Article: If your suede item is a piece of clothing such as a shoe or a jacket, put it in the freezer. Make sure you clear out enough space for it and that it is not near anything that would stain it any further.You may consider putting your item in a plastic bag or a garment bag to prevent staining. If your suede item is too large to fit in the freezer, you can apply ice to the gum. Take a couple of ice cubes from the freezer. Wrap them in a plastic bag or other material to prevent a mess when they melt. You can also use a frozen bag of peas or any similar frozen item in your freezer. Press the ice against the gum. If the gum is stuck on a garment like a jacket, apply ice to both sides to quicken freezing. If the bag of ice develops condensation or wetness, make sure to wipe it off with a towel. Getting suede wet damages the material. Freezing will help the gum to harden. When gum is at room temperature, it is much stickier and is hard to remove once it gets stuck to a surface. Freezing the gum will make it to be less stretchy and sticky and easier to remove. If you are leaving the suede item in the freezer, give it at least one hour. If you are using the ice cube method, hold the ice cubes to the gum until it is hard, about 20 minutes. Depending on the temperature of your freezer, the freezing process may take less than an hour. If you don't have time to wait that long, check on the garment periodically to see if the gum is hard. If you are using the ice cube method, you don't have to hold the ice there the whole time. Your hands will get really cold! Instead, rest the bag of ice over the gum and check periodically for condensation and to see if it is hard enough. Once the gum is frozen and hard, remove from freezer or take it off the ice. Take a spatula or butter knife. Position the knife or spatula where the edge of the gum and the suede surface meet. Try to get it between the gum and the suede. Then, pry the gum away by using the knife or spatula to peel it away from the surface Do not use a sharp object to pry off the gum. A sharp object could damage or scratch the suede. Always angle the knife or spatula away from you. Even a blunt instrument can hurt you if you accidentally hit yourself with it. If you try to pry the gum away but can't get any leverage, you can try a more aggressive measure. Chewing gum becomes brittle when frozen and is easier to break apart or dislodge. Hitting it may shatter the gum so it comes off in a lot of little pieces. Spread the suede object on a flat surface. Take a spoon or other broad blunt object and raise it a foot or so above the suede. Give the gum a solid whack. Using a lot of force isn't necessary. Do the same kind of whacking motion you would use to kill a fly with a flyswatter. Doing this will hopefully break apart or shatter the gum. If you aren't having any luck with spatula or spoon, you can just use your fingers to pick at the gum. By using your fingers, you can control how much force you use. You can also use your fingernails to scrape away the gum. Do not scrape too forcefully against the suede. This can harm the material. If you are worried about germs, you may want to wear disposable gloves to touch gum directly. Make sure the gloves are thin so you can still use your nails effectively.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Put the suede in the freezer. Ice the gum. Wait for the gum to freeze. Pry off the gum. Hit the gum. Pick at the gum.
Article: Use a bevel tool to cut the square off of the edge of your leather. This will keep the edges from rolling up over time. It is only necessary to bevel one side of the leather: the back side can remain flat. Pay special attention to any sharp corners on your leather piece. These will need to be beveled separately, creating a diagonal or cut corner. With your edges beveled, you can move on to adding whatever finish is appropriate for your leather. You can use a resist to keep it a particular area clear of the finish or to reduce the coloring. Just be sure to always use gloves when using dyes or finishes....unless you like your hands a different color! Tandy sells excellent finishes in a variety of colors. To apply these, use a paper towel, wool dauber, or a natural or very old sponge (regular sponges contain a chemical that does not react well with the leather). You can also use dyes. There are dyes intended for leather, but some leathers can also be dyed with shoe polish! These should be applied in the same way as the finishes. Acrylic paint thinned with water works on leather, if you'd prefer a painted look. Just use a normal paint brush to apply it. This works better for smaller, detailed sections than larger ones. You'll want to smooth the beveled edges of your piece after dying it. You can use a special tool for this purpose but the cheaper option is to simply rub it with a paper towel or canvas cloth! This will make the edges look shiny and professional. If you plan on doing any stitching, you'll want to add a stitching groove to keep your stitches from being worn down over time. There is a tool for this purpose called a stitch groover. Once you've cut a channel into your leather where the stitching will go, use a pricking iron or overstitch wheel to lightly mark where your individual stitches will go. This will help create an even, professional look. Finally, punch the individual holes you marked using a piercing awl. When buying an overstitch wheel or pricking iron, get a shorter one to start off with, as it will be more versatile and make it easier to turn corners. When starting a new stitching line or having to otherwise pick up the overstitch wheel to start again, place the first spoke down in the hole of the last section of the line. This will keep the stitches even. Before sewing, you'll want to add any other finishing touches that you know you'll need, like adding snaps. Be aware, however, that adding things like snaps is difficult and requires its own separate set of tools. Once that's done, add your stitching and you're basically done. Rub the whole surface with a cloth to get a nice, smooth final look. As a final measure, you can add a clear final finish on after doing your stitching, if you want to. This is not necessary, however. Enjoy your new creation and don't forget to keep practicing!
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Bevel the edges of your leather. Add finishes, dyes, or paint. Smooth the edges. Punch holes for stitching. Add other details. Add a clear finish if desired.