Leatherworking

oceanclub

OK so Halloween is coming up and I have a party to go to. Junior is going as Link, my wife as Faith from Mirror's Edge, and I really love the idea of 50s Rockabilly Batman. Am I _insane_ to think I could go from having no skills in leatherworking to creating this in a month?

http://boingboing.net/2012/09/10/howto-make-a-leather-rockabill.html

If the answer is "yes" are there shortcuts I could take - other materials perhaps?

P.

looksee

I'm pretty handy and I am not sure I would take it on, but there again I don't feel passionate about making a Batman mask. So. First I would not make it in leather, its very difficult to get in Ireland, and the skills for sewing it are pretty specific.

You could go to an upholstery place (or somewhere like Michael Guineys that sells fabric) and buy some 'leatherette' or leather cloth which is a fabric backed plastic stuff found on most cheap furniture, which is easy to handle and sew. And not expensive. You would need to line it with something as the fabric backing would show in some places, but you could use two layers of the leather cloth glued together. I think i would be inclined to make the shell then worry about lining some bits of it later. You could probably use black electrical tape to seal the edges fairly effectively.

The hardest part would be making the shell and I can't do any better than his suggestion of making a tape shape, then cutting it. Good luck, and have a Plan B :-)

oceanclub

Hey, thanks for the reply.

I would not make it in leather, its very difficult to get in Ireland

Really? Any idea why? I find that strange. I presume buying from abroad is OK?

I suppose at a pinch I can make with stiff card and leatherette. I just reckon though that something like wouldn't' last very long whereas the leather one would. Even if I wasn't going to use it again (and I do like the idea of keeping it as a costume) perhaps I could sell it again.

P.

looksee

Well no, it wouldn't last very long, it depends really whether you just want a costume or fancy the idea of doing some leatherwork. If that's what you want to do then go for it!

It is very surprising that leather is difficult to get here, you would think with all the cattle that there would be leather, but apparently no one is tanning the hides. EBay is as good as any for small pieces (but don't underestimate how much you will need, it would take quite a lot. Otherwise you can buy leather from such as www.leprevo.co.uk/ - look through their clearance bargains and special offers. Only problem is they charge a flat fee of £18 for postage. You can get all the stitching and cutting equipment there quite reasonably too.

wmpdd3

I'd make it in PVC and glue it and add the stitch mark later with a marker.