Just getting into trying this myself. I LOVE leather travelers notebooks, but can't afford the prices people are charging. This is a perfect tutorial to get me started. THANK YOU!!

Thank you so much for this video, really enjoyed it. I agree no one seems to give the actual dimensions for anything other than the true midori TN. You did a great job.

I'm only 8 minutes into this video and I'm already so very very grateful you made this video in real time and are explaining every little detail!! Im so excited to watch the rest and get started making these covers for my family and myself as well! Thank you thanks so so much!!

In my eyes you are a professional, thank you for sharing. Beautiful done

I know this is a 2-year-old video but you really make a difference, I just discovered this kind of notebooks and I'm in love. There are a ton of other videos showing how to make your own, but girl this one is, by far, the best one I've seen. The tips you mentioned at the end of the video are pure gold. Thank you again. Greetings from Mexico.

Omg finally a TN DIY VID tha answers all my questions. I've watched soooo many poor be with incomplete details on How to TN only to have wasted my time. Yours is accurate, with concise detailed yet simple explanations throughout. The best yet. I am Canadian but old school using mostly imperial measure. Thank you!

Wow. I thought I was all ready to make my own until I saw your video. I would have made a mess, an expensive, frustrating mess. Thank you. You saved me a lot of heartache. I want to add pockets.

Omg thank you for an amazing video. Just now I wanted to make my own and yes there’s no video like this THANK YOU

Thank you This has been very informative I have made one with natural coloured cow leather and seeing yours weather to a darker colour has helped me make up my mind to leave it as is and not colour it😊

Excellent video! I bet it is nice to not have to pay a high price for each notebook plus that darn shipping and handling. And then the joy knowing that you made it yourself..they are beautiful. Thank you for your time.

This is really helpful. I've been wanting a TN wide and a matching Passport size. Your video makes things easy to follow along.

most of those letter will have a mark, either an arrow or a little dot in the corner to tell you, if aligned, all of them should be facing the same way(arrow) or in the same corner( dot). also, putting all the letters next to each other will help aligning the others :) replace the stamped on in their " socketed/stamped spot and they wont move much. new leatherworker here but those are tricks that I found with videos like yours

You are such a great teacher. Makes me want to run out and buy it all and make one! Thanks for the video! :)

Thank you for such a thorough video. Without ever having worked with leather I feel confident in trying with the assistance of this video. Appreciate the help! :)

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video! Ive watched Sooooo many videos on travelers notebooks and this one is the best one ive watched by far! Thank u Sooooo much for sharing❤

Thank you for your videos. I've been frustrated by the secretive nature of how to do these. I'm so excited to now be able to make my own. I've done a couple with the leather scrap packs at hobby lobby, but they're thin and need two layers of leather sewn or they are too small to get a wide size out of it. I can't wait to get the right materials and do this! great detail and great instructions.

Great instructions. Appreciated you calling out the gotchas... I was laughing throughout whenever your autofocus started hating you.

Thank you for taking the time to explain the actual measurements. Now I have even more ideas. You did a great job😀.

Sorry...forgot to tell you... I love details. This is perfect.

Thank you so much!!!! I have just completed making my TN with your help.

Perfect tutorial. Thank you for taking the time to share your methods!

Great video! I'm new to travelers notebooks and the world of planners so thank you for clearing up my confusion about sizes and other small details you talked about!! Like mentioning that the piece of leather you got was a "shoulder" 💜💜

Great and extensive DIY... not sure if I'll be making one any time soon, but I did watch it all the way through because of your effort!! Thank you for the tutorial!

I have used a pen cap when rounding corners and it works well too! About the same size at your hole punch.

I love the green one. Very beautiful

I just wanted to thank you for the great video and I'm so excited because we have a leather company in town too so I am going shopping!!!! Thank you for your time.

