In my last posts, I shared some tips and tricks for working with zippers. Reinforcements are another challenge that many leatherworkers find confusing. When do you use them, what thickness do you use, and how do you install them properly? When making the zippered wallet in our in-person course, many students noticed how thin and […]
More How-To’s for Leathercraft Zippers
Last week, I went over some tips for improving how you install zippers. They can be challenging to work with, especially when trying to get them right. Most customers, especially older ones, will say they prefer a bag with a zipper over one that closes with a flap or snap. This desire undoubtedly comes from […]
Tips for Zippers in Leatherworking
Last week, I posted about the idea of (tsudzukete) “keep going.” When sharpening knives for leatherworking, a common mistake is to stop too early, resulting in your knife never getting sharp enough. Knowing when it’s done is why I still teach in-person courses. It’s an eye-opening experience to cut with a freshly sharpened knife. New […]
Moving Beyond the Basics
Last week, in my post on Getting Lost in Translation, I wrote about how you can use leatherworking to unplug and practice being present. When you can focus, you’ll notice more nuance in your practice. You can better master the basics, which later enables you to do more advanced techniques. For example, the process of […]
The Small Details: Threading Your Needles for Sewing Leather
Threading your needles for hand-sewing leather is a simple technique that shows how paying attention to the details pays off. Properly set needles make it easier to sew and help you speed through your leathercraft project. Learn about threading your needles in this short video.
Which Leather Awl Do You Need?
You can never have too many awls. In my studio, I have around a dozen awls of various types. Some of them I have because of the design and the way they look, and others do specialized jobs. Which leather sewing awl you choose depends on what you are making, and I will cover some […]
The Hidden Backstitch
When I was making Finishing the End of a Stitch a few weeks ago, I wrote a whole section on hiding your backstitch. I also made and shot an example, but it didn’t fit into the post. I learned the hidden backstitch technique from French saddlemaker Pedro Pedrini when he lived in California. Here are […]
Finishing the End of a Stitch in Leatherworking
This week, I will show you a few ways to finish the end of a saddle stitch. While these techniques are primarily aimed at hand-sewn seams, you can also apply them to the end of a machine stitch. Sewing leather is a broad topic beyond the scope of this post. So today, I want to […]
How to Store Leather
A while back, I wrote about how setting up your workspace is important to improving your leatherworking projects. Setting up purposefully for your work, your mise en place, leads to faster, easier, and more accurate work. One subject I didn’t cover was how to store leather. As a leathercrafter, you might have accumulated a lot […]
How To Choose The Best Thread For Finer Leather Work
A while back, a Reddit user asked, “[what is the] best thread for finer work?” Many people wrote in to say that our linen thread was at the top of their list. Update: Since originally publishing this post, I’ve extensively written about sewing and thread. I recently updated this post to reflect those articles and […]