Leather Crafting

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   Hand Stitched

   A card wallet and a piece you designed

   15 Steps, about 38 minutes each. Anyone who wants to make things that last. No sewing or crafting experience needed.

   1. Chapter 1: First stitches. Straight cuts, punched holes, your first saddle stitches, burnished edges and a finished key fob.
   2. Chapter 2: The card wallet. A two-pocket card wallet cut from a template, punched, saddle stitched and finished.
   3. Chapter 3: Your own design. A small piece you designed yourself, from paper pattern to finished leather.

   1. 1
      Cut your first strips

      Three straight strips of leather, each 2.5 cm wide and 20 cm long.

      Bruce Cheaney
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Mark and punch holes

      A row of evenly spaced stitch holes punched along a strip.

      MAKESUPPLY
   3. 3
      Saddle stitch a practice strip

      Two strips stitched together along one edge with a neat saddle stitch.

      Dark Horse WorkshopVon Baer

   See all 15 Steps

   1. 4
      Burnish the edges

      A strip with smooth, shiny, rounded edges.

      Eternal Leather GoodsTandy Leather
   2. 5
      Make a key fob

      A finished, stitched key fob on a key ring.

      Instructables
      Show your group
   3. 6
      Cut the card wallet

      Two wallet pieces cut cleanly from a paper template.

      Will HodgesInstructables
   4. 7
      Prepare the wallet

      The pocket top edge finished and both pieces clipped together with a stitch line marked.

      The Art of Manliness
   5. 8
      Punch the wallet

      Stitch holes punched around both sides and the bottom, through both layers.

      MAKESUPPLY
   6. 9
      Stitch the wallet

      The wallet saddle stitched closed around three sides.

      variablevisionsMasterClass
   7. 10
      Finish the wallet edges

      Every edge of the wallet sanded flush and burnished.

      Tandy Leather
      Show your group
   8. 11
      Design your own piece

      A paper pattern for a small piece of your own: an earbud case, a cord wrap, a luggage tag or a bookmark.

      Instructables
   9. 12
      Cut your design

      Every piece of your design cut from leather.

      MAKESUPPLY
   10. 13
       Punch and stitch your design

       Your design punched and saddle stitched.

       Von Baer
   11. 14
       Finish your design

       Your design sanded, burnished and conditioned.

       Tandy Leather
   12. 15
       Show off your collection

       Your fob, wallet and own design, photographed together, with one given as a gift.

       The Art of Manliness
       Show your group
2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   Bifold Wallet

   A bifold with card pockets

3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   Bags and Belts

   A belt and a small bag

Where it ends: leather goods people ask about

Free lessons in Hand Stitched come from Bruce Cheaney, International Leather Club, MAKESUPPLY, Dark Horse Workshop, Von Baer, Eternal Leather Goods, Tandy Leather, Instructables, Will Hodges, The Art of Manliness, variablevisions, MasterClass, Robert Little. We link to their work and never copy it.