How to Make A Leather Organizer: The How-To You Need

Everybody hates a messed-up desk because it becomes the number one reason for frustration aside from losing things. That is why people need a desk organizer to keep things arranged. A leather desk organizer is a type of piece that hides all your materials, wires, cords, and chargers so you can work at your desk without getting tangled. Leather organizers match well with leather furniture and are also easy to wipe down if you need to clean them. They are typically designed for home offices.

In making a leather desk organizer, you will have to prepare cardboard for the foundation. Using the leather tools, attach a foam and cover it with leather. You will stick it all together by following the pattern, and your desk organizer will be ready to use.

Leather has always been associated with luxury, so it is important to have furniture that reflects this when working at home. Not only will a leather desk organizer add a touch of elegance to your office space, but it will make your life easier too!

Organize Your Desk With A Leather Organizer

Everyone gets tired when looking at a cluttered desk. Sometimes, we ran out of time to put the pieces of stuff piled up to the sides. It is more hassle when you need something and is stuck in the middle of the piled belongings.

When making a desk organizer, you will not only save yourself from frustration, but you can save your things from getting misplaced. To make your leather desk organizer, follow these 11 quick and easy steps.

Step 1: Prepare A Cardboard For A Strong Foundation

The first step in making a leather desk organizer that is very durable is by making its foundation stronger. Prepare a 0.90mm thick single-wall board and lay it on a flat surface or your working desk. Ensure that your board is not condensed in making a leather desk organizer with your bare hands and stay away from wet.

Start by measuring twelve 15x10cm rectangles. The eight rectangles will serve as the walls of the box. The other four will serve as longitudinal dividers. Next is to cut two 15x15cm, which will serve as the base of the box. To add more style and space, measure two 5x10cm boards for a latitudinal divider.

Now that you have measured all the needed sizes for your leather desk organizer proceed to prepare all the tools needed to do this project.

Step 2: Provide All The Tools And Materials That Are Needed

For this leather project, the first and most important tool you will need is a board cutter. If you do not have any board cutter, use a precision knife or an x-acto knife. Also, a knife must cut leather, so it will be much better to have a precision or x-acto knife.

Second, you will need a metal ruler. The metal rule will serve to measure sizes, but it also helps guide the craftsman to cut pieces of stuff that need to be cut.

To make the leather’s surface more uniformly smooth, you must provide a Beeswax for this project. You will also need stitching tools along with a leather thread. Provide a needle that is thick enough to stitch leather and cardboard.

You will need a pricking iron for poking holes and a mallet to make it easier for the stitching process. Create the guideline lines with an adjustable creaser if you wish to ensure straight holes.

Other materials that you will need are a 2mm thick foam, a lighter, a damp cloth, and leather glue. You can grab anything you think that will help make a leather desk organizer for the other tools. Also, provide a brush to make the gluing process neat.

Step 3: Start Cutting Out Pieces of Cardboard

Go to your measured cardboard that has been laid down on a flat surface and, of course, the cutter. Grab your metal ruler and lay it on top of the cardboard. Make sure that you have aligned the side of the metal ruler to the exact measurements.

Next, by the use of your cutter, start slicing the cardboard. Follow the guidelines as you start dividing the pieces of cardboard. Make sure not to misalign the ruler, or you will end up having a curvy output.

Upon cutting all of the parts, you need to inspect the sides for any undesirable curves. Feel the edges with your bare hands to determine how smooth they are. Maintain the straightness of the edges, even if they will be covered with leather later on because this will serve as the foundation for your leather desk organizer.

Step 4: Cut Out Foams And Stick To The Cardboard

The foam is cut the same way as the cardboard because you would not want your desk organizer dull and stiff. There is only one difference, and that is the number of foams that need to be cut. Next is to attach the foam to the outside of the leather desk organizer rather than to the inside.

Four 15x10cm foam sheets will be enough for the leather desk organizer. Put measured lines on the foam with a marker. Then, using a precision knife, carefully cut it into the desired shape. Since foams are soft and made up of a lot of gas, it will be simple to cut them into pieces.

Step 5: Make A Pattern For The Leather

Providing a rectangle form will be your task in this step. Make a replica of the cardboard’s measurements and add a 5cm allowance on each side. You will also need the same amount of leather as the cardboard as we will be covering the foundation of the desk organizer with it, so make sure you have enough space for gluing.

Make the pattern with the help of the metal ruler as a guide. You can mark straight lines with a pen visible through the leather, but it is preferable to use a sharp tool to mark straight lines. The cutting of leather will be significantly easier as a result of this.

