Materials:-

• Empty Orangina Bottle.
• 2 Different Colours of Soft Thin Leather.
• Cotton.
• Leather Thonging.
• Evo Stick.
• A Cork.

Tools:-

• Sharp scissors.
• 2 Needles.

If the bottle isn't empty sit down and have a drink. Then remove the cap and metal ring (this can be done with a pair of pliers), wash the bottle out thoroughly and allow it to dry.

The leather needs to be soft and stretchy so that it will stretch around the bottle. You will need two colours of leather that contrast each other well (but don't clash horribly). Using a dark colour such as dark brown for the bottom and side panels and a lighter colour such as tan for the thin side strips can give a good effect and shows off the stitching well.

The measurements and shapes shown are approximate only. To get things the right size and shape it is best to cut things out a bit too large and then trim them until they are the right size and shape later.

Glue the round piece onto the bottom of the bottle leaving a small strip about 2 mm wide unglued all round the edge so that it can be sewn up. Now stick the two strips down opposite sides of the bottle. Don't glue all the way up to the top as the top edge will fold over and be visible when the bottle is finished. Now stick the 2 large pieces onto the sides of the bottle. Only glue these pieces using a small line of glue up the centre leaving the rest free to be stretched around the bottle.

Now you are ready to begin the stitching. Cut about 1.5 m of cotton and thread a needle onto both ends of it. Now start at the top sewing up using both needles as shown.

The stitches want to be about 5 mm apart and always sew the same way buy crossing the thread left to right before crossing the opposite one right to left (you can do it right left then left right if you find it easier that way but always be consistent). When you get to the bottom leave the two ends for sewing up the bottom later.

Now sew up the opposite side in a similar manner. Once both sides have been sewn up use the remaining cotton to sew up the bottom edge using simple over and over stitching or blanket stitch. tie off the ends and cut off any remaining thread.

Finally fold over the leather flaps at the top and glue them down. Make sure that the leather stick up about 2-3 mm above the top of the bottle otherwise the glass will be visible. Finally take a length of leather thonging and wrap it round the top two or three times and tie it securely, you can also make a loop for hanging the bottle off a belt of you like.

for the final touch use a cork to seal the bottle. Its best to avoid old wine corks as they look like old wine corks and tend to have writing on them. Plain corks can be bought from anywhere that sells home brew stuff.

As a variation on the above you can use leather thonging rather than cotton to sew up the sides of the bottle but you will need a leather punch to punch holes for the thonging