Making a Leather Journal Cover

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Making a Leather Journal Cover
Every year we like to make a new leather journal cover to hold our yearly sketch books and planners. This year we made a leather journal cover by hand using a very nice vegetable tanned leather from the Hermann Oak Tannery called Old World Harness. It is hot stuffed with oils and absolutely beautiful - it makes a wonderful journal cover. the handmade leather journal cover is sewn by hand using waxed polyester thread, burnished with bees wax, and finished with a polishing rag.
This leather journal cover design is cool because it's got a nice little pull tab that is two layers, so it's not flimsy to slide into the tab to hold the leather journal closed. It's faily simple to size this leather journal design to any sized journal by wrapping leather around the journal when it is closed, and taking a measurement - add about 1/2" on all sides to allow for a seam tolerance whether you are sewing by hand or on a sewing machine, and then enjoy your leather journal cover!

[@HPDrifter2]

Thank you for making videos where the amount of communication is greater than the number of words.

[@marquesn77]

Thank you for not putting any annoying background music, thank you thank you for your craft 🙏🏽

[@dhseo9379]

4:53 i accidentally fell asleep whilst watching this video (cuz it's so soothing) and at that moment, i thought someone was knocking at my door and i instantly woke up

[@sharlenebee1539]

Amazing work. You make it look absolutely Effortless.....yet the craftmanship shines through.

[@freedommatters9596]

When she was making that scribe around the whole cover and she was anchoring her hand with the pinkie, she was really enjoying herself. That was such a stylized technique. Even the fundamentals can have a subjective delivery that makes how it is done unique.

[@marsbeads]

She?

[@Anarchy-Is-Liberty]

@@marsbeads OK, them/they!! Shim?

[@marsbeads]

@@Anarchy-Is-Liberty What? I'm just saying that's a dude in the video.

[@ItsMeNanaD71]

Love that the club stamp wasn't washed off prior to making this video. Its not distracting at all. lol!

[@stanhegeman8751]

I don’t use a stitching pony either. Nice work. Rustic yet classic. Imagine how it will age after we’re gone. That’s the reason, right? Love to you and yours.

[@philipbenton4005]

The most therapeutic video. Beautiful

[@GS-st9ns]

These videos are enjoyable and very useful. I love book covers I remember the day when we would make them out of paper bags. I still enjoy buying giant rolls of heavy brown paper and making book covers. Maybe I'll graduate to leather

[@stanhegeman8751]

Please do. You will love it.

[@thewaltest]

So beautiful! These videos bring me so much peace!

[@augmentedleather5432]

These type of videos got me into it, they're great hey

[@thewaltest]

S Cherry that is ridiculous. You think is everyone was suddenly vegetarian the world would be perfect. That isn’t true and would never happen. As well as - SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TIME we have eaten animals for sustenance and respectfully used their skins and organs for a large number of things. You can take your ignorance somewhere else.

[@thewaltest]

S Cherry 😱😱😱😱 omggggg piss off troll

[@thewaltest]

S Cherry it kick cats moron, do your research. As I sit here on a sheep skin with a cup a steaming hot coffee in a authentic horn mug petting my cat (that I of course just finished kicking) and wondering which pair of leather shoes I’m going to wear out in the rain, I am unbothered.

[@thewaltest]

S Cherry I DID AND NOW THERE’S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!!!

[@augmentedleather5432]

I like the detail on the strap, I think I should add a strap to my pattern, really makes the project stand out 👌

[@kingjgregory]

Great design. I need to make one of these now! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me. Cheers!

[@rodneysavage761]

Hi. Watched you stitching and I have never seen it done that way before. I've always clamped and used both hands saddlestitching across the piece. I couldn't make out if it was the same saddlestitch I get ysing tge clamped two handed, but I would like to learn the method you used. Rod Savage, Cyprus 6th October 2019

[@lisaldumais2387]

LOLOL. typical homemade bandaid. Love it.

[@ВикторияКоролева-в7ь]

Спасибо большое за видеоурок. Без слов, все понятно. 🤗👍😊

[@philippejeromef7206]

i would like a leather cover for my Bible 26x18x3 cm in french! How making? I am beginner! Say how making and which basic tools?

[@BlanchBrothersStudio]

wouldn't it be so nice to have a quiet studio like that. I'm jealous

[@yoseppijoe]

So satisfying to watch

[@Carla2637]

Marvelous job!! I wish I could have one!! 😮

[@ryansullivan3081]

I wonder how it would look if you put those leather curls into resin and turned tool grips out of them.

[@jillelainejones]

Wow. This is idyllic, very inspirational. Thank you

[@yyyyuno]

Good choice of words, miss. Love it.

