46 Leatherwork Projects Anyone Can Do

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Pub Date 15 Sep 2017 | Archive Date 22 Sep 2017
Rowman & Littlefield | Stackpole Books

Description

Learn to make attractive leather articles with a professional look by mastering a handful of basic techniques. Using the many kinds of available leather, some leatherwork tools, and the designs in this book, you can produce beautiful and functional handcrafted accessories, gifts, and items for your home.

The 46 original projects, both timeless and practical, are lavishly illustrated with over 500 step-by-step photos and styled shots of completed articles, with detailed instructions to ensure that you cannot go wrong. Includes:

  • selection of materials and tools
  • key techniques such as dyeing, cutting, punching, beveling
  • stitches used for the projects
  • inserting zippers
  • how to finish pockets and straps
  • more than 50 templates for projects, with variations
  • projects ranging from earrings, simple bracelets, wallets, and desk accessories to a wood carrier, an overnight bag, and a backpack

Beginners can start small with a simple key fob, then build up to belts, a wallet, and bags, while experienced leatherworkers will find inspiration in the contemporary and stylish designs.






Geert Schuiling has always had a passion for making things by hand and has been recycling to create useful and fun items long before it became fashionable. He built up his leather business to four shops and a factory employing 60 people producing watch straps, belts, satchels, handbags, sandals, shoes, and other items based on customer demand.

Since joining Woodheads 20 years ago, he has worked with business, NGOs, designers, and customers in styling, pattern making, and producing leather products. He also wrote training manuals and offers training to develop the skills required for making leather goods such as sandals, sheepskin slippers, and satchels.

Working alongside well-known designers and interior décor companies, Geert loves creating new items for the local and international markets. He and his family live in Cape Town, South Africa.



Learn to make attractive leather articles with a professional look by mastering a handful of basic techniques. Using the many kinds of available leather, some leatherwork tools, and the designs...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780811719964
PRICE $21.95 (USD)

Average rating from 37 members


Featured Reviews

I love leather so this book is fascinating. I didn't realise it was so easy to work with. With just a few specialised tools I think I could actually make something from this book. The instructions were brilliant but the in depth clear photographs and illustrations made the book so accessible. I often keep things made of leather when they are past their usefulness because I love the material, and I am now imagining what I could re-cycle the leather into. A well thought out, fully useable book. I must also add that the projects were also fabulous I am in love with the satchel (and lots of other things). Thank you

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I really love this book it has a ton of information and pictures and the project range from simple to complex. This book will work for beginners to advanced. leather workers to try their hand at creating leather projects. I found the one project I completed easy to follow and can't wait to try more of them.

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I have to admit, this book got to me not just because I love leatherwork, but the red (favorite color) leather sandals (SHOES!!!) shown in the book. Being a complete novice, not even knowing what tools would be needed, I was curious to know if this book could provide the information needed for someone like me to begin a project. The book is beautifully laid out, in a simple way, with step-by-step photo instructions (which I definitely need), and it’s helped me get excited –not overwhelmed—at trying my hand at a new hobby.

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This book is fantastic. It is the best book I have seen on leather making for a very long time. Everything is explained and photographed, it is laid out beautifully and the colour of the leather that is being used adds a ray of sunshine to the items. The project start off with simple, but useful items, and build up to more difficult ones. At no time did I feel, whilst looking through this book, that I could not handle any of them. There are patterns at the end of the book to be enlarged but beautifully produced.
I absolutely love the green backpack and the red scandals

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OK, I'M REALLY BAD WHIT THE DIY BUT PAGE AFTER PAGE I WAS LIKE "THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL" AND EVEN I MUST ADMIT THAT THE PROJECTS INSTRUCTIONS WERE GOOD, BUT APROX. THE FIRST 25 PAGES I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING

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I have wanted to do some leatherwork for years but never dared to. I had basic leatherwork in school but that having been decades ago, I wanted to brush up my knowledge.

This book provided pictured information from which tools to use, to easy and complex projects. Templates are included.

A perfect book to get started with leatherwork.

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The projects in this book are amazing. There are some truely lovely small gift ideas like bracelets and key chains, but what really blew me away were the beautifully designed bags. The selection is outstanding; backpacks, duffle bags, messenger bags, and sachels. Heck there's a wine tote! Each and every project is entirely timeless, a staple piece you would be happy to use for decades. The instructions are clear and well photographed. I'm cutting out a pattern right now!

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Beautiful pictures, directions are concise. Not for beginners. Many specialty tools and materials are needed for projects.

