Spent 30 minutes aligning grain on a leather cover... then glued it on upside down

Was in my basement shop last night finishing up a journal rebind. Had this beautiful piece of veg tan that I spent forever getting the grain direction just right. Cut it, glazed the edges, everything. Then I picked it up and slapped it on the book without checking which way is up. The grain lines now point sideways on the front cover. Looks like a total mess. I just stared at it for a solid minute then walked away. Has anyone else done something this dumb and managed to fix it without starting over?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana8291mo agoMost Upvoted

Damn, that's a gut punch. Honestly though, might look like an intentional design choice to someone who doesn't know any better. You could lean into it and call it a "modern abstract" layout or just flip the whole cover off and reglue if the glue hasn't fully set yet.

kim_martin1mo ago

Opened up a bookcase I built years ago the other day and noticed the whole back panel had started to warp. Thing curled up like a potato chip. No idea if it was moisture or just me using cheap plywood back when I thought I knew everything. Ended up cutting a new one and fixing it with some extra bracing underneath. Now it looks like a feature with that cross brace showing. Sometimes mistakes turn into your best work whether you planned it or not.