Sketches to choose colours
Patterning this one was a little tricky, because not only did I want a mostly single-piece pattern, I also wanted it to wrap relatively snugly around the sunglasses. As I worked on it I realised I’d need to add a few more bits here and there, and it became a 5-piece pattern. That’s just the way it goes.
I made this one out of Alran Chevre Sully and some veg tan roo scrap. To support the nose bridge I used Hahns Atelier’s method of stitching a strip to the liner.
Method
With my pattern finalised, I cut correct sizes of both outer and liner leathers, and 5mm shorter all the way around of microfibra 0.5mm reinforcement. The ears I cut one to size, and its liner oversize.
The first step was to deal with everything that needed to happen on just the liner and just the outer before I glued any reinforcement down to cover it.
On the liner, I stitched through reinforcement tape the nose bridge support piece. I also needed to attach the male part of the magnetic clasp, but because the liner would be glued on a curve I would need to place that at the last minute.
On the outer, I stitched the eyes. I cut slits for the ears and stitched those down. I stitched on the mouth applique which would also help in further covering the magnet clasp.
Eyes stitched. Ears and mouth pieces not yet stitched
With the outer complete, I fully laminated flat the reinforcement to the outer. The reinforcement was 5mm smaller on all edges than the outer.
Next I started gluing the edges of the liner to the outer. I started at the bottom, and worked my way almost to the flap, gluing on a curve as needed. When it was almost all glued down I knew how much of the liner would need to be trimmed.
Liner glued on a curve, not yet trimmed
After trimming everything I could place the final piece, the male part of the magnet. I marked its position on the liner and attached it. Then I glued all the edges I hadn’t glued yet and sanded the edges flat.
I marked my stitching holes and got stitching. I only left the wings and its corresponding holes on the body unstitched. Those would be done as the last step. After stitching, and a final sand to true up the edges, I creased the edges. On my Dupin I used #2 setting with normal pen pressure and made multiple passes. After the creasing I painted all the edges.
The last step was to stitch the wings to the body.
One wing sewn