphin.
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.
Preparing the eyes, the fin and the key-ring tab
Punch in two dots in a piece of black leather scraps.
Insert the two black dots just punched into each eye socket in the two pieces A and secure by applying glue to the back of each piece.
Apply some pressure with your mallet or else to level the eye with the surrounding piece of leather.
Glue the edges of the two opposite sides of the fin (D) and stitch them together, leaving the bottom edge free.
Add some stuffing if you want to give some thickness to the fin.
Make sure to have the tab (M) ready to be used with the system of key-ring that you chose.
Burnishing the edges
Burnish the lower edges of both pieces A as well as the edges of the fin (C), the flippers (D) and the flukes (E) 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.
Stitching the underbelly to the upper body
Stitch the lower edge and the top edge of the corresponding pieces A and B together for both halves of the dolphin.
Use the assembly diagram to place the flipper (D) and stitch it in between the edges of the upper body and the underbelly.
Stitching it all together
Start stitching both sides of the dolphin together. Insert some stuffing as you go.
Stitch in the key-ring tab.
Stitch in the dorsal fin.
Finally stitch in the flukes and close the dolphin. Congrats, you’ve made it!
Finishing touches
Burnish the edges newly created by the superposition of the pieces that were just stitched together to blend all the layers smoothly together.
Apply the conditioning product of your choice on your creation 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.
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: