After, adding some color to this small piece, I decided to make it stand out a little more by hand stitching, with pink thread, instead of machine stitching. Hand stitching gives leather pieces a different touch, with a slanted stitch, and a thread material that can withstand it all; while giving this fun piece a little bit of an elegant touch.
One of the most important steps of leather crafting, in my opinion, is cleaning up the edges. Some makers, like the raw edge of the leather, but not this one. Using a bright rose colored edge paint and adding a gloss top coat allows this design to really shine. People love to say, "wow, this looks like a designer brands work!" Well, guess what, just because J. Christine is a small business, doesn't mean it’s not designer.
Last, but not least, to pull the whole design together, the beautiful continent of Africa is heat transferred onto the leather. Using the Cricut Maker and Cricut design software, I was able to precisely cut out the design I wanted, for the HTV, as well as cut the actual leather pieces, used in this design. The HTV sheet I choose gives the keychain a real glow. The simple and clean white color along with glitter texture really brings the whole design together.
Thanks for reading.
You can shop the Africa Leather Keychain here.
- J. Christine