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Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (43)

Midori Traveler’s Notebook is so popular recently, quality leather cover, refillable notebook inserts bounded by elastics, unique system that loved by many journal lovers and travelers. In this post, I will show you step by step to make a Midori style traveler’s notebook.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (1)

Tools and materials.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (2)

Midori Traveler’s Notebook haS 2 main sizes, standard 8.5 x 4.5 inches and passport size. Here I am going to make a standard one. The insert is 21 x 11cm, so I made the template with 25 x 22cm so it could hold the inserts.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (3)

Mark cut lines onto the leather.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (4)

Cut the 4 sides.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (5)

Cut round corns by using a stuff with a rounded edge.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (6)The leather used is natural vegetable tanned leather, here I am going to dye it in dark brown.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (7) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (8)

Dyeing, wait it dry.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (9) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (11)

Trimming the edge and dye it in dark brown.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (12) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (13) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (14)

Apply edge finish gel and polish to bright.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (10)

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (16)

The leather is a little thin (about 1.8mm thick), to protect the cover from the elastic band, I decide do add a leather patch.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (17) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (18)

mark and punch holes onto the cover.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (19) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (20)

One of places of the original Midori TN people complaining is the elastic knot inside the back of the cover will interfere when writing. So here I use metal clips.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (21)

Insert the elastic rope into the top hole from the flesh side of the cover.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (22)

Insert back from the second hole.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (23)Pull the elastic to keep the clip end tight onto the cover.
Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (24)

Use the same way to install the other side. Here is how it looks .

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (25)

From the grain side.

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Install the leather patch with another elastic rope.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (37) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (27) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (38)

Insert both clip ends into the central hole and keep tight.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (29)

3 notebook inserts, standard 21 x 11cm.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (30)

Open 2 of the notebooks .

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (31)

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (32)

Connect them with the elastic loop.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (39)

Insert the notebooks under the elastic.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (40)

Here how it looks.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (41)

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (42)

Insert the 3rd notebook under the same elastic.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (45)

Close and done.

Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (44) Make a Midori Traveler's Notebook (46)

“and so the adventure begins”

Want to make yours? Be sure download the traveler’s notebook pattern before you go.

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make a leather wallet (part 2) (5)

4 years ago, when I started to learn leather crafting, the first item I made is this leather wallet. Today I am still using that wallet. You can see how it looks now.

make a leather wallet tools

Tools and supplies for this project.

  • Skiving Knife
  • Edge Beveler
  • Edge Creaser / Wing Divider
  • Stitching Groove
  • Hammer
  • Wood Slicker
  • Glue Stick
  • Leather Glue
  • Finish Gel
  • Wax
  • Bone Folder
  • Ruler
  • Awl
  • Cutter
  • Scissors
  • Stitching Chisel
  • Cutting Board
  • Stitching Horse
  • Wax Thread
  • Sewing Neddles
  • Neatsfoot Oil
  • Poish Stick
  • Sandpaper

make a leather wallet (2)

First mark cut lines with leather template, I am using vegetable tanned leather, so mark with an awl not silver pencil.

make a leather wallet (3)

Cut out the leather pieces with skiving knife, cutter and scissors.

make a leather wallet (4)

Polish the slot edges.

make a leather wallet (5)

Mark decorative lines.

make a leather wallet (6)

Apply leather finish gel on the edges.

make a leather wallet (7)

Polish to bright with a wood slicker.

make a leather wallet (8)

make a leather wallet (9)

Glue the left flap.

make a leather wallet (12)

When the glue dry, make stitching line on the top with an edge creaser.

make a leather wallet (13)

Punch holes with diamond chise and hammer.

make a leather wallet (14)

Sewing.

make a leather wallet (10)

Make marks for the card slots.

make a leather wallet (11)

The leather is about 1.5mm thick, so thinning the flaps with a thinning tool.

make a leather wallet (15)

Glue the top card slot onto the inner cover.

