Here is a fun little project I decided to attempt for my supervisor at work. He came in my department last week with his tie flapping around and laying backwards. I teased him that he needed a tie tack. This gentleman went alligator wrestling last summer and so I thought it would be a neat/fun project to attempt to make him a tie clip with alligator skin. So… I ordered the stuff and it came today. Here is my first attempt which I am actually pretty pleased. It took me about 2 hours to finish and about $10 in materials.
My first step was to collect the materials I would need. Needles and thread, a super sharp sewing awl, contact cement, some scrap leather to mount the thin alligator hide to, a knife, the alligator hide, and the tie clip.
I simply cut a piece of the scrap and alligator hide to the same size a little bit wider and longer than the tie clip and glued the two pieces together.
I then used the awl to punch the holes with the leather being held in my handy stitching horse.
Then I used the contact cement again to glue the tie clip to the back of the two pieces of leather and began sewing in a way that criss crossed back and forth across the tie clip to keep it secure.
After some black dye for the back side of the veg tan leather and some edge finishing by gently sanding the edges flat with my dremel and then burnishing the moistened edges with my edge burnisher to get them smooth… We have a really sharp looking alligator skin tie clip. ^_^ I think it turned out really well! I am excited to give it to him tomorrow.
Aegis Leather 