DIY: THE LEATHER OFFICE CLUTCH

The light blue file icons on my computer desktop, the file maps among the emoticons and the tiny files that I press my finger on when opening the attachments of an email on my phone. An iconic image that we use and see everyday and which stands synonymous for ‘save’, ‘back up’, ‘documents’, ‘archive’, without having to spell out those words. However, when I went looking for a real life, light brown, paper, file map in office shops, bookshops and department stores, they were nowhere to be found. As if they have gone extinct in the non-digital world. Having a bit of an obsession with functional office supplies, I was super disappointed. So when I had a bit of beautiful, grainy, leather left over from a bag that I made last week, I knew just what to make of it: a non-disposable, more durable than the traditional paper – file map!

I use mine to actually keep important documents in. But the funny thing about it is, that it can also fit almost an ‘entire’ office: on some days all we need is a phone/ipad, a thin notebook, a pen and a wifi connection. This leather file map will certainly not be staying in my workspace.

/1.
Take measurements. For a standard A4 sized file map like mine, the measurements of your rectangle should be 45cm x 29,5cm (Width of an A4 is 21 cm, which you multiply by two because you’re going to fold the leather. Then add another 3cm for the tabs and you’ve got the measurement of one side of your rectangle: 45cm. The length of an a4 paper is 29.5, add one cm for the seams.)

/2.
Draw the tabs with a pencil on the inside of your leather and carefully cut them out.

/3.
Fold the leather in half and sew together on both sides. Add a large paperclip to keep it closed.