Learn How to Make A Leather Desk Organizer and Catchall | DIY

Confession: my desk is almost always in a state of complete chaos. From brightly colored washi tape rolling around and little every-day items like earphones and face mist (a true desk essential), I really needed something to corral my odds and ends. When I saw this dark green leather, I knew just what to do! A leather catchall is timeless and this version is super easy. All you need is one piece of leather and a few things from the toolbox.

DIY Leather Desk Organizer Tutorial:

Materials

• raw leather
• printable template

Tools

• scissors (we used fabric scissors, but any sharp scissors will do)
• Gorilla Glue
• white pencil
• leather hole punch
• letter metal stamp set (optional)

Start by printing our leather catchall template and cut it out. Next, position the template on your piece of leather. Keep in mind any imperfections your piece of leather may have and try to position the template to avoid them. Once you’re happy with the placement, trace around the border of the template with the white pencil. It’s okay if the marking is subtle — what’s left behind is the impression of where you pressed down and should be clear enough to see.

Cut out the shape you traced on your leather. Take care to keep the edges crisp and corners sharp. Set the leather scraps aside (we’ll use these later, so make sure not to throw them out). Next, fold down each of the flaps and press down to crease the folds. This step is very important to make the shape of your catchall rectangular and give it form.

Set your leather punch to the second-to-smallest hole size by rotating the punch head. Next, punch a hole out of the corner flap of one side of your shape, this might take two hands depending on the thickness of your leather, but you should feel a solid click when the leather is fully punched-through. Loosely assemble the catchall, crossing the flap over each other to position the second hole. Repeat on the other side for a total of four holes.

If you’d like to personalize your desk accessory with your initials or a fun phrase, it’s best to do so before assembling the shape. Just lay the piece of leather out on a hard surface and apply firm, even pressure to the letter stamp. We decided add a subtle reminder to ‘werk’ on the side of our’s, but you could spell out anything you’d like!

To make this DIY super simple and eco-friendly, we used the scraps of leather leftover from cutting out the pattern instead of using metal snaps or other complicated closures to assemble. Just cut two long wedge-shaped pieces from the remaining leather pieces and insert one side  into the hole you punched on the flap and thread through the other hole.

Pull the wedge through as tight as you can — this pressure is what holds the shape together — and cut off excess. Leave enough on each side to wrap around the flap, and hold in place with a dab of gorilla glue. Repeat on the other side and allow to dry.

What would you store in your catchall?

Photography and styling by Jojotastic. DIY by Material Delight for Jojotastic.