
Explore beginner to advanced leather projects, from belts and dog collars to home and tech accessories, and master stitching, lacing, and the steps to design a cohesive product line.
Hello craftswomen & craftsman. You can order leather from www.TandyLeather.com. Which is where I recommend buying all your tools from. They are also the most economical. If you want the ultra premium best-money-can-buy vegetable tanned leather: go to www.Wickett-Craig.com. But to be honest you need to be an expert to really understand the quality difference. Get some small pieces from Tandy. Best for practice/learning.
Explore essential leather craft tools and starter kits from Tandi Leather. Learn to use box cutters, metal rulers, hammers, and stitching prongs for hand stitching and edge finishing.
Master leather tooling and carving on wetted vegetable tan leather using stamps and a swivel knife. Finish edges, stitch by hand, and fasten with rivets, posts, or zippers.
Follow a start-to-finish leather belt project, from selecting a belt blank and marking rivet holes with a wing divider to punching holes, applying bohemian tooling, and attaching the buckle.
Bevel and burnish leather edges with a beveling tool and wax for a smooth finish, then wet vegetable-tan leather and transfer punk rock artwork from plastic tracing paper.
Develop a personal punk-influenced leather style, cut halfway to make a deep groove, stamp a bohemian pattern along a centered guideline, and finish with wax burnish and dye.
Learn to color unfinished vegetable-tan leather with layered dyes, develop a natural patina through handling and creasing, and assemble with rivets and belt buckles.
Transfer artwork from plastic tracing paper to semi-dry leather, then carve with a swivel knife. Refine edges with an etching tool, wet and slick, wax, and finish with hand stitching.
Learn to hand stitch leather by punching evenly spaced holes, threading waxed thread with two needles, and finishing with secure, professional stitches using a stitching horse and clamps.
Learn to lace leather by marking edge guidelines, punching evenly spaced holes, and threading lace through with a flat needle for a clean, secure edge; explore patterns and layering.
Master rivets, snaps, and zippers as leather fasteners using posts, caps, anvil, and hammer, with glue, punching holes, and hand stitching for durable bonds on leather, canvas, and denim.
Explore dying leather with water-based or oil-based dyes and seal with a wax and oil finish to create varied shades on scrap leather.
Hello! I’ve designed this project specifically for those that might not have all the tools and supplies yet but want create something right now. This is a great project because it only requires a scrap piece of leather! The two other items needed are very common and can be purchased at any dollar store or hardware store.
The item we’re going to make is..........an eyeglass case! / sunglasses case. Most people have eyeglasses and/or sunglasses and also have a desire to protect them so a simple handmade case is a great idea.
The whole point is to just START then FINISH a project! It does not have to be perfect. But it has to be finished. Nothing is more motivational than actually finishing a project and learning a new skill. It ALWAYS leads to new creative ideas and better execution. So I designed this project to be simple and have utility.
Let’s do it! Attached is the template.
STEP 1: print the template to instructed dimensions and trace then cut your leather panel.
STEP 2: Decorate the leather panel in any way you want: this can include painting, stitching, burning, cutting, glueing, riveting, lacing, etc. Anything we covered in the class.
STEP 3: Punch the lacing holes along the two edges AFTER folding and glueing the three edges as instructed on the template.
STEP 4: If you already have some lace you can use that. You can use any thick twine or string or even a shoelace! (Or a bootlace. Once you cut the ends off, it won’t look like a shoelace anymore. Get these at the Dollar Store! Great tip.). Any material that fits the aesthetic of your project in color and texture. You can also cut lace simply using scissors and cut a 1/8” to 1/4” wide lace from your scrap leather.
STEP 5: Create a leather journal / log to consistently write notes in for all your projects. Every time you create something you will be flooded with new ideas. It’s also important to record everything that worked well and did not work well. This is progress
Transform a hobby into a business by finalizing a simple product line, mastering cost of goods and retail math, and launching on Etsy or Shopify with focused branding and marketing.
Hello leather creatives! Welcome. Congratulations on wanting to explore, or further develop, the amazing skills of leather craftsmanship. I’ve been a professional leather craftsman for over 12 years and have traveled the world creating truly eccentric custom pieces for celebrities and private clients around the world. It’s an incredibly creative, meditative and rewarding hobby or leather business.