Botanical leather imprints testing 植物印染皮革試驗

 

 These days I have done a few more botanical imprints mainly with gerbra flowers and sewed into pouches.

 I can't recall how many pieces of leather imprints I have done and made into purses. A few of my signatures below.......

 They're made with sheep leather and pig leather.  Some are stiff some are so soft.

 It's not easy to buy appropriate leathers for botanical imprints locally.  Usually I source raw sheep/lamb leathers.  Today just got two pieces of quite soft, thin and white dyed sheep skin.  I don't know how it was tanned and was puzzled if it work but good price only about 3.5 euro.  No harm to try.  With the flowers bought I immediately done testing with simple layout.
玩皮革植物印染充滿挑戰性，因為皮革貨源及其處理不一，我通常購

買原色羊仔皮，這日店主給予一片已漂白柔軟又便宜的小羊皮，但試驗後效果不佳但仍有作為，所以，怎麼樣的皮質不防一試，我就是這樣做了試驗又車縫成實用皮包包。

 Mogi, my cat is always my helping hand.

 

"Hmmm.....mum it's fine for bundling and cooking....."

 I was expecting the flower prints looks like the previous one done with impressive outcome, particular the gerbra printed so nice.

 

Opened it with curiosity but I was not pleased and the leather shrank almost half the original size and the flower printed just purple without "in-depth" look and other plants even without color.

 Anyway I mounted it to air dry.

 The more it's getting dry the more it's stiff.

 

 Though not a successful printing I wanted to make it functional. I cut it to make a few pouches.

Zipper, lining label..... all in hand.

 

 Leather is a bit stiff so I cut and sew it while it's not all dried. Otherwise it's hard for machine sewing.

It's done. Prints of both sides.

  

Another one of both sides

 This one is disaster, all dark without much prints.         Still made it into a purse.

  

Printing on leather is challenging and outcome depends much on choice of leather. However we can do trials and even make the swatches into something useful.

 That's enough for a few pieces.  Mogi was so nice to follow me from day to night......

 

He says "Goodnight....."

Oh, it's my space. His territorial behave always occupies it !

 

Few of the pouches of different prints and shades.  I like to do small swatches prints as the size just right to make it as make up pouch or whatever use.

 Can I imagine just with natural dyes and ingredients I can make such colorful botanical imprints on leather with different outcome?

  

Yes, I can make it ....

Last but not least I have an instant download pdf tutorial for the botanical imprints making.  It's simple if you can source the right leather.  You may like to have a look on my ETSY.