Pattern/Technique: Wool/leather valet tray kit by Klum House. (Instructions)
Materials:
5x5 inch piece of 2-3 oz vegetable tanned leather (punched with 3/32" drive punch at 1" x 5/8" at each of the 4 corners)
5x5 inch piece of Pendleton jacquard wool
(4) double cap rivets (8mm stem)
Eco-Flo leather weld glue
3/32" drive punch for punching holes in leather
New skills: setting double cap rivets
Lessons: Setting the rivets was tricky, and I ended up with a quite a few offset rivets. A few things I learned in the process:
One resource mentioned they got better results by hammering on the cap end with a series of light taps
I got better results with a hammer than a bakelite mallet (the mallet requires using a rivet setter and anvil). Because it's heavier, the hammer transmits more force per strike, and sets the rivet faster.
Hammering on a hard, solid surface is important. However, hammering on the sidewalk outside will make your rivet and leather dimpled from the concrete surface texture. I got the best results by setting rivets on the linoleum (which is on top of concrete) next to our front door. Yay for living in a rental.
Preventing rivets from getting offset while setting seems to come down to having well-aligned holes and trying to make sure you're hammering the rivet straight up and down.
Leather weld will "soak in" to the leather and get tacky pretty fast. Use a flexible plastic spreader to keep spreading it around into an even layer.
Take care not to get leather weld near the punched holes. The Klum House video provided instructions to cut off 1/4" from each edge of the tray so getting glue all the way to the edges wasn't critical, but I tried my best to get it close to the edge, and had good results from doing that.
An awl was an effective tool for making rivet holes in the wool panel.
What I'd do differently: I was a little surprised by how much I like the antique brass hardware. It's a little more muted/subtle than the bright gold of the regular brass, and is a look I really like. I'd seriously consider using it on future bags/projects.
