Rainbow Leather Embroidery Scissors Case

A pair of rainbow embroidery scissors clearly deserves a rainbow case to keep them in, so here's my method of making one.

There are a ton of different techniques and dyes, finishes etc. you can use in leatherworking, so although I've tried to write down exactly what I did, there are actually many ways to make this project and end up with a great result. I've also got a big stash of leatherworking supplies at home (in fact, the only thing I bought specifically for this project was the pair of scissors itself), but if you're just starting out or can't access the supplies I've used then there are some stages you can skip, or substitute in your own materials according to what's available. I got all my dyes and finishes from Tandy Leather, which sells internationally, but the tools are from various UK shops.

Essential:

• natural veg tan leather, approximately 1.5mm thick
• natural veg tan leather cord (or any alternative cord) approximately 1.5-2mm thick
• embroidery scissors (my pair are made by Milward)
• two metal eyelets (I used 5mm), and appropriate setting tools
• leather dyes (I used Fiebings' standard range, in Oxblood, Turquoise and Yellow)
• carnauba cream, or other leather finish
• leatherworking thread (I used Tiger thread in black, you could also use a heavy linen thread, conditioned with beeswax)
• rubber cement or double sided sticky tape
• leather punch 1mm smaller than the eyelets + mallet if needed
• scratch awl
• sharp knife (I used a head knife, which is specifically designed for leatherworking, but a scalpel or any sharp craft knife will do fine instead)
• cutting mat
• plastic chopping board, or other surface you don't mind making holes in
• harness needle
• paper or card for the stencil
• pencil
• steel ruler
• wool daubers, or other dye applicators (old rags secured with a clothes peg will work if you're on a tight budget)
• sponge or rag for applying the finish

Optional:

• gel antique in black, for dyeing the flesh side of the leather (I used Fiebings)
• edge kote (I used Fiebings) or alcohol marker in black, for finishing the edges
• tan kote (Fiebings), for finishing the dyed flesh side of the leather
• lip gloss wand or old paint brush, for applying edge kote
• leatherworking stamps and rawhide or rubber mallet, for added decoration (not pictured here, but listed as an optional step)
• stitching awl (the best tool for making your stitching holes, but a scratch awl will do an ok job too)
• rubbing alcohol, for cleaning the leather before dyeing
• dye reducer (Fiebings), for diluting the dye
• indented paint palette, for diluting the dye
• pliers, to assist with the sewing

Create the pattern on paper or card (I'd recommend card if you're making multiple sets), using your scissors to make a triangle with the correct angles, and adding about 5mm space all the way around. The full triangle will be your back piece; mark a dotted line where you want your front piece to come up to.

Mark the points of both triangles separately onto the leather using the scratch awl. Connect each point with the ruler. You should have one larger back piece triangle, and a smaller one for the front piece. Next, mark outside of your triangles roughly where your stripes want to go.

Wipe down both triangles with rubbing alcohol. This will get rid of any grease from handling.

Pour dye thinner into three sections of your paint palette. In a fourth section, dilute the oxblood down with more dye thinner (I find this dye is much more pigmented than the other two, so I like to weaken it a bit with the thinner).

Use a wool dauber dipped in diluted oxblood to fill in the red section. Dip the same dauber into one of the three lots of dye thinner. Use the further diluted dye to merge into the orange section, and also the purple at the other end of the pattern pieces.

Repeat with the yellow and turquoise dyes, first at full strength in the primary colour stripes, then diluted into the orange, green and purple. Use a separate dauber/rag for each dye colour.

Cut an 80cm piece of leather cord, and fold it in half. Mentally divide the cord into six, and proceed to dye it with the same overlapping of colours. I've started with the purple at the folded end, transitioning through the rainbow to red at the two single ends (this matches the purple centre of the cord with the purple top of my case). Hold the cord and turn it over as you're dyeing, to make sure all sides are covered.

Add extra decoration to your smaller front piece by casing (dampening) the leather with water, letting it evaporate a little, then stamping it by hitting the stamp with your mallet, with the leather placed on a hard surface. I didn't do this stage, but a small central stamp (or a painted design using leather paints) would look nice.

