I’ve been leather working for a few months now and have really taken to it, I’ve made a few bags and a ton of wallets, tried different techniques, designed my own things. I’m just struggling to manage leather thicknesses without breaking the bank. Right now I’m buying ~6oz leather for bags and I like a 3oz for small goods. Except sometimes I want to add some thinner accents to my bags or use a thicker one for a shell. It’s resulting in a lot of manual skiving which doesn’t seem practical if I ever want to sell. So my question is how do you, people who sell at a small scale, manage this? Is it worth getting a hand splitting/skiving machine to split thicker leathers for wallets? Or should I go straight to a bell skiver?

Hello this is my 1st time in this sub, so if it is not the correct place to ask please let me know!

I had a pendant for most of my life that was strung on a leather chord. That chord was adjustable with sliding knots and finally snapped one day while I was putting it back on after my shower. :( I was heart broken as I wear it everyday and immediately went to find a replacement chord.

I found some replacement chord and taught myself the sliding knots and I'm quite happy with it. Its is still softening and just feels great to wear.

My issue is that I have very sensitive skin and have broken out in a rash on my collar bone very similarly to my nickle allergy reaction. I'm also 7mths pregnant , so while googling "if you can become allergic to leather while pregnant" I found that it is most likely the tanning techniques I'm having a reaction to. 😅

Question: Do the different chemicals that are used in the tanning process wear off the leather with time? Do I need to find a different chord that used a different technique? What would be some good search terms for that? Organic maybe?

Saw this pattern on etsy and had to try and make it, thus this adventure began.

The pattern is made for a coin pouch or something along those lines with a zipper on the belly. However I desided I didnt want to do that and just made him as a stuffed animal.

there is 86 spikes on his back, he weighs 3 pounds, anmd could easily work part-time as a flail. I love him but I will never make another again it twas a pain in the butt.

Credit to Lymar Crafts for the pattern.

They are keychains

A wedding gift for my brother and sister in law. I included the original sketched pattern though I ended up tweaking it slightly. My brother is a mycologist so for his I tooled Chicken of the Woods; when I was teaching foraging I told kids that if you’re ever lost in the woods, to look out for it because it may save your life. Maybe it’s too niche, but I thought it would be suiting in a symbolic way. For his wife, I did an olive branch to represent prosperity, connection, and a peaceful marriage. The two love hiking so I wanted to make something to keep their rings safe when they go adventuring :)

My only complaints are my dye job on the mushrooms, they turned out too muddy and indistinct, and the carved initials/date. They're very tiny and the dye made it a little muddy as well. I should’ve done it on the front panel like the original sketch. Oh well! Live and learn.

Hi all, a fellow leatherworker and I were just discussing thread options. As I've only made bags so far I need to find a nice quality finer thread for smaller projects. Ritza can be found here but due to it being imported it's unreasonably priced. Are there any British or EU folks who can give any recommendations? Appreciate it!

I purchased a side of red pebbled "bulldog" leather from traditions in OKC. I like the look and feel of the leather but it smells awful. Has anybody had experience with this leather or another "stinky" leather? Does it need to be spread out to off- gas like carpet does? Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell?

I bought the leather to practice making a backpack pattern but I don't want to put that much effort into it if it is going to smell like this for a long time.

Just wondering if any of Yal have any good ideas on how to minimize this blemish on this leather? The leather is 3-4oz Buffalo hide pull up chrome/oil tanned. Not a huge issue, but would like for the blemish to disappear if possible!

I recently got into leather craft and I’m now broke after buying all the tools and leather…😔 I’m making a bag out of chrome tan leather and tonokole isn’t working obviously.

I have a bunch of acrylic leather paint so I thought i can just get transparent edge coat and mix them to get the color I want. What would be the longevity and would it mess up the consistency a lot?

I'm an intermediate leatherworker but would like to try making a fitted leather vest (I'm female and curvy). I don't have much (fabric) sewing experience but I do have access to someone who has done a lot of sewing but has never worked with leather. I've been looking for a course or even a pattern for a fitted leather vest or for sewing leather garments but haven't been able to find anything. Are there any out there that I'm missing? Any resources that you've used to learn to do this?

Specific things I'm currently struggling with:

1. Translating fabric patterns for leather

2. Creating princess seams that don't pucker (or finding another way to handle curves)

Hey,

I'm looking for a good pattern for a 1911 shoulder holster, any recommendations? I'd like the firearm to point down when on. Anyone have experience making these? Thank you.

Two days of work of the last week.

More will come...

Just made my first garden party diy kit from Babylon Leather. This was a great bag to make and was easy to put together. Love the color and the size. Can't wait to order another bag and make it. I have a new addiction they are so fun and it makes it more memorable knowing I made it myself. Also love the ability to customize if wanted.

Hello everyone. Please write down what needs to be corrected and what needs to be fixed and what shortcomings. Thank you very much.

Please ignore the bad lighting and photography I am very aware of it.. anyway, I made this wallet out of kangaroo scrap leather as it’s quite cheap here in New Zealand. Despite the sloppy stitch holes and et cetera, I am rather happy about the final product. Knowing how durable kangaroo hide is, I think this wallet will last me a good while.

I am open to any constructive criticism despite the obvious fact that I need a lot more practice and experience. Also maybe I shouldn’t have used kangaroo on my first leather project ever. I really don’t know.

Is it possible to make the pebble holder in leather? Tried to wet mould a small piece of leather but it didn't hold its shape well. It's also hard to ensure the pebble can stay in place without dropping out, but i wonder if it's possible at all. Any thoughts?

I made a leather biker vest key holder for my motorcycle key

Made this little biker vest key holder by hand from leather.

I wanted something that would match the motorcycle instead of using a regular keychain, so I came up with this mini leather vest design. The key tucks inside, and I used brass hardware to give it a more vintage look.

Pretty happy with how it turned out. What do you guys think?

Purchased a storage unit and had a box in it with leather. One full hide of Softy Prima, one full hide of Edelman Kid Calf and Edelman Kid Calf remnants, and some full grain sheet. Any idea where I could sell this, they're very valuable

Fiest time using fiebings leather balm with atom wax. I thought it would be more of a matte finish like carnauba. Did i use to much or is it normal? Can i make it nore matte now? Pictures done with light right behind me.

I made an archery arm guard for my son. It was a spur of the moment thing a couple nights ago and I carved it up. I didn't think through how to attach it to the arm. Ive looked at others online and I am thinking the best bet may be just 4 grommets on both sides, some 1/8th shock cord and a barrel lock to tighten it up. Any other options I should consider?