Scrap Leather Lighter Jacket

Like many leather workers, I have a bin full of scraps. I never throw these away because small, random pieces always prove useful for making smaller projects. In this instructable, I will show you how I make a lighter jacket with an eyelet that can be attached to your keychain, thus avoiding the pesky problem of it sprouting legs and walking off two days after you bought it.

• Scrap leather piece, 10 x 10 cm (I used 1.5 mm veg tan/pre-tanned leather).
• Piece of cardboard
• Sharp craft/box knife/scissors
• Leather glue
• Awl/leather pricking forks
• Waxed thread (0.8 0r 1 mm)
• Two leather needles
• Wing divider
• Flaxseed/Sweet almond oil
• Leather dye (optional)
• Tokonole/beeswax/water
• Leather burnisher (including using only water)
• Leather punch
• Eyelet
• Leather conditioner (optional)
• 320 and 600 grit sandpaper

Pattern making is not my strong suit. However, the pattern for this project is fairly simple. Use the measurements shown here to create the pattern on some cardboard, cut it out, and trace the outline onto the flesh side of your leather. Using a sharp craft/box knife (or sharp scissors), cut out the pattern.

Dyeing the jacket is optional. If you prefer the natural look you may want to lightly condition/oil the leather at this stage. I use a homemade conditioner with beeswax, coconut butter and castor oil. A light coating of flax oil/sweet almond oil here will also be sufficient. Using a wind divider set at about 4 mm, draw your stitching line down one side of the jacket. Then, using an awl or stitching prongs, punch your sewing holes on one side of the jacket. You may also wish to bevel the edges of the leather at this point.

Using leather glue (I used Fiebings leather glue, but Gorilla Glue also works well, just make sure that you let it cure before sticking the ends together), glue the edges of the jacket together. I mark out an edge of roughly 3-4 mm to spread the glue. You can either hammer the glue down lightly to make sure it adheres tightly, or use bulldog clips to hold it down for about 20 mins. NOTE: if you use clips, make sure to put something between the leather and the edges of the clip to avoid marking the leather.

The next step is to sew the jacket. Once you have glued it, use your stitching prongs or an awl to punch through the second layer so that the needle can go all the way through. I used a simple saddle stitch (see here for how to saddle stitch). I used 0.8 mm waxed thread. The color is entirely up to you :)

Using a stencil (a coin will work in a pinch), I drew a line on the side-bar where the eyelet will be set and trimmed it round using a sharp craft knife. I also used some black leather dye on the edges of the jacket for a bit of contrast. Once that was dry, I began sanding the edges, starting with a 320 grit and finishing with 600. NOTE: you can work your way through a string of grits if you wish. However, if you are cutting with a sharp knife, this typically won't be necessary. Also, when sanding, be careful not to press down too hard because the edges of your leather will mushroom. Use a light touch and a lot of patience. If you're not getting the level of smoothness you want, go for a coarser grit.

I used a hole punch to create a hole that matched the size of my eyelet. Here is a video explaining how to set one of these.

The almost-final step is to burnish the edges of your lighter jacket. I start of ever-so-slightly dampening the edges with with water and doing an initial burnish. I then use tokonole for the second round and finish it with some beeswax. NOTE: when burnishing, don't press down too hard. Speed, rather than pressure is the key, as you want to create heat during this process. Keep burnishing until you have a satisfying shine/smoothness on those edges.

The final step is to add a leather conditioner and watch the leather pop. Enjoy that sexy little number that will make Gucci jealous. You can use the eyelet to attach the lighter to your car/house keys to ensure you always know where a lighter is when you need one.