[@pipr5070]

Beautifully crafted and inspirational. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@Michi_S.]

So pretty 😍

[@louisemissouri4410]

I really like the tab on the flap that goes through the loop

[@augmentedleather5432]

Me too lol

[@PrincessMindy26]

Beautiful! Fantastic job! 👏👏👏

[@HowlingWolfLeather]

Best plaster in the world, tape and a piece of tissue. :)

[@brennamarie7256]

love it! love supporting fellow youtubers!

[@laurieparadis9173]

BEST notebook video ever! Great job fellow New Englander! 🤩

[@lujanbenjamin5289]

Hace 2 días que no puedo parar de ver sus videos!! Ahhhh

[@kensmith9950]

I love Weldwood, but I hate it when it drips off the stem. Excellent work again!

[@cocheeze69]

Another great piece. Thanks for sharing! Keep working on those templates! I've got to buy some!

[@millbankbagsusa2037]

Stitching sets it off . . . ray,Oklahoma

[@westleycary5557]

I could watch that for hours. Well... Actually I have been lol! Very well done! Video and of course your craftsmanship. You really make it look easy lol 👏

[@quackerquad8627]

the art of writing in a notebook has been lost with the age of the computer and though I wish I could say it wasn't so with me it is. If i did however still partake in writing in a journal for my short stories or novellas I would love to be able to say that the book i held so dear was written in such a wonderfully designed coverlet. you are a true craftsperson and this is fabulous work.

[@valmirval2886]

VERY VERY GOOD MY FRIEND!!!!!!!

[@MysteryViv]

Absolutely mesmerizing. Wonderful work.

[@ElliottRodgers]

Brilliant. Love it.

[@grzesiekk1599]

Great one!

[@coburnlowman]

Poor Ole feller can't afford a real BandAid.😂😅🤪. When you see a man with weathered hands a weathered shop apron and a finger bandage made from whatever was handy so he didn't have to stop and go to the First Aid box , you know he is a man who means business. Sweet work Man👍

[@stanhegeman8751]

Phil Lowman I ran a shoe repair shop for some years and when I would cut or abrade my hands, my reaction was “Let it bleed”. LOL

[@walkiriadesousa5304]

Beautiful!

[@ksi6044]

Amazing work and really nice to see your detailing. Few questions would like to ask u 1. What leather is used by u. It must be veg tan but is there any specific to look for 2. I'm new into to leather so how come your stitching so uniform ,when I do it's not so neat. Any tips pls 3.why you not done burnishing / edge paint

[@robertbeckman2054]

1) I'd guess it's either a lighter "Portofino" or a "Montana" leather (these are the Tandy terms, which I don't know it they are universal). 1&3) It's most-likely a chrome-tanned leather, which is difficult to burnish, but also gives a better "natural-cut" look, IMHO. 2) After some experimenting with stitching, he's using the "double-stitch" method. What makes the stitching uniform is in how you bring the "back-side" stitch back through to the front. Think of the front stitch as pushing through the "first" needle through the next hole. The "back-stitch" is using the other needle to carefully push the thread back through that same hole that just had stitching pushed through it by the first needle. The key here is when bringing the back-stitch through, always push it through the SAME side: either always to the left of the stitch that's already in the hole or always to the right...that's when you can see the benefit of a uniform stitch, or in this case a double-stitch. Hope this helps.

[@wonderwend]

@Travis Morgan you need to put your glasses on mate : he is very much a he

[@rodneyhamilton1869]

Thank you for your most instructional videos. You have given me the courage to try to make one for a journal I.ve been writing. A question: How suitable do you think it would be to use leather recycled from the seats of luxury cars? I was at the autowreckers and spied a fabulour shade of maroon which I would like to use. Thank you for your response.

[@stealthmode2168]

Lol thanking the dude for something he hasn't done🤣

[@hich4155]

Nice, simple and practical...perfect 👍

[@camd71]

This is the first video I have watched of yours and loved the content and the ease you show in completing such detail work. Currently I am looking at making my own sketchbook cover, I have never worked with leather and therefor a very new beginner. My question is, what is a good thickness and type of leather for making a sketchbook cover?

[@luxiolooma]

Literally SAME! I was looking up videos on how to make a sketchbook or sketchbook cover and this showed up in my recommended. So pleased.

[@CASALIBUSHERMIT]

That is really nice.

[@arielmarchlewicz2339]

It looks really pretty! I'm impressed.

[@ihssanetali9110]

really beautiful work

[@mmemonarch]

Beautiful

[@AineTaiki]

So nice 😊

[@va_bg]

Amazing! It really makes you want to do it yourself!

