For this project I dyed some natural vegetable tanned leather with Fiebings Cordovan dye, finished with Fiebings Aussie. I marked all parts I needed with a scratch awl and cut them out. The parts needed for this pencil case were the main body, two end tabs, and a zipper pull with some padding.
I tackled the zipper pull first, adding appropriate sized padding to it and gluing it down around the zipper pull’s ring and stitching it. Next I prepared the end tabs, finishing the edges and using the empty space to stamp my logo. I skived one edge of the tabs where it would be stitched to the main body. The flesh side I burnished with Tokonole.
I skived the main body where the turned stitches would go. I left the parts where the zipper would be attached at full thickness. I marked where the zipper would be glued, and burnished the rest of the flesh side with Tokonole to prevent fibres from getting loose when the pencil case would be in use. I edge-finished the zipper area in preparation for zipper attachment.
I measured the length of zipper required and prepared it by removing teeth and attaching top stops. I then separated the zipper and glued it around the edge, folding the zipper tape into little puckers as it went around curves. Next I punched and stitched the zipper.
One side of zip attached
Inside the pencil case
Both sides of zip attached
Pencil case zipped up to check shape
Next I needed to put the bottom stop, so I closed the zipper inside out and marked where the bottom stop should go. I removed all the excess teeth to the mark.
Before installing the zipper stop I needed to stick on the tabs. I attached these, facing inwards, the grain side facing the zip. With these glued on, I inserted the zipper pull and attached the bottom stop, zipping the pencil case inside out.
Next I boxed the corners and glued them down. I used round dents to punch the ends and stitched them up. I trimmed any excess tape, burned the edges to prevent fraying, and turned the pencil case inside out.