OMG this is the best video I’ve seen out there so far. I learned so much. I wish you would have shown the brand of the stain you used. You referenced the video from yesterday. I have to find that now. I make fabric ones and I put the strap in the spine instead of the.back. It makes for a much smoother writing surface when you dont have to deal with the bump. That’s my reasoning for it. Love love love this video. On to find your yesterday one.

Thank you, fantastic, you made it so easy, & you gave the sizes in inches.

Fantastic tutorial! Great to find a start-to-finish video with all the specifics. Thanks!,

Great tutorial!! Thank you so much! I want to make on for my son and found this just in time!!😊

Best video ever. You covered everything. Perfect!

Vegetable Tan leather single or double shoulders. The blemish is from the cow getting caught in barb wire.

So beautiful thank you so much for sharing it's so funny I was thinking about doing one but I didn't know where to get the supplies thank you so much for sharing this.

Thanks for this great tutorial. And thanks for being so thorough.

Fantastic video - thank you so much for sharing the process with us.

Thank you so much! I love your explanations! Very easy to understand!

Thank you for making this video! I loved it - it cleared up a lot of things!

Wonderful video!! Thank you for this!! Thanks for your time to do this.

Thank you, your a great teacher!

this was a GREAT tutorial! thank you so much for being so detailed.

There are burnishers that fit on to a Dremel tool, drill or drill press is you have one.

Thank you for sharing!!

What is the paint you are using please.

Thank You! This is a great tutorial!!

One tip. When stringing the notebook I use a blunt darning needle ~ easy !

What is the paint that you use and I noticed you natural has a shine do you seal it or put conditioner on it to accomplish that sheen. Also I have seen finishes like a sealer do you put them on ever? Sorry so many questions you are the only person who has done a great video ! Thank you so much!

You are an angel!

Perfect👌🏽 i love this.

Where do you buy the leather?

Thank you so much for sharing this :) I make my own TN´s in various sizes. I would like to make a dyed Midori. I look at your video, what supplies I need. Thanks for you great tutorial and your tips & tricks :) ...and sorry for my english...I´m from Germany ;) Iris

What is the size again of the blue traveler’s notebook that you showed right at the end of this video? Thanks!

Great video.

So just one little question. After you painted it what feel does it have example it is smooth or does it have a chalky feel? It certainly looks shiny and smooth and did you need to finish it with anything or just condition when needed? Also did you feel the need to roll it? I have watched a few others and they rolled in between paint layers to ensure when the leather wears the paint is in all the cracks and creases. Thanks again for sharing this!!! Im feeling very comfortable and confident about making these after watching your video!

Thank you for the great tutorial. I wanted to double check, for the elastic and the holes, is is 8th of an inch from the top and bottom and then for the two additional holes, its an 8th of an inch between holes? thank you again very much!

thank you

Did you peep the back with water to or just the front? This was a great video. Thanks so much for sharing!

This is a fantastic tutorial, thank you so much for sharing with us this step by step how to make the leather dori. I was about to ask you about where to get the supplies and then realized you listed under the vdo .. you did do a lot a research, I can tell. And yes - it's very frustrated to find a good clear tutorials (and with those many sizes it can be so confusing). Have you tried making one with faux leather (vinyl)? I just recently bought that on sale thinking about trying to make this but realized it's a little flimsy so maybe I need to put some fabric interfacing. Thanks again!

Love your easy tutorial. Question(s) Is it the same process applying the stains like the paint you did? Where can you buy real (rolls) of leather?

This is AWESOME! Thank you for sharing. Where did you get your specialty stamp (pineapple)

Did I get passport size right: 5 1/4" high and 8'25" width? I'm from Finland so we use centimeters.

Is the leather single or double shoulders? This is an exceptional video.

What kind of elastic do you buy thanks I'm looking for high quality to sell to a store

Love your Journals!!! Where did you find the clip on the front inside of the journal you use?

