Project description
I need a leather-bound cover made for a refillable journal that I can keep using for years, only swapping the paper block inside once it is full. The cover should be built from full-grain vegetable-tanned leather, roughly 2 to 2.5 millimeters thick, in a warm chestnut or dark walnut tone — I am open to your recommendation on which hide takes tooling best.
Binding style: a traveler's notebook style wrap, with an inner spine strap holding one A5 notebook insert plus a slimmer A6 pocket insert, so I can carry a daily notebook and a smaller idea pad together. Please use a long-stitch or saddle-stitch spine rather than glued binding, so worn stitching can be repaired instead of the whole cover failing.
Closure: an adjustable wrap strap that loops around the whole cover, closed with a leather knot or a small brass stud button — no zippers or plastic clasps.
Decoration: hand-tooled initials or a simple geometric border on the front cover, blind-tooled or lightly dyed to stand out against the base leather without looking gaudy. An interior slip pocket for loose cards or receipts would be a nice addition if it fits the budget.
Sizing: outer cover roughly A5 plus a half-inch margin on all sides so the strap and spine do not crowd the writing area. I would like to discuss paper insert sourcing separately — the leatherworker only needs to size the spine strap to standard A5/A6 notebook thicknesses.
Timeline: I would like the piece finished within the stated period, with one progress photo after the leather is cut and tooled, before final stitching and edge finishing (burnished and waxed edges, no raw cut edges). Please share examples of similar refillable covers you have made before bidding.
Binding style: a traveler's notebook style wrap, with an inner spine strap holding one A5 notebook insert plus a slimmer A6 pocket insert, so I can carry a daily notebook and a smaller idea pad together. Please use a long-stitch or saddle-stitch spine rather than glued binding, so worn stitching can be repaired instead of the whole cover failing.
Closure: an adjustable wrap strap that loops around the whole cover, closed with a leather knot or a small brass stud button — no zippers or plastic clasps.
Decoration: hand-tooled initials or a simple geometric border on the front cover, blind-tooled or lightly dyed to stand out against the base leather without looking gaudy. An interior slip pocket for loose cards or receipts would be a nice addition if it fits the budget.
Sizing: outer cover roughly A5 plus a half-inch margin on all sides so the strap and spine do not crowd the writing area. I would like to discuss paper insert sourcing separately — the leatherworker only needs to size the spine strap to standard A5/A6 notebook thicknesses.
Timeline: I would like the piece finished within the stated period, with one progress photo after the leather is cut and tooled, before final stitching and edge finishing (burnished and waxed edges, no raw cut edges). Please share examples of similar refillable covers you have made before bidding.
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