Step 6: Start Cutting The Leather

Before cutting the measured leather, take time to sharpen the blade of the knife you will use, or much better to replace it with a new one. Making the blades sharp will let you cut the leather with only 1-2 passes. Having more passes will give the leather tattered edges.

Make sure the mat is clean, and stay away from objects that could leave unwanted scars on the surface of the leather. Alternatively, if you don’t have a cutting mat, place the leather on a flat surface. The metal ruler should be placed on top of the leather to secure it. It is important to press it firmly to avoid misalignment.

Start at a chosen corner, slice the leather following the side of the metal ruler aligned with the marked measurements. Do not forget not to remove your hands off the ruler so that it will stay right in its place. Once you are done, check all the sides and make sure that all are evenly straight.

You will not need to bevel the edges of the leathers since this will be folded and glued. Also, a burnisher is not needed since folding it will have a smooth leather-surfaced edge.

Step 7: Cover The Cardboard With Leather Now

Start covering all the cardboard without the foam with leather now. The extra leather will not be cut; instead, you will be folding it all along the way from the other side of the cardboard. Cover it tightly and secure it with glue.

The same goes with the cardboards with foam, but make sure not to flatten the foam when covering it. Gently press it to the top of the foam and flip it to make it easier to fold the excess leather. Do not stretch the leather so that it will give the foam the amount of space it needs.

When you fold the excess leather to the side, secure it first with glue before proceeding to the next side. In that way, you will make the job easier and faster. Repeat the process of folding and securing all the cardboard that needs to be covered.

Once you are done with covering, set aside the stiff boards and prepare the boards with foam for the decoration process.

Step 8: Time To Poke Holes For Decoration

As part of this step, we will be using a metal ruler and pen first. Keep in mind that it is better to measure and put guidelines first before starting to work. Keeping your output clean is the best practice.

Make a grid using the ruler. This time divide it into ten boxes. You can use a sharp tool for this step or a pen visible through the leather. Mark the leather gently to avoid an unwanted tattered surface. When you are done with marking guidelines, it is time to grab your pricking irons and mallet.

If you do not have a mallet, grab a hammer or anything hard enough to give the pricking iron sufficient force to poke the leather. Place the pricking iron to the guidelines you made earlier and start by heavily hitting the top.

Hold the pricking iron firmly so that it will not get injured. Once you have hit the first set, place one point on the end of the poked holes. Placing it on end will be used to determine the exact spaces from hole to hole. On the remaining three pieces of cardboard, repeat the process as well.

Step 9: Do Not Forget To Stitch After Poking

Once you are done with all the poking processes, grab your stitching needle and leather thread. Use a thicker thread since the layers are thick. Make a ladder stitch or a running stitch. 

You can practice the stitching style in a piece of fabric. Practicing the stitching style will give the leather desk organizer a neat exterior decoration. Then, in the chosen corner, start stitching.

Follow the holes that you have poked since it was there to be your guidelines in stitching. Tightly stitch it, and make sure that the foams are pressed to the cardboard leaving it quite similar to a chesterfield style.

Upon reaching the end of the stitching guideline, tie a knot. Grab a lighter to put a little flame on the excess leather. Then, use a damp cloth to eliminate the fire. Make sure you are not burning the leather or else, you will have to start from scratch again.

Step 10: Glue It All Together

Since the decoration process is done, it is time to assemble the leather desk organizer. Start by grabbing the base of the organizer. Put glue on the cardboard side, leaving it with back-to-back squared leather. 

Next are the dividers; similar to the base process, put glue on each side and stick it together. Once you are done with it, the remaining cardboards should be stiff 10x15cm and decorated 10x15cm. Partner the decorated board with the stiff one. A similar process to the rest, glue each side and stick it together.

After gluing it back to back, it is time to stick it all together. Place the exterior designs at the four sides of the base. Then, put the dividers inside. The small divider will be placed on one of the three spaces, probably on the right side. 

Step 11: Apply Beeswax For The Finishing Touch

Once you have finished assembling your leather desk organizer, you can now put beeswax in it. Using a damp cloth, put a little beeswax in it and wipe it to the exterior surface. Rub it gently until it leaves a smooth and shiny output.

Furthermore, repeat the process to all sides of the leather desk organizer, including the base. You can also include the interior if you like. Do not over-wipe the beeswax; make sure you leave a little layer of it to the leather for waterproofing.

Put Your Things In Order Now

Once you have completed crafting your leather desk organizer, you may now place all the stuff that makes your desk cluttered. We can not deny that there are many desk organizers available in the market, but we can not agree less that you can customize the design and size the way you want to make a leather desk organizer with your bare hands. Making your own is an advantage; you can make it the way you need it most.

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