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Hey, ya'll! Just wanted to introduce myself - getting back into leatherworking as a hobby after about 30 years or so of not doing anything. Looks like I'm gonna have to learn everything all over again! But it's fun, and I really did enjoy it when I was doing it long ago, so here I go.... Haven't made anything yet except a basketweave wallet...still trying to practice my swivel knife work before jumping into anything serious. However, I have a Bible cover and a purse to get done, so I'm gonna need to get down to it soon. Not selling anything, just projects for me and mine - and perhaps some Christmas gifts. But I am really enjoying reading all the tips and ideas here....maybe in a few years when I retire (HA!) I'll be able to get more done and sell some stuff. (Unlikely, but I can dream, right??) Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi"! When I get a project or two done, I'll post some pics and get some critique.....

I just wanted to say hello to the forum. I finally joined after lurking, and as a beginner to the craft will most likely continue to lurk. I do want to thank y'all for the information I have found on this site and forum as it is helpful.

Greetings from central Arizona. I am getting back into leather work after a 30 year absence. I used to do it years ago but concentrated on furniture making so I did't have any time for leather work. I did a reasonable job of making furniture and would still be doing it but I developed an allergy to various types of saw dust so for health reasons I have stopped leather working and have decided to devote my efforts into leather crafting. I did mostly carving in the past and intend to get back into that aspect. This looks like a good spot making saw dust. Now I will concentrate on leather craft. This seems to be a good place to learn and hone my skills, which right now are pretty dusty.

Hey there everyone. Its about time that I have a chance to sit down and introduce myself around. I have been working with leather off and on ever since I was a Boy Scout ... *cough* ... ago. I started digging into it more seriously about a year and a half ago, but of course, its on and off again as life gets in the way. Hopefully, things have settled down and I am going to have more time to do some work now, but we will see. I will be looking for some of the pictures of the things I have made in the past and getting them up for some critique. We are all our own critics and I am curious what others here think. I do a bit of everything, mostly for friends and family, as I am still working on getting my chops up to snuff, though I have been known to do a craft show now and again. Alright then... Hello everyone, I am pleased to meet you all, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and to keep seeing all of the great work that everyone here does and learning so much more.

Hello, strange new community of artisans and hobbyists! I've been brought to your community through some hours of searching for profitable crafting ventures to embark upon with my leftover materials from a recent renaissance faire costume. Of course, being the purist that I am (perhaps a bit of a perfectionist as well), I just had to make sure that the armor for my costume was actually armor, and not... well, a costume; this has left me with quite the expensive pile of 9oz tooling leather, pigskin suede, rabbit furs, waxed thread, rivets, blockout, dye, finish, weatherproofing, etc. So here I am, trying to fill in my spare time making my money back. Currently I need to make about $300 to match expenses, and I only have about 20% of my materials left over. Short of selling the actual armor peices I made (could probably make $300 on them alone, if only I had a will to sell them), I can only think to make some common leathercraft items out of my premium materials and sell them for a pretty penny. I, of course, understand that this means a quality production and not just quality materials, and, of course, I understand that my armor was indeed the very first leathercraft project I have ever attempted. That said, I feel I did a good job, and that my experience in other crafts combined with my innate perfectionism will allow me to make a fine product worth a sale. I do, of course, have one problem... I have no idea what to make. Of all the bows, bullroarers, slings, digeridoos (geez, never realized how big a hippy I am), electronic gadgets (that's better), flash games, websites, and etc. that I have made in my life, I have never once tried to make money on any of it. So it suffices to say that I am a level 0 newbie at selling things or business in general. And there enlies the reason for this blog... I will be posting images of my materials and past projects to begin with, and perhaps keeping my new projects logged here as a receptacle for criticism and advice. Enjoy!

Greetings everyone just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to the community. I had decided to take my imagination and set it into work into something. Got myself a starter kit from Tandy Leathers and I'm hooked. I just a beginner and slowly building up my tools and knowledge of the craft. I hoping to continue to learn and hopefully find someone in my area who would be willing to teach me and help me grow as a leather worker. But in the meanwhile greetings and well met.