474 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



December, 1910 



HANDICRAFTSMAN 



Conducted by A. Russell Bond 



Leather Craftwork 



By Catherine A. Jensen 



HlK 



,'HE bookmark and the 

 penwiper illustrated on 

 this page were chosen 

 with a view to giving 

 beginners in leather 

 craftwork some sug- 

 gestions for simple 

 but elfective and useful articles. 



Leather is perhaps the most adapt- 

 able material that the craftsman has to 

 deal with, therefore being a most suit- 

 able one for the amateur. 



With a little knowledge and feeling 

 for design and color, and some experi- 

 menting, one can obtain beautiful re- 

 sults from this material. 



Both of these articles are made of 

 small pieces of leather and require 

 neither stitching nor pasting. 



Dark green Russian calf was used, 

 but any other preferred color will do as well. 



For the penwiper, decide the size desired, and with a 

 compass draw two circles on the leather; then cut out care- 

 fully, directly on the line drawn. Reserve the most perfect 

 piece for the upper portion, 

 on which the modeling of 

 the design is to be done. 



Architects' tracing cloth 

 is the best medium for 

 transferring the design. 

 After drawing the design 

 on paper, carefully trace 

 the design on the tracing 

 cloth with a pencil. Then 

 with thumb tacks, fasten 

 the tracing over the leather 

 (which should be slightly 

 moistened with a sponge) 

 and transfer the design on 

 the leather with a tracing 

 tool. An orange stick 

 sharpened like a lead pencil 

 makes an excellent tracing 

 tool. 



Now remove the tracing 

 cloth and again moisten the 

 leather. Then start to 

 deepen and strengthen the 

 lines of the design, mean- 

 while pressing down the 

 background and thereby 

 raising the design. Also 

 make the outlines deeper 



on the underside of leaves and flowers, so as to produce 

 a shadow effect. 



If the leather roughens under the tool it is a sign that 

 one is working against the grain of the leather. Always 



Modeled leather penwiper of simple design 



move the tool with the grain. In some 



places the flowers and the leaves should 



be raised higher, to produce a plastic ap- 

 pearance. This is done by raising the 



design from the back of the leather with 



a circular movement of the modeling 



tool, under the parts to be raised, or 



the leather can be placed face down- 

 ward on a small sandbag, and then the 



parts to be raised pressed down with 



the tool till the desired roundness is 



obtained. When the modeling of the 



design is completed, the background can 



be stamped with any of the stamping 



tools preferred, or else may be left 



plain. 



The background of the penwiper 



shown in the photograph was stamped 



with a small dotting tool and the color 



lightened with a lighter color of gray 



green oil color, rubbed into the leather and then slightly 



shellaced. 



Three circular pieces of chamois, somewhat smaller than 



the top of the penwiper, should now be cut and placed 



between the upper and the 

 lower parts of the pen- 

 wiper. Securely fasten all 

 together in the center with, 

 strong silk thread, lastly 

 fastening on the button. 



The button adds greatly 

 to the beauty of the pen- 

 wiper and should be care- 

 fully chosen as to color and 

 design. The one shown in 

 the photograph is a hand- 

 made copper button, the 

 copper contrasting very 

 well with the green leather. 

 The; illustrations In the 

 head piece show a unique 

 idea for a bookmarker. 

 The ornamented brace 

 holds four long thongs of 

 leather which are to be 

 slipped between the pages, 

 the brace remaining out- 

 side of the ifiv of the book. 

 This, bookfnark can be 

 made in many varieties of 

 outline and decorated in 

 many effective ways'.''' 



Choose a stift piece of 



leather for the brace and then draw an outline on It of 



the desired shape and cut out on the line drawn. 



Draw the design to be used on paper and transfe'i' to 



the leather as before described. Then moisten the leather ."fl"-. 



'-ru*' 



