Starting any new hobby can be daunting, and with an age-old craft like leather working, it can be difficult to find resources that help you figure out where to start. This compilation of tips is to help you in your learning process, and while it is only the tip of the large iceberg that is leather craft, I hope it will help get you started.
1. Invest in Quality Tools
Tools are everything in leather craft. Simply put, it is impossible to make quality products without quality tools. They will set you back some cash, but it is well worth the investment in the long run. You can always start by buying a basic tool kit from any major online marketplace, but as you progress you will realize that higher quality tools will unlock a new world in the craft for you. Most kits are imported stamped metal tools that don't produce quality results, but contrary to popular opinion, they definitely can get you started in the craft-- I speak from experience. I understand that not everybody wants to drop $500 to $1000 on high quality tools when you have never made anything with leather before. However, when you decide to take the full jump into the craft, don't be hesitant to invest in tools. Reputable leather tool manufacturers make their products to last, break in, and age beautifully, just like the fine goods they will be used to create.
2. Understand Your Materials
Learning how to work with leather can be difficult itself, so using the wrong types of leather because you don't know the correct type to use can compound that difficulty. Take time to understand the different types of leather and what they are best suited for. If you use the right materials, your growth as a craftsman will increase exponentially with far less effort, time, and investment in wasted materials. A new blog post will be available soon with a comprehensive guide to the different types of leather and how they should be used.
3. Take Your Time
Leather working is a calm and slow craft. It is meant to be relaxing, enjoyable, and to produce a product that is reliable. Don't rush through it! The fun is in the process, so don't try to "speedrun" making goods. Your investment in time is what makes the final product so special. I understand that it can be frustrating to make something when you know that their are certain machines that can do it faster, but persevere and know that taking your time and working diligently will get you to that machine!
4. Don't Be Afraid to Waste Some Materials
When I began leather craft, I bought a 10 pound bag of upholstery leather scraps on Amazon. That was in 2016, and I find remnants in my workshop from that bag to this day. I wasted tons of that material. I was using it to make wallets, so it was not easy to work with, but I got it done because I was driven by the finished good: A wallet that was made with my own two hands. The yields from that leather were so disappointing as I see it now. There were lots of pieces of leather in interesting colors that I haven't seen since, but I would simply cut through them or trace a small wallet in the dead center of a large piece. Stupid, I know, but I was only a beginner! Don't be afraid to dive in and waste some leather. It is what teaches you to appreciate the art of puzzling patterns together over a hide, finding tiny pieces that can be used for random projects, and even lead you to designing products that put scrap to use, and quite literally turn trash to treasure.
5. Share Your Products to Learn Lessons: Accept Criticism!
One of the best ways to learn to improve your goods is to give them to friends and family to have them tested in the field. I've never had somebody say no to carrying a brand new prototype wallet, keychain, or handbag. Doing this is not only a great way to show that you appreciate their support of your craft, but to see firsthand how your products will age, and what may need to be improved. Will your hardware last? Will your stitching last? Only time will tell!
6. Don't Get Frustrated
The first wallet you make may not be pretty. It may not look like what you hoped it to be, or like something you see online. It will be even better, though-- Your own creation. Rather than getting frustrated, I encourage you to look at your development as a craftsman over time. Compare a piece after 6 months of practice to the first thing you ever made, and rather than being frustrated, you will be amazed at how even small details have become more complete. There are processes that you will learn without even realizing you have learned them until you see them enhancing a finished good.
7. Solve Problems Unconventionally
Some of my most efficient days in the workshop have come from "Macgyvering" jigs and tools to make my workflow more efficient. While doing a run of handbags out of a rather stiff leather, I went and bought a 1" diameter wooden dowel, covered the end in leather, and clamped it vertically to my workbench. I used it to push into the bags, which made it easier to flip the bags inside out after stitching. Was it ugly and rickety? Yes! But it made my day far easier. If you find a way to make a process work better for you, be it by decreasing time or improving the final product, use it! Like they say, "If it's crazy but it works, then it's not crazy!"
8. Measure Twice, Cut Once
Accuracy is key in leather working. To keep the process efficient, easy, and free of errors, it's worth taking the time to ensure that all measurements are accurate, patterns are traced correctly, and pieces are lined up before any irreversible steps like cutting, scratching, carving, or cementing are done.
9. Learn Different Ways of Accomplishing the Same Task
Within leather working, there are lots of ways to accomplish similar tasks. Some will tell you that only one way is "correct," but I encourage you to experiment and figure out what works best for you. If you have to sacrifice a few pieces of leather to figure out that a certain way of stitching is better than another, or that you can cut better with one knife than another, don't be afraid to do it! In the long run, it will help you figure out how to create the best finished product.
10. Enjoy Every Minute of It!
The most important tip on this entire list is to enjoy every last minute that you are doing leather work! Whether it is the finished product that drives you, or the fun along the way, I sincerely hope that finishing one piece will leave you itching to make another. That is what the craft is all about!