Upcycling- A Pen Lover's Way

[subramaniyam]

Hi all,

So mom has this leather (faux) handbag thats ripped inside; she's ready to throw it in the bin. I noticed that the outer was in good condition, so I rescue it from the bin. Out comes the epoxy, scissors, thread and needle, and a zipper.

Once I tore apart the bag into separate panels, I noticed that the inner was lined with some velvety soft material. What good luck!!!! I was able to make a nice leather pen pouch with a zipper that holds around 10 pens easily. Everything stitched together; works like a charm

But I needed something for an EDC- something not too bulky or obvious. So I made two cases- one for three pens and one for five. Seams were epoxied together (my hands were sore from stitching the pouch, so I opted for the easy way out). Velcro was also epoxied on the tabs to securely hold the pens. Left overnight to dry, I got two EDC cases for practically free!!!

And here are the pics on my Flickr pool. Click on the link to view the entire set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4710457...th/8978968014/

Regards,
Subramaniyam

[Tracy Lee]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing, what a great project.

[cwent2]

+1 Good job thanks for sharing - sometimes thinking out of the box is a good thing!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Very cool!

[subramaniyam]

Thank you Tracy, Cwent, and Sailor. I still had a bit of leather left so I made a strap for my grandfather's vintage West End watch. Yes sometimes it is quite invigorating to think outside the box. :-)

Regards,
Subramaniyam

[Tony Rex]

Good stuff. Make sure they are long enough for a Safari

Tony

[subramaniyam]

Thank you, Tony. Yes, I will. I guess the package has arrived in India.

Thanks and regards,
Sub

[earthdawn]

Well played !!!

Very nicely done

Thanks for sharing

[cedargirl]

Great! It's wonderful to reuse; and what a fab outcome.

[Nomdeplume]

Neat job of "up-cycling"!!

[subramaniyam]

Thank you all!!! I have bought a set of leather hole punches, but I am unable to find the punch which is used to make holes for stitching leather. That would make my job a whole lot easier, plus it is cleaner than using epoxy. I've asked the local bag maker if he can give me some scrap rexine. Lets see... :-)

Regards,
Subramaniyam

[Heliotrope]

Great idea!

[subramaniyam]

Thanks Heliotrope!!!

Regards,
Sub

[Cake]

Wow, they came out fantastically. Nice work!

[subramaniyam]

Thanks, Cake!!

Regards,
Sub

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thank you all!!! I have bought a set of leather hole punches, but I am unable to find the punch which is used to make holes for stitching leather. That would make my job a whole lot easier, plus it is cleaner than using epoxy. I've asked the local bag maker if he can give me some scrap rexine. Lets see... :-)

Regards,
Subramaniyam

I was going to suggest that! Makes leather-sewing much easier. If you can't find the punch, do you have an awl or ice pick?

[subramaniyam]

No, Sailor. I do not have either. Is there a technical name for that punching tool?

Regards,
Sub

[Sailor Kenshin]

If there is, I don't know it.

I actually had one myself and now can't locate it. Perhaps it ran away with yours to a desert island.

[subramaniyam]

I'll be using rexine now...so I dont think i will need the punch. :-)

[subramaniyam]

It is called a 'stitching hole punch' or a stitching punch.