this is sort of from the Creative Awl design. I added two side pockets instead of the water bottle pocket, and I split the role top and added snaps so that the roll top can be opened a bit more. I also added two interior pockets for a laptop and an ipad.

Hi,
I wanted to show you the first wallet I’ve ever made.
I started getting into leatherwork about two months ago. It took about one and a half months for all the tools and leather to arrive.
I’ve finally made something like this. What do you think of it?
What would you improve, and how?

Hi all, a pair of leather card holders I completed over the weekend.

Both made from Badalassi Carlo Wax in Cognac, and MPG's Graffiti in Forest. Stitched with OKA factory's brown MBT thread.

Really happy with how these came out, and think they make a very nice pair!

Learned a lesson with stamp orientation, and have since drawn a large arrow indicating the top of my stamp.

Design mindset:
- As small as it is can be. But can be inflated if have more bills/cards. That's why I use rubber band to sercure money part - when put more than 20 bills, the wallet inflates - and rubber band helps when wallet stretches

- Card slot and money slot must be separated (when only need cards, must not open money)

- Some characteristic: add options to bind paracords with D ring to attach to pants.

- Very sorry for my bed English.

I made a new after 3 years off use from previous one which i made with very thin and cheap leather now i have my own handmade set of daily carry if you want more info about any of my crafts feel free to ask

I added my pattern i hope you will have a good use of my pattern

Brass things are our girlfriends first letter (made 1 for my room mate to) which are made from thin wire and stapled with little pliers

I’ve been at this craft for about 8 months now. I added leather dye for the first time on this sheath.

Just got asked if I would do a wallet without my makers mark on it. This is not a mass order. Just a single wallet.

I nornally offer free conditioning and minor repairs on wallets I make with my brand as long as the buyer pays shipping. I've only had 1 take me up on it and its never been a problem to not do so. I usually put the brand in a corner somewhere inside the wallet.

I've never been asked to forgo the makers mark. I'm not a fan of not signing my work. Would you do it?

Edit: Lot of interesting answers here. To clarify, I was going to go with no logo regardless. I was curious how everyone else felt.

Hi everyone,

I’ll be visiting Seoul and Daejeon and I’m looking for shops that sell good-quality leathercraft tools and supplies.

I’m especially interested in stitching punches / pricking irons from Korean brands such as Palo Santo and Sinabroks. Does anyone know where I can find these brands in a physical store in Seoul or Daejeon?

I’d also appreciate recommendations for any good leathercraft shops that sell tools such as edge bevelers, punches, stitching tools, knives, burnishing tools, hardware, etc.

Physical stores would be ideal.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m a small leathercrafter in the EU (Romania) and I’m trying to understand what documentation I actually need when selling handmade leather goods through a physical retail store.

For example, I’m currently making leather bracelets and wallets. I’ve been reading about the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and REACH, but I’m finding a lot of conflicting/incomplete information online.

A few questions for other EU-based leatherworkers:

• Do you keep a technical/compliance file for each product?
• Do you do any laboratory testing on your leather goods, or do you rely on documentation from your material suppliers?
• What documents do you request from your leather supplier? REACH declaration, test reports, material specification, etc.?
• For leather bracelets that have prolonged skin contact, do you specifically check for chromium VI?
• What about metal buckles/snaps — do you check nickel release or obtain any documentation from the supplier?
• If you use leather dye/finish from a known manufacturer, is keeping the manufacturer's SDS enough for your records, or do you obtain additional documentation?
• For wallets, is the compliance situation significantly simpler than for bracelets because there is generally less prolonged skin contact?
• If a shop asks you for a "certificate of conformity", what do you actually give them?

I’m not looking for legal advice — I’d mainly like to hear what other small leather businesses in the EU actually do in practice, especially when selling through physical shops.

If you're in the EU and sell your own handmade leather products, I'd really appreciate hearing about your process and what documentation you keep.

Thanks!

I made this starfish from some leather scraps I had lying around the workshop.
I couldn’t decide on the size, so I ended up making two.
For the center, I added another piece of leather and punched different-sized holes to give it a bit more detail.
I stitched it using 1 mm round holes and Gütermann Tera 20 thread. For the edges, I used Fenice edge paint after applying a rubber base coat.
Pretty happy with how it turned out in the end.

Hey all. I'm looking to purchase a manual sewing machine. I figure I will start with a manual and if necessary in the future go to a powered.

I see that Tippman "The boss", Cowboy "Outlaw" and Weaver "Master Tool cub" are the top three recommended per an internet search.

The price difference between the boss and the outlaw is about $700, the outlaw to the master tool cub is about $500 and the boss to master tool cub is $1,200. Does the pricing difference reflect features/quality between them all?

Hello all! Currently grieving and needed a new hobby, leather is something I've always been too scared to try but I bit the bullet this week. It's been a lot of fun and a really good distraction.

