I’m not entirely sure why I got into leatherworking, but I do remember how. I had signed up for a class that went for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, one of those spend-a-few-hours-here-and-take-home-whatever-you’ve-made things. It didn’t cost much, but was a good taster for what leatherworking was about.
First wallet, black kangaroo leather, in construction
I came back with a little card wallet and a belt. I was pretty excited with the afternoon’s work. I think that energy and enthusiasm stayed with me until I watched a whole ton of leather working videos, most of them by Ian Atkinson.
I made a list of all the tools he used when he was making something I found interesting. Not knowing who else to ask advice from, I decided to get pretty much what he was using: Seiwa diamond chisels in 3mm and 4mm, and a few other basic things.
This was enough to get me started.
First solo project, reversible belt
I found a local supplier (I had no idea how lucky that was) and went in. The place was huge! I was easily overwhelmed! Wanting to keep the costs down I asked for a veg tan side.
With strap cutter and dyes in hand, my first project solo was going to be a reversible belt. I did not anticipate the amount of stitching, especially for a first time project. The dye job was off, the belt wasn’t perfectly straight, all in all plenty of disastrous mistakes. Thankfully my partner loves me enough to wear it and not be ashamed by it.