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Sewing a Personalized Leather Tool Roll

Craft & Design Workshop Yarncraft
Sewing a Personalized Leather Tool Roll

One of the great things about the maker movement is how it attracts people from different walks of life, different skill sets, a range of ages, and people from all over the world. Each person brings their own personality, interests, and style to their making activities. A great case in point is Minni, a maker from Finland. She calls her new YouTube channel Minimalist Maker, and true to the name, her projects focus on (so far) leather and wood projects with a minimalist sensibility. To date, sheโ€™s done things like a simple wooden stool, a no-sew leather eyeglasses case, and a wood and brass candle holder.

In this project, Minni decides she wants something a little more durable and attractive to hold her chisels in than the cardboard box they came in. While many makers migt do something totally utilitarian and drab-looking, Minni designs and sews up a gorgeous gray, soft-leather tool roll that wouldnโ€™t look out of place as a stylish handbag. Red carpet tool couture?

Weโ€™ve been talking here recently about the idea of creating your own tool mark, a โ€œbrandโ€ that you use to identify your tools. In this video, Minni ends up sewing her โ€œMMโ€ (Minimalist Maker) logo into the cover and on the strap of the roll. This obviously fits in with the fashionable handbag-quality style she was going for, but it just as easily serves as a useful tool mark for keeping track of her tools. An โ€œMMโ€ branded into the handle of each chisel would complete the identification.

I love how, in addition to the Materials and Tools lists in the videosโ€™ descriptions, she also always includes a couple of useful tips. For this video, she offers:

USEFUL TIPS:
Never use steam when ironing leather.
Use iron-on stabilizer on the soft leather edges.
Use good ventilation when gluing, contact cement can have a very strong smell.

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn
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