A leather crafting artist is holding a yellow poly mallet to adjust the closure and placement of a brown kangaroo leather bell.

Getting Started In Leathercrafting

A leather crafting artist is holding a yellow poly mallet to adjust the closure and placement of a brown kangaroo leather bell.
Are you thinking about learning leathercraft? Leathercrafting is a great skill to learn. Not only can it be a hobby to get creative and make small accessories for your friends, but it can also be a professional start to your handmade business. Read on as we discuss the essential tools and beginner projects to build your confidence working with leather.

Table of Contents

Make Sure You Have The Right Tools

Our tools section provides you with everything you need to get started in leathercraft. Here’s our list of essentials:

Leatherworking Tools

Why do you need them?

Cutting board

Find the ideal surface for cutting your leather with a cutting knife, set up your work surface with a cutting mat to protect the table.

Cutting knife

Lightweight, sharp and accurate cutting with 5 spare blades.

Scissors

Cutting leather and loose threads

Steel ruler

For cutting those straight lines, measure and check your work. Includes metric and imperial measurements.

Hole Punch Set

1mm, 2mm and 3mm hole punches for rivets, press studs and decorative work

Rivet Setter Base 7 in 1

Set your rivets using this tool

Poly Mallet

It can deliver the force you need to set your punches on the leather. Use it to set or stamp the surface of your leather once you have all your stitch lines in place. With a plastic head, it won’t ruin your awl or punch and ensures you keep your tools in tip top shape.

Sewing Needle Set

Hand sew your leather projects with out sewing needle kit, containing 15m of waxed cotton thread and a needle.

Available in colours Natural, Brown & Black

Awl

Mark out your stitch lines or markers in your project

Start Out On A Simple Project

What type of projects should I try first? This is a common question, here are our suggestions:

  • Keyring tab
  • Card Holder
  • Bookmark
  • Coin purse

Sewing leather by hand is an excellent skill to master and is the base knowledge for your leathercraft projects. All you need is a sewing kit with a leather needle and sewing thread. Always practice sewing first before starting any project, ensure your tension is correct and adjust accordingly. Our sewing needle kit  offers an extra-strong, heavy-duty and lightly waxed thread that comes with needles. You can choose between black, brown, or natural thread with 15 metres on each card. If you have a domestic sewing machine already, even better!

An awl is helpful for hand stitching. These are used to mark the location of where you want your stitching holes and can also be used as placement markers. When you feel your creative flair start to flourish, you can move on to marking patterns and getting creative with where you place your stitching.

The Fun Part - Get Creative

Once you’ve mastered small projects, you can then move on to projects that will really start to amaze you. But you will need more tools to work on more complicated projects, so let’s look at expanding your toolbox.

Advanced Leatherworking Tools

Why do you need them?

Dividers

Measure and mark your stitch length. Create decorative lines on.

Die Rivets Set

  • A selection of 8mm and 10mm rivets in Antique Brass and Nickel.
  • Includes one-hole punch and setting tools for rivets.

Die Press studs Set

4 pieces per press stud closure. Includes hand-held setting die and base. 12mm head diameter available in Gold, Antique Brass, Nickel and Gunmetal.

Finishing Your Leather Product

Simply trim any loose threads and check your work, once you’re happy you can start thinking about the next project you have in mind. You don’t need to be an expert to begin making your own leather goods. It’s a great hobby to take up and you never quite know where it will take you.

Choose The Premium Materials To Work With

Karmine Leathercraft offers all the leather, inspiration packs, leather cutoffs, tools, and hardware that you need to get started. Many professional craft artists have use them, and they are enjoying the premium quality of kangaroo leather, which are 100% sustainably sourced. All orders will be shipped within 48 hours. Shop here so you can put our tools to the test.

Kangaroo leather is the strongest and lightest natural leather available making it exceptionally durable and comfortable for wearable product. Not only is it lightweight and comfortable, but it is also easy to clean and resistant to water, stain, and heat.

Assistance and advice: We have the experience and expertise to set you in the right direction if you require any assistance or advice. Simply contact us by phone or email.

We pride ourselves on quality craftsmanship that makes our products unique and long-lasting - Karmine Leathercraft

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