Working with leather is a rewarding and fun craft. Why buy an expensive leather purse when you can make one for less money? The same goes for belts, wallets, briefcases and even sandals. Not only can the pieces you create be as ornate or as plain as you like, they can also contain all the features you like without having to compromise on style.
The Basics
After you have chosen a project, select the type of leather you will work with. The options include cow hide, which is the type used most often, and skin, which is leather made from small animals, such as calves, pigs, goats and sheep, and is used for small projects. Hides can be either pre-dyed or in a natural condition. There are several different types, depending where on the animal it was cut.
Patterns and Cutting
If you are a beginner leather crafter, use a pattern to ensure you do not waste expensive material. Gather your tools, including an awl and pricking iron to pierce holes into the leather; a creaser to create a thin line, a cutting board to work on, an edge beveller to round the edges of the leather, a divider to mark the stitching holes in the leather, a bone folder to turn edges, various knives to cut the leather, needles to stitch the leather, PVA adhesive to glue edges down and a paring knife to reduce the thickness of the leather.
Lay the leather piece on a cutting board with the pattern on top of it, avoiding any scars or blemishes in the leather. Mark the outline of the pattern pieces with a sharp pencil or scratch it with an awl, holding larger pieces down with masking tape. Once the pattern pieces have been transferred to the leather, remove the pattern and begin cutting with your knife, keeping it upright and exerting downward pressure. Valerie Michael, in her book, "The Leatherworking Handbook," recommends repositioning the leather as you cut to ensure your hand does not get tired. Thicker hides may need two passes with the knife.
Finishing and Stitching
Once the pattern has been cut and all of the design elements transferred onto the piece of leather, then it is time to finish any edges. The turned-edge finishing technique uses the bone folder to turn the edges over and is glued down with PVA adhesive for a neat look. Bound-edge finishing enhances the look of the piece and entails gluing a separate strip of leather underneath the edge.
After the edges are finished, it is time to stitch the piece together, using either saddle stitch, the most common and versatile stitch; the box stitch, which is used on containers, boxes and bags and the back stitch, which is used for repairs and stitching fabric to leather. The general technique for all stitching methods starts with marking the stitching lines with the divider, then piercing the leather with the pricking iron to create the holes. Using a needle and thread, stitch the piece together.
Tags: bone folder, bone folder turn, cutting board, down with, folder turn, folder turn edges
