FIMO leather-effect luggage tags
Wherever you travel, you shouldn‘t be without a luggage tag – safety is the best policy. And this one looks fantastic and is very easy to make yourself from FIMO leather‑effect. It remains flexible after it has been hardened and can even be sewn. Stamped rosé gold lettering gives the tag that special something and a touch of class. So roll on the next trip! By the way, it also makes a great gift for your globetrotting friends.
An article by Lisa Tihanyi
Roll out a block of nut FIMO leather‑effect into a thin sheet. It’s easiest to do this using the clay machine on setting 8, but you can also use the acrylic roller.
Whichever method you use, the sheet should be less than 1 mm thick after you have rolled it out.
Arrange the letter stamps into a suitable word, e.g. Wanderlust, Travel Time or even your own name (Caution: make sure you arrange them back to front).
Then press the stamp evenly and gently into the FIMO leather‑effect, so that the lettering is imprinted onto the sheet.
Lay the FIMO leather‑effect sheet on baking paper and harden in the oven for 30 minutes at 130 °C / 266° F on upper and lower heat. Leave to cool.
Cut the tag template out of paper. Place the whole template onto the FIMO leather‑effect sheet, centring it over the lettering.
Draw round the edges with a pencil. Place the template on the FIMO a second time, but this time only draw round the smaller, left-hand piece.
Don’t draw round the tab on the right. Cut both templates out of the FIMO leather‑effect sheet.
Cut out the pre-drawn “U” shape from the smaller section of FIMO using a cutter blade or sharp kitchen knife, creating a little folding window.
This will form the fold-open tab that conceals the address label.
Tip: Work in progress and left-over material should be protected against sun and heat and can be stored in a screw-top jar or in cling film to protect it from dust and dirt.
Now place the two pieces of FIMO leather‑effect that you have cut out on top of each other. Sew (almost) all around them with the sewing machine.
Leave a gap at the bottom of the tag, where the tab sticks out. This will be where you insert the address label later.
Cut off the protruding tab leaving a 1 mm space for sewing.
Place the tab back on the tag and sew it down – making sure that you can still open the tag.
Pre-punch holes as required in the appropriate places to allow you to attach the stud fastener at the place marked.
Alternatively, you can use a hand drill.
Then attach the stud fastener to the tab. It’s best to use fasteners that are suitable for outdoor use or camping.
Cut a slot in the top of the luggage tag using a knife and thread the strip through it. If you like, you can jazz up the tag with another little design.
To do this, simply stamp an aeroplane shape out of the FIMO leather‑effect sheet using a punch, pierce a hold in it and thread it onto a ring.
Colour in the lettering with rosé gold acrylic paint and leave to dry completely.
Finally attach the little aeroplane to the big luggage tag.
And you‘re done!
What you need
Additionally required:
smooth working surface (glass or ceramic), cutter blade or sharp kitchen knife, hammer, aeroplane shape punch, 2 metal stud fasteners (ideally suitable for outdoors or camping), letter stamps, template, rosé gold metallic acrylic paint, needle and thread or sewing machine
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