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Loved this colorful, easy-to-understand book! The photos were clean and easy to understand--especially for someone like me who is new to leather working. I keep emphasizing the photos because they allowed me to easily conceptualize the process. The projects range from super easy to more challenging, making this a great go-to reference.

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Useful and beautiful projects with clear instructions and excellent, helpful illustrations and pictures. I am a beginner in leathercraft, but am looking forward to the progress that I will make with this book.

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Not set

Love the detail in this book. It goes step by step. From choosing leathers to getting equipment. The smaller projects are less intimidating and let me get my feet wet but I can easily jump to a bigger project. I love the pictures just wish there were a few more that show steps in detail.

Not set
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I really love this book it has a ton of information and pictures and the project range from simple to complex. This book will work for beginners to advanced. leather workers to try their hand at creating leather projects. I found the one project I completed easily to follow and can't wait to try more of them.

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This is a tidy well organized book containing tips and tutorials for 46 leatherworking projects. The tutorials are all well described, containing beautiful step-by-step photographs along with included templates. The templates are perfect and even include marked stitching/construction spaces.

The book introduces concepts and supplies and tools with color photos and supporting descriptions.

The projects themselves are varied and include decorative objects such as a hanging candle holder and coaster set, to practical staples such as belts, shoes (sandals) and many bags. The book includes a beautiful and functional desk/stationery set which I fully intend to make for myself.
There are also small projects like earrings, bracelets and keychains which use up scraps.
I really enjoyed reading this book.

For me, the mark of a good crafting tutorial book is if it makes me want to drop everything and go out and gather supplies right then. It's been years since I did any leatherworking and this book make me want to dig right into the included projects.

The 46 projects in this book, along with the tools and techniques sections are very accessible to any beginner. The more complex projects, such as the backpack and carrier bag and overnight case, are accessible to a keen beginner and advanced enough to be interesting to more experienced crafters.

I really enjoyed this book. The author, Geert Schuiling, lives in Cape Town, South Africa, so I'm assuming it was written in English, but if not, the translation was completely perfect and the writing and formatting are error free.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

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In another life, I made a few things with leather, a few things with suede, but I was more interested at that time with working with leather. My grandfather had once-upon-a-time owned a shoe-making and repair shop (after first being a glass-blower, then working for B&O RR), so when I was young the idea of someone actually making a pair of shoes intrigued me – and eventually I inherited many of his related tools. At some point I took a course, and had an artist gallery owning friend who had started out designing purses, and I learned a bit from him, as well. It’s been more than a few years, but when I saw this book, I was curious about the “…anyone can do” aspect of it.
The levels involved in accomplishing these projects progress from simple to more advanced items that you would likely use, with a few tools, some supplies and some fairly basic techniques.
There’s a section that deals with the basic items you will need, from mats to cutters, pliers, hole punches, mallets and pads, cutters, pads, needles, anvils, awls, dividers, rivet setters, press-stud tool and edge beveler, skiving tool and a hand protector.
It discusses the types of leather used in this book; Vegetable-tanned leather, Side leather (chrome tanned), Upholstery (chrome-tanned) leather, Suede
Stitches used to assemble the leather items you’re creating, which are all relatively easy to master.
Some of these items surprised me, since I know they are the most requested ones, office desk items – a Business card holder, a document holder (notebook), stationary tray, a small bin (wastebasket), and such. A Firewood carrier, something so utilitarian but that would make a thoughtful gift for someone who would use it regularly. A two wine bottle carrier – a work of art. The two-pocket satchel and the laptop bag are both lovely. A barbeque apron. A lot of jewelry, a 12-string armband, a wrist strap, and a wrap-around wrist strap, and more. Hanging picture frames! Several purses, and more and more…
My favourite item is the Magic Sandals – not only do they look simple to make, they look incredibly comfortable and I love the style. I fully intend to try to make these, and I suspect based on how simple the instructions are, that I will succeed.
This is a very well thought-out and put-together book which will likely give you ideas on how you can use what you learn and progress to your own designs from there, if that is your goal. The illustrations and instructions are very clear and easy to follow. The projects allow you to learn a variety of techniques and then apply those to another project, and have a sense of satisfaction that you’ve accomplished something you’ll actually use. Or, maybe you just want to try something new.


Pub Date: 15 Sep 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Rowman & Littlefield / Stackpole Books

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Excellent book. After several pages of information about tools and techniques, there are tutorials for dozens of leather-working projects, from office supplies (business card holders, in-box, document portfolio, etc) to home decor (footrest "pouffe," ) to clothing and jewelry. Very clear and well-illustrated. Recommended.

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I received a free electronic copy of these project lessons from Netgalley, Geert Schuiling, and Stackpole Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your work with me.

