Don’t buy Angelus pain’t on Amazon, it’s like $6.99 an ounce. Buy it direct from their online store the poster above linked, the single ounce bottles are $2.95 there. Also, a little goes a long way, unless you have something HUGE to paint, you can probably do it with a small bottle. I barely dented the one I got doing all the black on this;
Don’t buy Angelus pain’t on Amazon, it’s like $6.99 an ounce. Buy it direct from their online store the poster above linked, the single ounce bottles are $2.95 there. Also, a little goes a long way, unless you have something HUGE to paint, you can probably do it with a small bottle. I barely dented the one I got doing all the black on this;
Angelus is amazing! I used it last year for my Sailor Venus heels
Apparently concentrated Kool-Aid can be used as a pretty effective leather dye.
I was making a drink while cutting the snaps off some new straps for my pauldrons and I got curious, so I tried it, thinking, “ok even if this works, it will just wash out.”
Nope.
It took the “dye” (undiluted) in about 3 seconds. After drying for about an hour and a half, it would not wash off in the hottest tap-water. It would not wash out after soaking for 30 minutes. It did not wash out until I BOILED it, and even then, only by a tiny bit and it gave it a weathered look that was kind of cool. Add some waterproofing and I’d wager it would survive even that.
That rich red is only one application too. Plus it smells great, lol.
So there you go, cheap, fruity smelling leather dye in all the colors Kool-Aid has to offer.
WELL THEN!
this may be important to some of my followers *and certainly not just getting reblogged because of my costuming and my boyfriends desire for leather armor*
Faux leather, vinyl, and pvc (and faux fur) are some of my favorite materials to work with, but even with the right machine foot and needles you can still end up with, uh, this, when you try to top-stitch.
Nope, we don’t want that. Using just a basic machine, (I use a Brother LS-2125) an all-purpose needle, all-purpose thread, and an all-purpose foot, as well as a secret ingredient, nice clean stitches are possible! This is a quick tutorial for beginners without any fancy equipment.
Start by sewing your fabric right side to right side. (I’ve lined my material, but you can use this method for leather-to-leather as well) You’ll want to use a low tension, so the thread itself doesn’t stretch the fabric.
Always test a bit of scrap material before you start stitching, because each machine is a little different!
Also use the widest stitch setting your machine has. This prevents excess perforation; the more perforated your faux leather or vinyl, the more likely it is to tear!
Turn your fabric inside out, and get ready to top-stitch! These kinds of materials are very difficult to iron, so you’ll have to use your fingers to smooth the edges as you’re sewing, rather than iron them. Ready for the secret ingredient?
A touch of Vaseline! With your finger, just touch the surface of your vaseline or petroleum jelly, then rub it down the edge of your material where the machine foot will pass over it. You don’t need much, so don’t make a mess!
That’s right, lube that sh*t up
Petroleum jelly is perfectly safe for vinyl and faux-leather, and I’ve found that it sort of disappears and doesn’t need to be wiped off, although you can use a damp sponge to remove any excess if you’d like.
Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t touch other fabrics, which will absorb the vaseline, and you will need to clean your machine foot in the sink with a bit of dish-soap before you move on to another non-leather project.
Other than that, congratulations! Your stitches (and you) are beautiful!
There are lots of other methods for working with faux-leather out there, as well as products specifically made for lubricating your machine foot to use over vinyl and pvc, but this has worked perfectly for me (in fact I didn’t cry at all this time!) and I hope it’ll help you make your leather dreams come true too!
Struggling [to be] a[n] artist 