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Leather rose

Writer's picture: whollycowleatherwhollycowleather



Who doesn’t love getting roses? 🌹🌹🌹

Make your significant other fall for you all over again. 💖

This is a simple tutorial on how to make beautiful roses that will delight whoever receives them! 😊


Lets get started!



You will need :


Consumables

o 2-4oz veg tan leather (the thinner the better as it’s easier to mold)

o Floristry wire (18 and 20 gauge)

o Floristry tape (dark green)

o A red bead

o Dye and finish of your choice

o Glue / leather cement (optional)


Tools

o Pen

o Knife

o Sandpaper (400 grit and 1200 grit)

o Burnisher

o Two pairs of pliers

o Rubber bands


Included

o 3 x petal pattern (small, medium and large)

o 1 x leaf pattern



The beauty of this pattern is that if your petals are cut a little wonky, or if your holes are not exactly centre, it doesn’t matter. These small wonky features will make your rose more organic and original as no two will ever be the same in nature and neither do they need to be in your leatherwork.


Good luck and have fun!








Step 1.

Mark up and cut your leather with the patterns provided.


Step 2.

Dye your shapes. Let them dry.



Step 3.

Condition. Use your hands and let the warmth melt the conditioner into the leather. Massage them a bit to soften them up and make them more pliable. Let them dry and buff.


Step 4.

Sand and burnish. Start with a rough paper (400 grit). Go over it with a fine paper, (1200 grit). You should aim to create a soft, (fluffy) rounded edge. Use a cotton bud to dye the edge with the same base colour you coloured the petals with and burnish with your slicker.


Step 5.

Punch your holes. One single hole in the centre of each piece. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rough placement as long as it’s in the middle. Make it big enough to hold your twisted wires.



Step 6.

Grab your pliers, wires and a single red bead. Twist one 18 gauge and one 20 gauge wire together leaving one piece longer at one end. Thread the bead through that and wrap the overhang of wire around itself locking the bead in place.













Step 7.

Create the rose centre. Spritz the petals with water and starting with the smallest petals tightly wrap a petal around on itself. It will sit above the bead but that’s ok.



Step 8.

Take half of another 18 gauge wire and bend it into a tight U shape. Thread it through the wire around the bottom of the bead and through the hole of the first set of petals and wrap around the main stem underneath, building and shaping the wire into the base the rose.
















Step 9.

Wrap the rest of the petals (wet each layer before you wrap) around the centre curl. Alternate the centre of each petal as you add each layer. Hold tight with rubber band or hair tie and let dry.











Step 10.

Curl. Spritz the flower and use your fingers to curl over the edges of the petals.

Hold them there for a few seconds while they find their new shape. Keep molding until you’re happy. Tie with a rubber band and leave to dry.




Note : As you mold the petal edges, the dye may lighten in places. Don’t worry about this, it’ll add some texture and contrast.



Step 11.

Cut, dye, condition, sand and burnish your leaves. Punch a centre hole. Follow steps 1 – 5.













Step 12.

Spritz the leaves and add them. Mold them around the base of the flower until your happy with their placement. Hold in place with a rubber band and let dry.

Optional : You can add glue between the flower and leaves if you want but its not necessary.



Step 13.

Wrap the base of flower with floristy tape and continue down the stem. It is a waxy paper and while it sticks to itself incredibly well, it doesn’t stick to leather very well or for that matter glue. It will take a little practise to get it to stick to the flower base but keep wrapping and overlapping and you’ll get it soon enough.












Ignore the black strip, that was an addition and is not included here.


Step 14.

Add your choice of topcoat/sealant. I use very little on my brush and spread it around lightly until the brush is dry. Add more layers until you get the effect your after. Let dry and give it a light buff and you’re done! Congratulations! 🌹😊





Note : I like to use a soft shoe brush or a piece of scrap denim to buff with.




Find the pirntable version here. Includes patterns for the petals and leaves

























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