LEATHER

Leatherwork for me is a passion and one of my favourite forms of craft. My love for it increased when I broke my collarbone and therefore could not do anything to strenious. This meant that woodwork was off the bench and I was able to fill some of my time off work with something that interested me and allowed me to be creative.

I am so far entirely self taught. I had only dabbled in leather before my injury but since then I love any excuse to do it.

All the leather I use is ethically sourced.

All my Stitching is done by hand and has greatly improved since I started out, and I have enjoyed learning several different types of stitch including baseball, ladder, box and my most used, saddle. Part of improving my stitch was from trial and error with diferent types of thread and working out what kind was right for me. What also came from this learning journey was my self made stitching kit of items I deem essential. These include; Pliers, a small knife, thread shears, a lighter, an awl, a quick unpick, leather, normal and upholstery needles.

Another aspect of leatherwork that I really enjoy is leather carving. I have only done a couple of carved leather projects so far; A viking style dragon had patch (see above, middle left) and this Snake inspired belt (a present for my brother who works with reptiles).