Sources of Learning Leather?

Crafting Techniques
#1

Besides YouTube, what other sources do you use to inspire your creative ideas / learn new skills?

I definitely rely on YT, but also gain a lot of knowledge from leatherworker.net forum. One of these days, I may get a leather sewing machine (a real one - had one of the chinese cobblers for a while, but could never get it to work, even with YT). Probably 40-50% of all topics on the forum revolve around sewing machines, i.e. how to thread them, thread to use, how to adjust, etc.

My other main source are Al Stohlman books. They are still in print and can be purchased through a number of sources. They are hand drawn, almost old-school drafting style. They have all sorts of call outs and special notes, including tool numbers used for stamping.

And lastly, I spend some time talking to the wonderful folks at Springfield leather. They have lots of insights, matter of fact, Kevin, the owner of SLC, is always wandering around the place to give a helpful hand or bit of his knowledge. He is actually featured in the ILC Journal this past month. Give it a read if you haven’t.

So what are your sources of inspiration / learning??

#2

Some great thoughts. It is an interesting balance of information sources out there where there is so much on youtube, and also so much from 40+ years ago that is still highly relevant and insightful, though tricky to find.

YouTube is helpful. The Stohlman books are solid, too, and I’d like to add them to my reference sources on-hand. Leatherworker.net too can be helpful, depending on the topic and folks that are there and open to sharing.

Talking with fellow crafters has been enlightening, sometimes working through challenges together and supportong one another with tips.

I’ve also found some livestreams great, too, from Springfield Leather and Weaver Leather. They allow for some great questions, and the folks they have are so knowledgeable.

I’m sure there are lots more sources, curious myself to see what others use.

#3

There are also some good ideas and beginner guidelines given at a blog I maintain:
https://www.leatherlearn.com/

1 Like