Picking the right needle for hand-sewing leather can be the difference between a 30-minute job and an hour. If your sewing needles are ill-suited to your work, you will fight through every stitch on your project. If you pick the right combination of needle and thread, sewing can be the most relaxing part of your […]
Learn How Your Leather Projects Age
When I teach students how to make leather goods, I teach techniques and skills to help their leather projects last. Whether that is picking the most effective way to glue or selecting the right part of the leather, every little bit counts. Even if you get these right, your pieces will still age and wear […]
Contact Cement vs. Rubber Cement for Leather
Today is a short article, but a question I always get in class: “Is contact cement the same as rubber cement?” In short, no. Both are the predominant adhesives used in making leather goods, and each has its distinct use. An easy way to remember the two is “forever on contact, flexible with rubber.” Contact […]
How to Use Gum Tragacanth on Leather
Using gum tragacanth to burnish makes getting smooth, consistent leather edges easy. People use different edge-finishing products like CMC, Tokonole, Magic Edge, etc. I like it because it is readily available, simple, and gives nice-looking, fast results. In online discussions, people will abbreviate it to ‘gum trac,’ they are the same thing. If you need […]
The Case For A Simple Leather Case
When people ask me what leatherworking course to take from us, I always recommend the Simple Leather Case Course. Even if they are an experienced leathercrafter, the case course will help them. In old-school French cooking, the omelet is considered the true test of a chef’s skill. There’s a scene in the movie ‘The Hundred-Foot […]
Goat Hides Refined: Chèvre Leather
Chèvre leather is one of my favorite kinds of leather because it is so easy to use, and it looks great. It is a very distinctive hide that stands out when you see it. Many high-end handbags, as well as beloved home projects, use chèvre. In a similar way to cow and horse hides, different […]
Videos: A Glimpse Into the Leather Tanning Process
Today’s post highlights the leather tanning process and sheds some light on how leather is made. In watching these videos, I really started to think more about the craftsmanship that goes not only into a finished leather piece, but also the artistry behind turning raw materials into beautiful leather hides. In the first video, you […]
The Traditional French Saddle Stitch (And How to Watch Youtube Videos in Another Language)
I’ve posted a few times on saddle stitching for leather and, if you’re like me, it’s interesting to see all of the subtle variations on the technique. One leatherworking tradition can do things one way while another will do something slightly different or even the complete opposite. I love learning about the differences because it […]
Vintage Article: How to Make a Golf Bag
One of my favorite parts about working on Fine Leatherworking business is reading the stories, tips and questions that we get from our readers. Together, we have so much collective leatherworking knowledge and wisdom, and it excites me to see us all learning and developing our skills together! To start this post, I just wanted […]
Videos: Design with Yourself in Mind
Today’s post is a pair of videos that inspired me to think more about how important it is to bring our own individual tastes, talents and gifts to our leatherworking projects. For those of us who own our own leatherworking businesses, we’ve all heard things like: “It’s important to keep the customer in mind at […]