I have tried to take photos of the undyed in different places lately (as opposed to just on my desk) to show it in different lights and from different angles. It is actually darker than it looks in these photographs. A nice biscuit tan.
You can see in these pics the gorgeous patina that has developed – just from handling it. I don’t ever put any products on my leather. In the beginning I used a baby wipe once or twice to clean the surface but now that it has patina, I don’t do it anymore. The texture is now really soft and squishy. It makes you want to smooth it. There are marks from pens, scratches, scuffs and dents but they are not very noticeable as they blend into the surface of the leather these days.
I have now been in this binder longer than I have any other – ever. Almost a year. I love it – it is perfectly designed for me and every time I think of perhaps moving out of it I don’t want to, because it has formed itself around the contents and my life. It has its own personality now and has followed my days for a month short of a year. Every mark and scratch is like a diary, a record of things I have done and places I have been. I have also used the same inserts for a year which is unheard of. Because my pages are so intensively used I often replace pages that are too scribbled on or crossed out. This year they are all still in there.
Every stitch is still in place, every piece of hardware is still functioning perfectly. The only thing I have noticed is that the pocket where my favourite bank card is kept has loosened somewhat but I just put a second card in there to keep it night and tight.
I have received more compliments on this binder than any other one – ever!
I undertook to test this binder for 6 months for Van Der Spek, because they had never worked with undyed leather before and they were worried people would not be aware of how easily it would mark and scar. I promised to show the process for 6 months so that people knew what they were getting into. Eleven months later I am still in it!