Hi, I have a question. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, so I have to ask, isn't Midori notebooks protected by law/patent etc? I want to tweak the idea, but use the notebook installing to cover just as in Midori products so I'm freak out if I can use this system (and sell them) or if I get sued.

do i need to add one inch width to the A5 size? i want to fit 3 (or 4) notebooks in it

Are you starting with a damp sponge? You may have said, but I missed it.

Where do you purchase your leather?

Would you be able to tell me where you purchased your leather? I've been looking online, but it's so hard to decide who to purchase from!

where do you purchase your leather pieces? Especially in colors. Thanks, Donna

hi! i'm excited to say that i got most of the materials that you recommended. I am excited and nervous to start! i do have a question though. one of the things you recommended was shoe oil which i got but i noticed you didn't use the oil in this video. so i wanted to know when do i oil/condition the leather? before or after adding the paint?

hi! i like ur tutorial. it's so simple. i would like to know what is the size of this traveler's notebook. thank u.

I love your notebook! I've only used stains to make mine. I'm thinking about making a natural notebook for myself...did you put a conditioner or anything on your leather? It's beautiful! Thank you!

are grommets necessary? Do the holes fray or anything without them?

Where do you suggest looking for leather?

Can faux leather be used?

What quality of leather, economy or? What oz is the leather? No videos include this info, thanks

Hi! This is June 2017. Do you know if We Are Memory Keepers Corner Chompers would work? (The 1/4 inch round???). Also would the hole punch of the CropADile work as a hole punch for the leather??? Have you ever reinforced the punched holes with small eyelets? Many thanks!

when u mesure how long u know how rulers have that blank bit before the 0 do u messure from the blank bit or line the ruler up to the 0 and go from there?also think your leather looks thinker then mine

Can you please let me know how thick the leather is that you used? Thanks

What is material called please??

do you make for other people

Hi. Do you buy the single or double shoulder?

Oh my goodness 😳 nooooo There is a HUGE difference between "dying, staining AND painting" leather!!! This is NOT how you color leather. 1. The difference in dye, paint and stain Leather dye is water based or alcohol based. Leather paint is acrylic based but formulated for leather. Leather staining is gel or cream based and basically tints and highlights leather. 2. 4 to 6 oz weight/1.6mm to 2.4mm thicknesses leather is a good support for this kind of travelers notebook case. 3. When cutting, that will dictate what you are comfortable in using. The pros use a moon knife or Japanese knife. But you can use a craft knife, arch tipped blade, box cutter utility knife, heavy-duty "shears" not everyday ones, rotary cutter ... but if you are not good at straight lines, use a - corked back - metal ruler as a guide when cutting. Most important is having a sharp blade regardless of your cutting preference. 4. Tools to help punch holes - (A.) a "mallet" (synthetic, hide, or rubber), NOT a household hammer. (B.) A non-metal surface. Why? Because metal to metal will eventually ruin your hole punch tool. There are certain 'punches' that dictate a stone surface but this one is more for an acrylic or solid silicone based one, like an acrylic cutting board. 5. Holes - punching holes that close to the edge can weaken over time. Using grommets or eyelets help reduce the friction. Not everyone uses them but if you want to cut down on friction for both the leather and the cord you use, then these give added support. 6. Edges after cutting. If not properly beveled and burnished are stiff. So imagine reaching in your bag for an object with a point... corners in very thick leather can be sharp even if they don't draw blood. Edges that are not worn down are like paper cuts. I hope whomever stumbles upon this video like I did, does the research on how to work with leather and I don't mean from other KZfaqr's. The kind of lwork varies upon region. Usa tends to be western themed so not much on the detail. Asian is more detailed like you find in high end bags - LV, HERMES, GC... these travelers notebooks are minimalist so they don't require heavy leather. You can even use suede as a cover because they are not meant to be heavy. 😉 Not learning about leather from the actual industry can lead to using the absolute incorrect products and that will be costly. For example a thick leather is expensive even for a small piece.

what paint did you use?

paint both sides?

the camera constantly focusing is sort of annoying.