Leatherwork Journal Covers

[Cryptos]

Would someone like to illuminate me with why a piece of leather big enough to make a cover for an A6 (pocket) sized notebook should cost over $50?

 

I feel as if I am missing some information and I am not sure where to look for it - please note, I know of no local leather workers, and I am not sure that my city even has any.

[Octo]

I never figured that out either, so I get leather for covers from leather coats from thrift shops.

[Giordana]

I thought the same too, so I decided to make my own. Went across the border to Mexico, and got myself a nice piece of oiled leather for about $7, then went to Hobby Lobby and got the materials. I bought a 3 pack of Picadilly notebooks for about $6 (not including taxes). I think without the notebooks, I must've spent about $20 in materials. Was I happy with the results? Kind of. It was my first time, and I was hoping to make a beautiful sturdy journal cover like the Midori's. In conclusion, you're probably paying extra for materials, quality, and workmanship. I do recommend you make your own if you like DIY projects. I'm making another one from cloth for my pocket Moleskine!

[Cryptos]

I'm talking about the simplest design with fold-over stitched flaps to hold the notebook front and back cover. Essentially, if I understand this correctly, It's one piece of leather folded and stitched. That's it. And I bet most stitching is done on a sewing machine too, not by hand, and yet still charge over $50 for end product.

 

I was thinking about something to chuck an A6 notebook into (field notes size). I usually use a Midori TN but when I am on foot and moving lightly I tend to chuck a Clairefontaine Age Bag A6 into my pocket. Gets a bit ragged after a while though. $50 or more to protect a $4 notebook? I think not.

[Octo]

Must it be leather? Next time you are in a fabric shop, check the fabric-backed vinyls. For the cost of 1/3 yard, you could make several waterproof, easy to clean covers. Some look like leather, others are more innovative.

[casualmerlinconstant]

I've been wrestling with this dilemma for a very long time. Love the concept and look and feel of leather. But I go through notebooks like hot cakes so I can't really afford an expensive journal. Can't really justify a notebook cover for crappy notebooks . Especially since I would need 4. Haha

[Cryptos]

 

Must it be leather?

 

Well, yes. That was kind of the point.

[flexnib]

How about time, effort, overhead, etc. etc...if made by hand from start to finish it does not seem unreasonable.

[JimCouch]

Because people are paid for their labor. There is much more that goes into the cover than just stitching the leather. A lot goes into producing the leather itself, tanning, dying, ect. Look at other quality leather goods, wallets, purses, ect. Looking at office supply stores, even basic quality mass produced leather covers and portfolios are in the 35 - 40 dollar range, makes some of the hand made US produced products look pretty reasonable price wise.

 

www.oberondesign.com has some really nice looking stuff.

[xwingrox]

I recently went the whole DIY route to making a leather Hobonichi cousin planner cover. I bought a whole side of Horween Chromexcel and all the tools required to work leather. Total cost of materials and tools worked out to be cheaper than a commercially available one (Horween covers are ~$80+). However, my leather working skills are not the best and my saddle stitches are not perfectly aligned or perfectly straight.

So you are probably paying for a combination of materials and tools, labor, leather working skill, and overhead costs of business.

So that $50 cover might actually cost you ~$20 to make (assuming you used the leather and tools to make other stuff). The remaining $30 might be covering a combo of good craftsmanship and overhead.

Is it worth it buy a custom cover for $50? Probably. Unless you take my approach and spend $$$ to buy the materials and tools to make your own

[Cryptos]

Well, I did stump up for Midori Traveler at the beginning of the year and I use that quite a bit if I have a bag with me. However, if I am nipping down to the shops and just want to take a memo pad and pen then I tend to use a Clairefontaine A6 side stapled notebook. That's what I want the cover for, and I like leather!

[my63]

I started making cases in leather because I wanted them and thought they were too expensive I started making notebook covers because someone asked me to make one.

If made by hand even a simple notebook cover takes time I wont go through all of the stages but at least two hours over a 24 hour period,

If it is hand sewn where the holes are marked and an awl passed through before the needle then you will need to add another hour or two in my case .

 

So I believe $50 is a fair price however if it is a piece of leather folded over with some holes in and a piece of elastic then no they are well over priced but people seem to buy them anyway !

 

Xwingrox

I congratulate you for having a goI always encourage FPN ers to have a go and offer my support should things not work out, If you have any leather remaining that you have not used on other projects I would be happy to help you to make another cover,

Those planners are quite complex so if you don't wish to have another go yourself please let me know and I will help you.