Suede Colorblocked Catchall DIY

  Being a DIY-minded girl, I often see pretty items being sold in stores and instead of thinking, “I want that!” it’s usually “Can I make that?” I saw this cute little suede catchall dish online and my brain went straight to how I could recreate the idea at home. In case you aren’t sure what a “catchall dish” is, it’s a little dish or container that people keep on their entryway table or counter where they can throw their keys, loose change, or other items that are floating around in the vicinity. They’re great! It’s like a junk drawer for your keys! If you don’t want to use suede, you could also make this with a thick wool felt—that would be pretty as well.

Supplies:
-suede (real or faux) in two colors
-scissors or rotary cutter and metal ruler
–leather punch (anything that will punch a hole through leather as big as your screw posts will work)
–leather glue
-1/4″ screw posts (4 sets)
-hammer
-small square object as a corner guide

First you’ll want to cut a square of leather that is 7″ x 7″ and another smaller square of your second color that is 4.5″ x 4.5″. Use the leather glue to glue the smaller square exactly in the middle of your larger square. Well, as close to exact as you can anyway…

Align a square object (like a small box or a square vase) with the corner of your inside color square and pinch the larger square sides up with your fingers at the corner. Use a marker to make a small mark on the outside of the leather where the corner is made.

Use your leather punch to punch a hole in that marked spot, pinch the corner in half again, and trace the hole you just punched onto the other side of the suede fold. Punch that hole as well so you end up with two mirror image holes. Repeat this process with each corner.

Screw your posts through the holes to connect the sides.

You can leave the corners pointed if you want, but I took fabric scissors and chopped them off a bit for a cleaner look. To get the sides to stand up straight at more of a right angle, you can fold each side in towards the middle, take a hammer, and hammer across the folded seams where the bottom meets each side. This will create a crease in the leather so it will be more willing to bend at that spot. That’s it, you’re done!

I love that this was such a simple project to make and it turned out so cute too! You could make a couple of theses at once to give out as gifts or be a little selfish and just keep them in different spots around your place. You can do all one color if you like (still cut out the two sizes of squares though so it gives the dish more shape), but I think the color blocked bottom is fun. Time to show my keys their new home! xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.