[@nicholasheitzman2160]

i spy a workshop bandaid. seriously though, nice work. thanks for the video!

[@Corter]

no prob! good ol' masking tape and paper towel scrap haha, that's what I get for fist bumping the electric sander 😬

[@slm5292]

Well done. Thanks for putting it up.

[@Araielle]

Absolutely love this video. Thank you!

[@massacity5087]

what a talent take me i want a learn i will do everything to learn such a beautiful work art........

[@augmentedleather5432]

Start today, it's a fun hobby

[@Veronikiux]

Amazing!

[@CHELOF9]

Very nice 👍

[@lolableu4343]

I saw bandage on your finger.....I saw the sharp knife and thought....ouchhhh. Great video by the way!

[@dilekeyuboglu6063]

Very very good......👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@andreatthatsme]

love it. ty. oh and i placed my order for the master toolbox. i cannot WAIT to get it. i m thinking about re-painting mine in 2 colors. yay yay yay.

[@Corter]

Awesome! Send us a pic if you do, I"m thinking of doing ours white :)

[@andreatthatsme]

Will do. I'm thinking pink and maybe a trim in another color. 😜 but then I could change my mind again by the time it arrives. Lol.

[@Sassyart_studio]

Amazing... 🤩

[@kunwarpreet]

It's beautiful. Can you make a video on making of a clip wallet? I saw a video from another channel on making of a clip wallet but I didn't like it and just thought that Corter does it better.

[@ssbdayparty]

I just started leather crafting, and love this video. Can you please share the size of the chisels used for this journal. Are they 5mm or 4mm or 3mm? I am trying my hands to make a similar journal but uncertain to what size I should get.

[@7R15M3G1]

The weaver leather ones shown are different color for every size set, not sure what size but go to their website and get the blue band ones

[@karlkunz1541]

Very well done thank you for taking the time to create such a good video

[@michaelpcooksey5096]

Nice result. Were u doing single stitch or do u go back over in reverse with single needle method? Compare to saddle stitch?

[@victorkulakou3094]

Great job as always, but where is a penholder?

[@emilywong4601]

I want to make a mini plant press. Maybe this could be it's cover.

[@woodrowstariii215]

Great video! What kind of camera did you use? And what oz leather and thread was used? Thanks again, we enjoy watching all your videos!!! You make the process look so effortless, a quality of a truly experienced and skillful leathercrafter!!!

[@YoSoyMateo899]

Hermoso!! Saludos desde Argentina.

[@brentlarsen6974]

That leather is beautiful. Did you split it down yourself? If so, what splitter do you use? I see Weaver has it listed at 8-10 oz. What you are using looks thinner than that.

[@Corter]

Weaver can split it for you! they can cut ay hide down to 12" strips and split it, I think we pay about $20 extra per hide or so

[@brentlarsen6974]

@@Corter Nice! Thanks

[@syngocnguyen9011]

Nice 😍

[@Midnightpigeon666]

Thank you for this great video! I’m definitely going to try and make one of my own b

[@Mulgogileathercraft]

beautiful🤗

[@TrumpetDoc]

Big fan of your work! Currently have 3 Corter pieces on my person. Bracelet, keychain, and a particularly fantastic wallet. Would love to add a notebook cover to my EDC is this a one off or would they be available?

[@Corter]

We're happy to make more! Just shoot over an email - might just be a bit of a wait this close to the holiday :)

[@SamuelODonnell]

@@Corter Do you have a pattern you used for this build? If so, is it sold somewhere?

[@Keithphotorama]

Very nice 👍👍👍

[@StorlaggarN]

That looks great!! Could you tell me how much leather was used and how long it took to make this?

[@JadedByEntropy]

measure out the size of your book when its open flat, and you'll need two pieces that size(plus 0.5in or so for stitching room boarder depending on the style of stitches and how tight you want the book to fit inside the pockets). its just two layers, and the tab closure can come from the 'middle' of the inside piece which is removed. It takes an insane amount of time to stitch them well like that, but cutting and measuring doesn't take a few minutes. set aside an entire evening start to finish

[@chloejemimah1946]

Love it!

[@danr1712]

Could you tell me what the thickness of the leather you used is? Thanks!

[@tracymustin194]

Do you mind telling me what weight of leather to buy? I haven't been working with it enough to be able to look at it and tell.

[@jaceyho6733]

So nice !