Our big family Christmas in 2016 was leather and tools for leather working. While we have only done a couple of projects from this book, they all seem to be very thorough, and easy to understand for the professional or beginner leatherworker. The best part is, the are 44 projects left!

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An amazing book on leathercrafting by someone who clearly loves his craft. The book has beautiful design, with great full-colour photographs clearly showing the step-by-step of what to do. Wonderful and crisp images of beautifully crafted pieces that make the reader inspired and enthusiastic to try these at home.
I'll definitely be trying out some of these, especially the bags

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When I first saw the leather backpack on the cover of this book, I immediately fell in love with it's simple design and its copper patina color. Having never worked with leather before, I was compelled to have a closer look at the whole book. Flipping through the pages of the book I found to my surprise that working with leather is not as intimidating as I thought and that I can sew that backpack and all the other projects in the book by hand. All needed materials and tools as well as techniques for cutting the leather, whole punching, and sewing are described in detail at the beginning of the book. Patterns can be found at the end of the book and need to be enlarged to scale on a copier or at a copy shop.
Every project is made of plain leather. The style is aesthetic and utilitarian. The different bags and the satchel look very sturdy.You can find a whole variety of leather items with appeal for women and men. Beginners can start out with the smaller items in the book, which are also good for using up leather scraps. I think I will invest in a few tools and start out with a simple project, like the tablet cover. Overall, I can only recommend this book.
P.S.: The patterns for the office In-Box and the Document Holder are designed for A4 paper format and have to adjusted in the US to letter format.

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I have always been interested in taking up leatherwork to make small accessories and handbags so I was excited to find this book. This book is very informative with easy to follow instructions for projects that all have a classic style that I would actually want. There are projects from a beginner to someone with experience.

I haven't started making anything yet, I am still in the planning stages as I like to over plan every aspect of everything I do, but I think this book is all I will need to get a good start on making some pretty awesome projects that I will actually use and give as gifts.

I would recommend this book for anyone starting out in leatherwork.

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If you are adventurous at all, and want to try working with leather, this book is terrific. Lots of good photography, and nearly all of the projects are functional and some are quite beautiful. There is a backpack, satchel, a rather highbrow overnight bag, and several handbags and home accessories to try your new skills on.

Schuiling has good info on stitching, dyeing, and beveling leather edges. These skills and projects should enable you to produce some very refined pieces to cherish and use for years. I see this book being one that I cherish and use for years, too. These projects will never go out of style, and neither will the skills.

I did receive the ARC from the publisher, Stackpole Books, through NetGalley for a review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/394635-suzanne">View all my reviews</a>

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I was so pleased with the readability of this how-to on leatherwork. The projects are scaled in expertise so that even the beginner can learn some fine techniques, while the experienced leatherworker might fine some new uses for their skills. I downloaded this book in kindle format, and while it was easy to understand, perhaps I might like a hard copy in order to make better use of the patterns contained. I appreciated that the directions were conversationally written,I never felt lectured.

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I’ve always wanted to try my hand at leather work, and now I can!! I found this guide to be very easy to follow and achievable given that I have no experience whatsoever. I loved the accompanying photos which helped to support the step by step written guides beautifully. I was really astounded by the quantity and variety of products and projects within this guide, so many useful and beautiful items to choose from. I can’t wait to get started !!

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Thoroughly impressive leatherworking project instructions which make me want to lay my hands on some leather and suede. It is nicely illustrated and easily understandable. Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

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My family and I are interested in learning to work with leather, so I was glad to come across this book. It is very informative and explains types of leather and what each is best used for as well as any needed tools. There are projects for beginner to advanced leather workers.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.*

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wonderful projects to make with leather on your own....... well explained with illustrations......

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This step-by-step book is for both beginners and intermediate crafters using leather. The pictures are high-quality and the instructions are easy to follow. The author takes care to show pictures of each step as well as which tools to use. You can create the simple leather pouch to a more complex leather purse, regardless of your experience level with leather. This book had more seemingly advanced projects than I thought they would, and they are easier than I ever imagined. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to work with leather, whether it is for yourself, or to make stuff to give to others.

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Leatherwork fascinates me. However, for years I was unsure how to get started toward successful projects or even what tools were essential for a beginner. In this book, Schuiling provides explanation of the tools and materials, key techniques, and timeless projects that cover a range of skill levels. It's a great way for someone interested in leatherwork, but unable to find in-person educational experience to begin.

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An Impressive selection of projects appealing to the "any reader" , with a range of difficulties that could easily make for a book to be used over and over again. This can be a reference book kept for years to come with techniques galore nicely outlined for each project.

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