Once a week, we are going to start featuring different leather craftsmen/women whose work we love and who have some good tips to share. Here's @gnoelnahc:
Welcome to my Batcave! Its my personal pride and joy, painstakingly built up piece by piece. We’re blessed to be in the internet-age, where any lack of physical access to tools is replaced by the multitude of comments and reviews by experienced leatherworkers and smiths across the world, and a purchase is a few clicks away. As I pursue this craft alongside full-time studies, I’ve also found that it is extremely important to do intensive research on any existing and potential uses of tools before acquiring them, as a matter of utility and budgeting. One man’s dream workshop may do nothing for another. That said, keep an open mind, and don’t knock anything until you’ve tried it
It was difficult to pick my favourite work. I’ve really appreciated them all, even the ones at the beginning of my learning, the ugly ones, the failed ones. Each one has made my next piece better. The derivative nature of leatherworking is one of its key characteristics. The saddle stitch wasn’t developed in a day, nor by a single individual. Needles weren’t so small and thread took time to get finer. But it all adds up. And this bag was a culmination of everything I knew at the time I made it. A classic briefcase in vegetable-tanned Dublin and lined with denim, this piece ages over time, developing a sheen and pleasing colour-texture. It was great fun to make, and an even greater pleasure to use. Planning it took days, from choice of leather, lining, colour of thread, type of thread, hardware, exact distances between holes to correspond to width and length of the entire project, stress points and load-bearing stitches — but it all seemed extremely satisfying putting it together. Like building a Lego Death Star, each stitch was like a brick clicking into place. After 4 days, this monster of skin was mine. So far it hasn’t been blown up yet, and I believe it’ll last me the coming few decades. Make a Death Star of your own!
It was difficult to pick my favourite work. I’ve really appreciated them all, even the ones at the beginning of my learning, the ugly ones, the failed ones. Each one has made my next piece better. The derivative nature of leatherworking is one of its key characteristics. The saddle stitch wasn’t developed in a day, nor by a single individual. Needles weren’t so small and thread took time to get finer. But it all adds up. And this bag was a culmination of everything I knew at the time I made it. A classic briefcase in vegetable-tanned Dublin and lined with denim, this piece ages over time, developing a sheen and pleasing colour-texture. It was great fun to make, and an even greater pleasure to use. Planning it took days, from choice of leather, lining, colour of thread, type of thread, hardware, exact distances between holes to correspond to width and length of the entire project, stress points and load-bearing stitches — but it all seemed extremely satisfying putting it together. Like building a Lego Death Star, each stitch was like a brick clicking into place. After 4 days, this monster of skin was mine. So far it hasn’t been blown up yet, and I believe it’ll last me the coming few decades. Make a Death Star of your own!