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Leather Crafting

Hand-stitched goods that last for years.

3levels, ending in leather goods people ask about
35 mina Step, on average
$50to start Level 1
FreeLevel 1, always

Learn leather crafting as a beginner

Leather goods made by hand last for years, and the basic skills are simple to learn. This beginner course covers cutting, punching stitch holes, the saddle stitch and burnishing edges smooth, as you make a key fob, a hand-stitched card wallet, and a small piece of your own design.

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.

      Leatherwork starts with clean, straight cuts. Every piece you make, from a key fob to a wallet, begins as a shape cut from a flat hide, and wobbly cuts show in the finished piece.

      Leather has two sides. The grain side is the smooth, finished outer surface. The flesh side is the rough, fuzzy underside. You mark and cut with the grain side up, so marks don't show and the cut edge is clean on the visible side.

      The detail beginners miss is several light passes. Don't try to cut through in one hard stroke. Two or three firm, controlled passes along a steel ruler give a straighter cut, and your knife is less likely to slip.

      Here's an example. Leather grain side up on a cutting mat. A mark 2.5 cm in from the edge at both ends, joined with the steel ruler. Fingers spread flat on the ruler, well back from its edge. First pass scores the line, second goes deeper, third cuts through. Three strips cut.

      Right is strips with straight, clean edges and no ragged fibers. Always cut away from your body, keep your fingers behind the ruler's edge, and use a sharp blade; dull blades need force and slip. Snap off or change the blade as soon as it drags.

      Bruce Cheaney
      Show your group
    2. 2
      Mark and punch holes
      A row of evenly spaced stitch holes punched along a strip.
      Tandy Leather
    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.
      Make: Magazine
    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.
    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

Questions about learning leather crafting

How long does it take to learn leather crafting?

Level 1 is 15 Steps of about 38 minutes each, around 10 hours in all, split into 3 chapters. Go at your own speed: one Step a day, or a whole chapter in a sitting.

What do I need to start leather crafting?

You'll need veg-tan leather scraps, 3-4 oz, utility knife with spare blades, steel ruler, 30 cm, diamond pricking irons, 4 mm (2-prong and 6-prong), waxed thread and two harness needles and a split key ring. Expect to spend about $50 to start Level 1.

Can a complete beginner learn leather crafting?

Anyone who wants to make things that last. No sewing or crafting experience needed.

What will I have made by the end of Level 1?

A key fob, a hand-stitched card wallet, and a small piece of your own design, all with burnished edges.

Is this leather crafting course free?

Yes. Level 1 of every hobby on Eras is free, and every Step links free lessons from great teachers online. Eras Plus is an optional subscription that opens the levels after it.

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

Cover photo by Joel Lee on Unsplash