Dye the flesh side of your leather using black gel antique. I find the thicker gel consistency is better for dyeing the wrong side of thinner leather, as regular dye will sometimes soak through to the grain side and ruin your work. If you want to keep the inside of your case natural, then skip this stage.

Leave all your leather to dry thoroughly (I left it overnight). Don't worry if the flat pieces dry a bit warped rather than flat - it'll flatten into the right shape once it's all stitched together.

Once all the leather has fully dried, finish it with a coat of carnauba cream (or finish of choice) using a damp sponge or cloth. Buff once dried. I put several layers of carnauba cream on the cord, as I find its surface releases more dye than a smooth grain side piece of leather. I also put a layer of tan kote on the dyed flesh side.

Cut out your pattern pieces. I used a leatherworking knife called a head knife, which is great for cutting straight lines easily. If you're using a craft knife or scalpel, make sure it's sharp, and use a steel ruler as a guide (bonus points if it's the ridged kind with a finger guard).

Layer your smaller front piece over the back, to check if the edges match. Trim down if needed.

Clip the corners of your back piece with a knife (you can do rounded corners, but if you're not confident with your knife skills then a straight edge will look neater).

If you dyed the flesh side of your leather black, now paint the edges black with edge kote. I use disposable lip gloss wands for this (each wand lasts 10-15 uses). You can also use an alcohol marker pen here instead, or very carefully dye the edge with a cotton bud. Let the edges dry completely.

Carefully paint a small amount of rubber cement along the two long flesh sides of your front pattern piece, and the corresponding portions of the back piece. I only painted a stripe a few millimetres wide: the glue is only used to keep the leather in place for punching the stitching holes, rather than for any structural purposes. You can also use double sided sticky tape here instead. Match up your two layers, wrong side to wrong side, and press them together.

Mark your stitching holes with the scratch awl. I started at the pointed tip of the triangle, and marked a central spot 3mm in from the edge. I then put the ruler parallel to one long side, and marked each stitching hole at 5mm intervals up to the top of the front piece (the last two holes can be closer together, so you don't get too close to the leather's edge and risk tearing). Repeat with the other side. You should have two symmetrical lines of marks, each parallel to the edges of the triangle.

Using either your stitching awl or another sharp awl, stab through each marked stitch hole, with a cutting mat below to protect your work surface. Keep your awl nice and vertical to punch through both layers of leather at the same angle, and if you're using a stitching awl then keep it in the same unrotated position, so all your diamond-shaped holes point the same way. You should have two rows of stitching holes going through both layers of leather. If you used double sided sticky tape and it's visible, you can now pull the leather apart and remove the tape.

Take your harness needle and a good length of waxed thread. Thread the needle, and begin whipstitching across one side of the triangle, leaving an unsecured tail of around 30cm at your starting point and realigning the holes as you go if you removed the sticky tape. If you're using Tiger thread, keep each stitch flat and untwisted, for a neater finish. If you're struggling to get the needle through your stitching holes, use a pair of pliers to help pull it through. Stitch both sides of the triangle in one continuous length. I went through the bottom hole of the triangle twice before continuing up the second side.

Once you've whipstitched both sides, finish the end by overhand stitching through the last hole several times. Then take the needle inside the sandwiched leather, and bring it through the stitching a couple of centimetres down. Pull the thread tightly to the outside of the stitching, and cut: the thread should shrink back in between the layers invisibly. Rethread the needle at your beginning side, and repeat.

Next, mark your eyelets. I put the scissors in the case, and eyeballed placing them central to each hole in the scissors. Use a ruler if you're not confident in your symmetry.

Remove the scissors, and punch two holes in the leather, making each hole a little smaller than the finished eyelets. I used a 4mm punch for 5mm eyelets, and forced an awl through to enlarge the holes. This stretches the leather around the eyelets, so they'll last better than if I'd punched a bigger hole to begin with.

Use your eyelet setting tools to set the two eyelets. I use a press and dies for this, but various brands will sell eyelets with accompanying setters to use with a hammer. If you're not confident with this part, practice on scrap leather first.

Thread your cord through the two eyelets, and tie a fisherman's knot at the ends: one overhand knot using one end of the cord, trapping the second end in the knot, and then a second overhand knot using the second end of cord, and trapping the first in the same way. This should create an adjustable sliding knot.

Put the scissors in their case, adjust the cord to suit, and you're done!