make a leather wallet (16)

make a leather wallet (17)

Punch holes and sew.

make a leather wallet (18)

The 2nd slot.

make a leather wallet (19) make a leather wallet 1 (13)

The 3rd slot.

make a leather wallet 1 (14)

Make stitching line.

make a leather wallet 1 (15)

make a leather wallet 1 (16)

Punch holes and sew.

make a leather wallet 1 (17)

Polish the top edge with polish stick and sandpaper.

make a leather wallet 1 (18)

Apply finish gel and polish to bright. For now the inner part is ready.

make a leather wallet 1 (1)

Polish the bottom edge of the top leather flap.

make a leather wallet 1 (2)

Glue it onto the top of the flesh side (rough side) of the main cover.

make a leather wallet 1 (3)

Lay the leather grain side up and mark the stitching line.

make a leather wallet 1 (4)

make a leather wallet 1 (5)

Punch holes and sew. The cover is ready.

make a leather wallet 1 (6)make a leather wallet 1 (7)

Glue the innder part to the main cover.

make a leather wallet 1 (8)

Mark stitching lines in the grain side of the main cover.

make a leather wallet 1 (9) make a leather wallet 1 (10)

Punch holes and sew.

make a leather wallet 1 (11)

Polish the edges with polish stick and sandpaper.

make a leather wallet 1 (12)

make a leather wallet (part 2) (1)

Apply leather finish gel and polish again.

make a leather wallet (part 2) (2) make a leather wallet (part 2) (3)

Again with edge wax and polish to bright with cotton cloth.

make a leather wallet (part 2) (6)

Rub on some neatsfoot oil onto the grain side and wait it dry.

make a leather wallet (part 2) (7) make a leather wallet (part 2) (8) make a leather wallet (part 2) (4)

The top flap is very necessary, makes the wallet more charm and prevent cash from sliding out.

make a leather wallet (part 2) (11)

Ok now, a brand new handmade leather wallet!

Like this style and want to make yours? You may want to download the PDF Pattern for this wallet.

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I saw this slim card wallet on Pinterest and like its simple design and decide to make one. If you also like this wallet and want to make yours, you can download this leather card wallet pattern.

Tools and Supplies 

  • Scissor
  • Awl
  • Cutter
  • Steel Ruler
  • Edge Creaser
  • Edge Beveler
  • Diamond Chisel
  • Cutting Board
  • Stitching Horse
  • Wood Slicker
  • Sewing Needles
  • Sewing Thread
  • Polish Stick
  • Sandpaper
  • Glue
  • Neatsfoot Oil
  • Leather Finish (Gel)

make a leather card wallet (1)

First print out the pattern and make the leather template, cut a piece of leather which a little bigger than the template (this card wallet features 3 pockets, consider that when cutting leather).

make a leather card wallet (2)

make a leather card wallet (3)

Lay the cardboard template on the grain side of the leather, and use a awl to mark lines on it, here we need to mark 3 flaps.

make a leather card wallet (5)

Ready to cut.

make a leather card wallet (6) make a leather card wallet (7) make a leather card wallet (8)

For the straight lines, we can use ruler and cutter; and use scissor to cut the round corners. Please try to cut the leather pieces as prefect as possible, but no worry if not since we can amend that in after steps.

make a leather card wallet (9)

There is a general wallet shape after put the leather pieces together, 2 inner flaps and 1 outer.

make a leather card wallet (11)

Before glue them, we need prep the top edges of the flaps. First mark decorative lines in each flap with an edge creaser, the space is around 3mm to the edge. make a leather card wallet (13) make a leather card wallet (14) make a leather card wallet (15)

Then use edge beveler to take off the edges both the grain side (smooth side) and flesh side (rough side).

make a leather card wallet (16)

If necessary, use a sandpaper (here I am use #300/#800) to polish the edges to a smooth status.

make a leather card wallet (17) make a leather card wallet (18)