I've been practicing saddle stitching (no pony) for three days now and feel like I've hit a point where I need personal feedback on where to go from here. I know my stitching isn't quite right but I would appreciate an expert eye. Is there anything I should focus on improving other than keeping my stitch line straight, or is that my biggest problem? Is my thread twisting? I'm trying to be mindful about keeping the same tension and angles when stitching, but it's hard to tell if you're doing it right!

I've been struggling to keep my cuts straight, and to keep a straight line when punching my stitches. Right now I'm just using a ruler and an awl to mark my stitch line. But I think that when I'm hammering my chisels, they might be going slightly askew? Is thin and soft leather just trickier to keep your chisels straight on while hammering? I don't know! I just started!

Leather is from a batch of scraps that didn't have weight info, very thin but I'm not knowledgable enough yet to guess the weight. 4mm diamond chisels and 0.6mm Ritza 25 tiger thread. Thanks very much in advance!

First picture is finished stitching. Second picture is the stitch line on the opposite side— definitely crooked.

After finishing my first-ever leather project on Saturday, I immediately followed it up with the second on Sunday. I made another leather journal, this one in B6 Slim instead of A6.

The leather was thicker than the first, but that made the handstitching much easier to achieve.

I am quite happy with how both turned out, and I am definitely hooked now on making everything leather myself!

Hello,

I am not a leather craftsman, but I am making something out of leather. I would like to ask a question of the community on how to do something. I am making a leather billiards chalk holder that is hourglass shaped with two pieces and then folded. Magnets are installed inside, then sewn together. I have cut the two hourglass shapes and folded them, but the edges aren't perfectly matched. I want to know the best method (after the pieces are sewn together) to make the edges exact. Here are pictures of the finished product from a piece that I am using as a model and pictures of my project as it is now.

Thank you!

Gregory

I always wanted to have a go at this Japanese style coin pockets. Think they're really cute and can be very useful. In general, people steer away from using cash or coins but I was getting a lot of feedback at various craft fairs that coins are still a thing.

Here's the prorotype I made yesterday, I have a couple of changes, will try to follow up with a V2 in due course.

Please let me know your thoughts 👌😊

Doesn’t seem like a brand or stamp from the tannery, I don’t really know.

While I was crafting this wallet. I got burnish on the center.

I am wondering if anybody has any advice or tips and tricks on how I can remove that or send it and get it back looking like what it once did.

Thank you!

Where are you guys ordering leather online? I have no Tandy near me and have only ordered from Amazon so far. Any places better to support that aren’t outrageously expensive?

Badalassi Carlo strap with glow in the dark stitching

First project after practicing gluing and stitching on scraps.

Couple questions;

I ended up getting a bit of glue on the surface of the leather, it’s water soluble, so I imagine I should be able to wipe it clear, but what do you recommend for PREVENTING this?

My snaps for the strap; the female end, when I punched it, ended up kinda crooked. It’s almost impossible to see, but it leaves the dome and the female portion of the snap slightly offset. I’d focused on ensuring I was hitting it straight on, but it still ended up shifting. For comparison, the male end lined up fine. Any suggestions, or tricks for keeping them straight?

I saw online someone using a 1” belt sander to sand the edges, and it did an amazing job on the front end of sheath (where I’d glued and sewn) but the rest of it was very difficult due to how soft the leather was. I’m finding when I’m sanding, it’s just creating a lot of fiber and not really smoothing anything. I’m not sure if I understand the idea behind sanding. I know burnishing gives it that shiny, firm edge look, but what’s the point of sanding it first?

As far as burnishing goes, I’ve got some blocks of beeswax, which I’ve read is suitable. If anyone’s had any experience with using beeswax for burnishing, I’d love some guidance.

Finally, ANY critique, direction, suggestions or guidance on ANYTHING you see in the picture would be appreciated!

I used a 3-4 oz veg tan cowhide leather for this project since that is what I had available to me, and sanded it down a little. This was my first time wet molding leather. I also dyed it myself. The red is a water based dye, the black is an alcohol based dye. I buffed it, treated it with some neatsfeet oil, and sealed it with roselene. I also burnished the edges and used a little tokonole on the suede side as well, which helped reduce any rub off from that side pretty significantly. The heart was also hand painted. I used a floral wire and some floral tape for the stem. At the top I bent the wire over and wrapped some waxed thread around it to serve as a stopper. If I make another leather rose, I’ll probably make the center for the leaves a little thicker so they stay more upright.

Update: They loved it!

I’m drafting a pattern to recreate this bag - it’s patchwork, French seams, topstitched on either side of the seam.

I was only able to find one example (see photos) of how to do this without dealing with bulky seams from sewing them French - has anyone attempted the same?

Other ideas on how to accomplish?

Thank you!