Laser Cut Leather Globe

Expanding on the butterfly map projection I laser cut on plywood, I wanted to try a new media. Leather is a great material to laser cut because it is malleable but doesn't fray.

I added sewing holes to the file I had created previously, and put it all together with some synthetic nylon cord.

You can download the file here, and try it out for yourself.

Leather is great because it doesn't fray, so you can cut out all kinds of shapes. I know some people aren't comfortable using animal products, but please don't substitute PVC pleather for leather in a laser cutter - it is toxic!

I ran this file out of illustrator and cut it on an epilogue laser cutter. Whatever machine you use, the controls will be a little bit different. You need a fairly high powered laser cutter to cut through leather, and you will need to try different settings with every kind of hide.

I used a non-toxic leather dye and a small paintbrush to colour in the water and land. Without being too precious, I followed along the shorelines and tried to create a watercolour effect. Remember to test your colour and technique on a scrap of leather that matches your piece.

I sealed the dye with a non-toxic sealant that leaves a matte finish. Buff the finish with a soft cloth.

I used a synthetic nylon cord with two needles sewing in an X pattern. I sewed one X on top, and then one X on the bottom, but if I were to do this again I would come back a second time and stitch on the top and the bottom.

It's pretty tricky to pull the material tightly enough to have the seam flush and strong - I sewing in really short portions of the seam so I could include more knots. Experiments!

I couldn't find any stuffing, so I stuffed this with fabric scraps. The final output is admittedly pretty lumpy. It has been called endearingly lumpy.