Then apply appropriate amount of leather finish gel on the edge with a cotton bud.

make a leather card wallet (19) make a leather card wallet (21)

Polishing the edge repeatedly with an edge slicker till it is polished bright.

make a leather card wallet (22)

Next we are going to glue the leather pieces.

make a leather card wallet (23)

First mark points in the main cover in which going to glue the flaps, to avoid applying glue go beyond the glue areas.

make a leather card wallet (24)

make a leather card wallet (25)

Apply glue on the main cover and flesh side of the flaps, wait a little while and glue them, use a mallet to hammer the edges if necessary.

make a leather card wallet (31) make a leather card wallet (32) make a leather card wallet (33)

And now use edge creaser to mark stitching lines in the grain side of the leather, the space is 3.5mm to the edge.

make a leather card wallet (34)

Mark start and end points.

make a leather card wallet (35) make a leather card wallet (36) make a leather card wallet (37) make a leather card wallet (38)

Punch stitching holes. Here use 4mm diamond chisel. Follow the groove and punch across, make sure the holes in same spacing. For the corners, use 1 or 2 teeth chisel, and 4/6 teeth for the straight.

make a leather card wallet (40)

Ready to sewing. We need 2 needles and sewing thread (0.8mm waxed thread, beige).

make a leather card wallet (41)

Usually the thread length is 4 times the sewing length.

make a leather card wallet (42)

First thread through the needle hole.

make a leather card wallet (43)

Pierce the thread twice.

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2 needles connected to the same thread.

make a leather card wallet (47)

Fix the leather into the stitching horse, grain side on the right.

make a leather card wallet (48)

Pass the needle  through the 3rd hole from the left side.

make a leather card wallet (49)

Make sure the left/right threads are the same length.

make a leather card wallet (50)

Again use the left needle pass through from the 2nd hold.

make a leather card wallet (51)

Keep the left needle on the right needle.

Pass the right needle through in the same hole.

Sewing the 1st hole in the same way.

 

Keep the stitchings look like this.

The thread pass through from the left is under the thread from the right, follow this the order for a nice stitching.

Sewing back several stitchings at the end.

Make 2 needles at the flesh side, then cut and burn the thread.

Sewing finished.

Prep the grain side with Neatsfoot Oil which makes leather soft and pliable, also helps to darken the leather.

Rub some oil on the grain side with cotton swab or sponge.

Looks a little “dirty” right after rubbed, will better after the oil dry.

Ready to burnish edges.

Wet the edges a little and polish with a polishing stick.

Use the edge beveler to move edges that cocked during polishing.

Polish again and again with different grade sandpaper for the smooth edges.

Again, apply leather finish gel and polish to bright.

Fold it in the middle.

Finally, a nice, slim handmade card wallet. And one of the best part is that the vegetable tanned leather will age beautifully as usage.

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When you get a leather pattern or want to make a leather article, the first thing you need to do is make a leather template, a good leather template is the basic of a fine handmade leather piece.

In below steps, I am going to show you how to make a leather template in the simplest way.

making leather template (9)

Print out the leather pattern and rough cut to keep the main leather pattern part.

making leather template (11)

making leather template (13)

Here we use 450g thick kraft paper, cut a piece that little bigger than the pattern, put glue evenly on the back with a glue stick and then glue them together.

making leather template (1)

making leather template (2)

making leather template (4)

Start to cut when the glue dry, for the straight sides, we can cut directly by using cutter and ruler; for the angle joints, we can make a small hole with a awl  or needle and then cut out.

For the patterns which have round corners, then scissor is the simplest and best tool. If necessary, use sandpaper to polish the corners.

making leather template (7)

Ok now, a leather pattern is ready to use.

PS: We are using a card wallet pattern in the tutorial, it has 3 flaps but we no need to make all the 3 since the flap’s shapes & sizes are the same. And if you like this style, click here to download.

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