This big leather coin / jewellery tray is a stylish way to keep your rings safe on your dressing table, or a great place on your hall table to dump your coins or keys. This design is a super-sized ivy leaf. Use a bit of artistic licence when dyeing and painting it.

Supplies

Piece of 3mm thick leather - approx 22cm square

Leather dye (Fiebings Pro)

Leather paints (Angelus, Jaquard Lumiere)

Leather Finish (Resolene)

Swivel knife

Bevelling tool

Background tool

Scissors

Craft knife / clickers knife

Domed ball or bowl

Step 1: Pick Some Ivy Leaves

To make sure I got the right shape for my leaf, I went out into the garden and picked some ivy leaves to see the different shapes and colours.

Step 2: Choose a Leaf, Scan and Super Size

Having chosen one of the variegated leaves, I scanned it using my computer scanner and super-sized it ready for printing. I sized it up from its natural 7cm across to approximately 21cm across. You can do the same or use the resulting scan (as pdf) attached.

IMG_20220611_0001.pdf
Download

Step 3: Print Your Big Ivy Leaf Image and Cut Out

Now print your big ivy leaf image and cut out. This is your template ready for transferring to leather.

Step 4: Trace Your Pattern Onto the Leather

Turn your template over (face down) and trace round it onto the back of the leather.

Step 5: Cut Out the Leather

Using a combination of leather scissors, craft knife or clickers knife, cut out the pattern from the leather.

Step 6: Wet the Leather

Get some water in a pot and wet the top surface of the leather using a sponge. Allow the water to soak in for a minute or two.

Step 7: Trace the Veins

Place your paper pattern on top of the damp leather. Using a stylus trace the veins. You will find once you remove the paper pattern you can see the marks on the leather.

Step 8: Carve the Veins Into the Leather

Using a swivel knife carve the veins into the leather. You could do this with a craft knife, but be careful that you only score the leather and don't cut all the way through.

Step 9: Bevel the Veins

Using a bevelling tool, bevel the veins.

Put the edge of the tool along the cut line and tap gently while moving the beveller along the line.

This will make the veins pop out.

Step 10: Add Texture With a Background Tool

Now using a background tool add some texture to your leaf.

Step 11: Shape the Leather

Wet the leather leaf thoroughly - I run it under the tap for a minute.

Using a domed item (I have a glass ball - but a domed bowl or plastic ball will work ) press your leather leaf face down onto the ball. Keep running your hands over the leather for a minute or two until it takes shape. Pull the leaf edges up a bit to make a nice shape.

Leave for an hour, then take off the ball - check you are happy with the curves and leave to dry completely.

Step 12: Dye the Leather Ivy Leaf

Dye your leather ivy leaf front and back. I'm using Fiebings Pro leather dye. They do sell a green colour, but I only had yellow and blue, so I mixed them to get green.

Leave to dry.

Step 13: Add Pearlescent Colour (Optional)

Now it's up to you to determine how you want to finish your ivy leaf tray. Leave it plain or jazz it up a bit with some pearlescent colour.

I've added a pearlescent emerald colour (Jaquard Lumiere leather paint - emerald green). This has been diluted down and applied as a wash over the leaf.

This is optional, if you want a plainer more realistic leaf, you can jump straight onto the Painting the Veins step

Allow to dry.