Fine Leatherworking

06/27/2025

Sometimes when making leather goods for production, I feel the crunch of deadlines and spend way too much time on a piece for what we’d like it to cost. Like any business, it can be long hours and hard on the body. There are parts of this craft, though, that can seem like a little break in the day. Waxing thread is one of those things....

Sometimes when making leather goods for production, I feel the crunch of deadlines and spend way too much time on a piece for what we’d like it to cost. Like any business, it can be long hours and …

06/20/2025

We’re still working on our new course and have another brief video post this week. This time, I thought I’d share a sample ASMR style. In this short, I’m cutting the leather for the project. I use an upright knife, which we cover in Refining Your Technique. In our new course, I’ll show you additional cutting styles intended for beginners who are trying out leatherworking.

We’re still working on our new course and have another brief video post this week. This time, I thought I’d share a sample ASMR style. In this short, I’m cutting the leather for the project. I use …

06/13/2025

We’re busy working on shooting video for our next course. So today is a short post highlighting our studio’s splitter. A leather band knife splitter thins a piece of leather. In this case, I’m taking pieces that are ~1.8mm thick and reducing them to 1.4mm. This might not seem like a lot, but the thicknesses can add up quickly when you’re stacking pieces together, like for a wallet....

We’re busy working on shooting video for our next course. So today is a short post highlighting our studio’s splitter. A leather band knife splitter thins a piece of leather. In this case, I’m taki…

06/06/2025

Last week, I posted about a new zippered wallet. What I didn’t say was that it was actually a Mother’s Day gift for my wife. It was an opportunity to make a very nice gift and revisit the last wallet I made for her over 10 years ago. Although looking at old work often makes me wince, it reminds me how far I’ve come....

Last week, I posted about a new zippered wallet. What I didn’t say was that it was actually a Mother’s Day gift for my wife. It was an opportunity to make a very nice gift and revisit the last wall…

05/30/2025

Last year, we launched an online course, The Zippered Wallet, which helps students tackle the challenge of making this complex project. The most challenging aspects are related to the zipper, including sizing, placement, and alignment. There are other formidable steps, such as cutting all the pieces correctly and in the right sequence, so they all fit together. We intentionally chose a simple interior design because the rest of the construction is complex....

Last year, we launched an online course, The Zippered Wallet, which helps students tackle the challenge of making this complex project. The most challenging aspects are related to the zipper, inclu…

05/23/2025

I have several machines in my studio: three sewing machines, a skiver, a splitter, and many other smaller machines. If you’re like me, you accumulate a mixture of new and used tools and equipment. You know every moment of use of the ones you get new, but the used machines could have gone through hell and back, and you’d never know the difference....

I have several machines in my studio: three sewing machines, a skiver, a splitter, and many other smaller machines. If you’re like me, you accumulate a mixture of new and used tools and equipment. …

05/16/2025

Last week, I mentioned that I bought a home sewing machine for our family. My kids expressed interest in sewing, specifically in making stuffed animals and clothes. I have several industrial sewing machines for leatherworking, but they require adjustments for sewing thinner fabrics and can be a little intimidating for children. These sewing beasts in my studio could easily blast through several layers of leather, but adjustments were needed for the lighter stuff....

Last week, I mentioned that I bought a home sewing machine for our family. My kids expressed interest in sewing, specifically in making stuffed animals and clothes. I have several industrial sewing…

05/09/2025

This mid-century modern campaign chair, also known as a safari chair, was designed by Kaare Klint, the father of modern Danish furniture design. He is considered so because he adopted and applied German Bauhaus principles to his furniture designs and architectural work. Those fundamental ideas include making furniture according to the proportions and needs of the human body and using the best materials and craftspeople available....

This mid-century modern campaign chair, also known as a safari chair, was designed by Kaare Klint, the father of modern Danish furniture design. He is considered so because he adopted and applied G…

05/06/2025

Back in stock: contact and rubber cement for leather.
https://www.fineleatherworking.com/adhesives/

04/25/2025

Recently, I bought a home sewing machine to use for some fabric projects and for several other reasons, which I’ll go into in a future post. People regularly ask about using home sewing machines on leather, so it’s an area I can cover more if there’s interest. In my leatherworking studio, I have several industrial sewing machines meant for leather, and I wanted a lighter machine for sewing fabric....

Recently, I bought a home sewing machine to use for some fabric projects and for several other reasons, which I’ll go into in a future post.  People regularly ask about using home sewing machi…

02/08/2025

When you try a new skill on your own, it can be difficult to troubleshoot. Edge finishing methods, for example, can be particularly nuanced. Did you apply enough pressure? Not enough pressure? Was the sanding at the right angle? There are a host of questions to ask. It can be even more complicated if you use different materials. Maybe your method is sound, but not for the leather you picked....

When you try a new skill on your own, it can be difficult to troubleshoot. Edge finishing methods, for example, can be particularly nuanced. Did you apply enough pressure? Not enough pressure? Was …

02/07/2025

https://www.fineleatherworking.com/blog/material-bundles-for-courses/
We added a material bundle for Refining Your Technique. Now, you can build the course project using the same materials as the demonstration.