For Stephanie's birthday this year (2019), I decided to get her AirPods. For the longest time, she was so against them and couldn't understand my obsession with them. She has a tendency to lose items, so I decided to build her a carrying case too so she could clip them to herself or her backpack to help avoid losing them.
The completed leather carrier
The process began with measuring the case, and approximating how much leather I needed. Then I went to the tannery to look for a proper amount of area. The size that worked best with the quality I approved was only available in a half-hide size, so I purchased this. It would also give me peace of mind to correct any mistakes I was surely about to make.
Leather hide from the tannery
I created a design and flattened the pattern. I 3D printed a fake case to help form the leather around and act as a mold.
Finishing cuts on the flat pattern, initial cuts were made using a laser
After smashing the button snap in, the top flap was folded over to prevent scratching against the case. It was secured using a Bemis hot-melt adhesive. The pill cutout is to allow for lightning charging of the case, and the puzzle-piece-shaped backing was an homage to Steph's love for puzzles.
Key Takeaways:
• Learning different leather qualities and pricing
• Experimenting with different ways of leather product construction, cut n' sew
• Accounting for loose tolerances and material stretch with soft goods construction
• Interfacing hardware with soft goods construction