[@deniskrastic]

I’ll start of by saying how amazing your work is. I reckon I’ve watched nearly every product you’ve filmed and as the previous person said you make it look effortless. I’m keen to start my hand in leather work and the one thing I’ve noticed in nearly all of your videos, when your making your holes using the chisel tool, it always fits! My question (which might be obvious and probably silly) is whether the dimensions of your design are dictated by the whole distance chisel your working with? For example near the start of the video when you made and attached the loop to the backing and punched your holes there was one hole either side of the strip that went into the backing only and not the strip (I hope this makes sense 😐). Anyway I’ve always been fascinated by this so I was just curious. Also on a previous video you showed a pattern book I believe it was from Japan but I could be mistaken. Where can this be purchased? Thanks

[@augmentedleather5432]

I dont know about everyone else, but I plan every stitch to the hole in my patterns, I think a lot of crafters who dont plan the stitch work with predetermined chisel sizes. District Leather supply has those Japanese books, was looking myself today. There is also a handful of great crafters who are also selling patterns on etsy if you cant find what you like in a book 🤙

[@Corter]

A lot of times I just wing it to be honest, but you get good at knowing roughly what will work for stitching with things like that strap - for example, I know that quarter inch increments will usually let me space a stitch evenly on either side of a strap with 5mm stitching chisels : ) Many people will plan out their patterns so that their chosen chisels work, sometimes I do that as well but with one-off projects like this I'll just punch the straight runs then make up for any spacing issues in the corners where I can go in with a single tine chisel and space things as I need to so that all of the straight stitch runs line up. It's super easy to fudge stitch spacing in the corners, where as straight stitch lines will show every little discrepancy

[@deniskrastic]

Augmented Leather thank you for your feedback. I guess if your creating your designs in illustrator first you can definitely plan your stitches. I’m in Australia so no I’m looking to start off with a starter pack or tools etc. Any recommendations?

[@deniskrastic]

Corter Leather thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Your work is amazing. Your idea of making up the gaps in the corners is genius and makes perfect sense. What made you get into leather work anyway? Have you been doing it for a while? For someone like me where’s a good place to start? Any suggestions for tools I should start with? I’m based in Australia... thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@Corter]

Thanks for the kind words! I've been a full-time leathersmith since I was 19, I started Corter in college when I needed a wallet and back then no one was making what I wanted in the US - it's been about 12 years now, and I've never had to get a "real" job :) . I always say the best place to start is to grab a cheap set of stitching chisels, the cheapest junkiest veg tan leather you can find, an x-acto and some thread and make about a hundred things that you force yourself to throw away or donate - it's the best way to learn without any pressure. start by learning how to make straight cuts, just basically shred a piece of leather. Then stitch straight lines over and over. Then move to card holders, and soon enough you'll have really good technique and moving on to bigger projects will be easy!

[@kristinacarreon1126]

Do u have a video on how to stitch using 1 needle? Love to learn. Thanks

[@Corter]

We stitch with two needles, just no stitching pony - using only one needle you will have uneven tension

[@jimathey6153]

Weaver sponsors you, why don't you have a stitching horse? I purchased one a long time ago and works very well. ✝️⚾🙃

[@susanrichey6039]

A fair number of your 3.7k views is me watching over and over again to make my own journal cover. I learned 2 things...one is HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS. The other thing is...the task takes much longer in real time. Some day I want a perfect stitch line as Corter. Thanks - love the videos

[@dpatco]

Lovely!!!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@rafaelsoqui4637]

Woow!! Nice job

[@Azarath26]

This cutting precision...

[@ericmortensen791]

Even the glue drips accidentally in the right spot.

[@ihssanetali9110]

hhhh yeah

[@kaye1035]

What thickness of leather do you recomend?

[@samuelmartin4412]

What do you do your stich poke pounding on ? Like a rubber mat or something?

[@Josh_Luijsterburg]

Great job. ❤️… wait a minute, NO penloop 😮😱

[@ericgunter4169]

Are you stitching with one or two needles?

[@christinahenson2781]

Beautiful ❤️ it

[@rasomeawesome4753]

This looks incredible! I'm wondering if this would be pretty similar techniques for vegan leather?

[@darkwriter_xx94]

Rasome Awesome I’ve found vegan leather performs differently than actual leather. I haven’t tried it for this particular project but I have with others and you can’t carve it the same way unfortunately.

[@karanrajpoot6606]

hello sir I m from India ur all accessories r superb👍👌beautiful I want to buy some product can I purchase from u plzzzzzz if yes so plz tell me d process

[@pavanjoshi9054]

Wonderful....!

[@craftlove7488]

Can you add a slide for a pen? Please.

[@jimstancil3]

what is the best brand of edge beveller for thinner leathers?

[@michelledtingle6758]

Wow. I bought a journal for my husband can you make a cover for it with a lock? And how much

[@encantodesol]

Could you do one for me???? wonderful work.

[@tracymustin194]

I think I can do this!