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Hello there! I have a small independent handbag brand based out of Queens NYC. I need an assistant that hopefully has altelier level skills. I'm making my samples but I need help. There is some Heated edge finishing. Bags themselves are not complicated at all but my edge painting skills are not up to par yet and I also need help to produce faster. I don't want to hire a manufacturer at this time because I have been through 3 in NYC and the quality is not what I'm looking for. Please comment below anyone who is interested thank you!

Hello my fellow leather enthusiasts! I was wondering if anyone uses a more refined, distinguished or unique title for what we do as leather crafters or workers.

"LüMNé" by Imadlak Hello Leatherworkers, I'd like to share with you the first bag that I made for my Wife. This project too has been in the making for a few years, as every time I would decide to start I would realize I was unsure as to exactly how. I had the vision to create her something unique and chic - with a special touch that seems to be still missing out there (which could be because of a lack in demand, I haven't gone too far in investigating): a bag that lights-up. From this was born the "LüMNé" which stands for "Light Up My Night éditions" (with the "ü" in the anagram conveniently written with the umlaut to show a different pronounciation ). Inspiration: my Wife's desires (sturdy, thick handles, no shoulder strap), Michael Kors Selma, Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 Materials: Body: Croco Patent Cow Skin (chrome-tanned @ unitedleather.com) Body & Handle reinforcement: Crazy Horse Cow Skin - brown (veg-tanned @ unitedleather.com) Lining: Diamond Pink Lambskin (chrome-tanned @ fashionleather.com) Lining Base: Hair-on White Toscana Lambskin (chrome-tanned @ fashionleather.com) Zippers: Gunmetal & Palladium Coated RiRi zippers Hardware: all Natural brass hardware made from solid brass (@ buckleguy.com) Pocket Lining: Habotai Silk Light-Up inside: Pink high Brigthness GloWire strips powered by 9V (@ glowire.com) Features: H-25cm x W-33cm x L-15cm Natural Brass feet to protect bottom 2-Zip top closure Inside Zipper pocket + 2 Pockets for Cell phone and misc. Light-up inside when bag zipper is open Design-process: Firstly I downloaded some pics online from various sources of the bags that inspired mine, and used my measurement needs with the help of Google SketchUp to scale the bag down and take measurements I used those measurements to make the cut patterns for the bag and the various pieces it is made of (about 30pcs + fabric lining + hardware) Using a handy tool for Sketchup, I printed out to-scale patterns for the pieces that were too complex to draw with a pencil and ruler I made the first mock-up out of paper, then another of fabric to make sure all the pieces fit together. Even with the mockups, I needed to make a few adjustments along the way because of the leather's thickness Some thoughts and lessons: - Bag Handle too thick: This is one comment I keep on getting from people who see the bag - and I too believe I should make it thinner next time, but my Wifey says she likes it BECAUSE of its thickness and is more comfortable on her arm. So customer's word is the one I'll go with - The Bag's edge is too thick: I thought about skiving to feather the thick vegtan between the 2 layers of Patent Croc, but somehow forgot about it and thought I could make it look smooth with a lot of edge dye. Although this is a flaw only I have noticed, it is something I will change in the next one. - Vegtan as stiffener: Im pretty sure it's not only a huge waste of good leather (and money $$$) to use the nice vegtan to give the bag some sturdiness, but it also adds a lot of weight to it. I have tried interfacing, craft foam and even thin cardboard but none of them gave the same feel. Any suggestions? - The Lighting "mechanism": this being also my first work with electronics, I'm curious to see how long the switch will survive (a piece that I salvaged from an old CD player). Also, I did my best to make the battery pack as small as possible, it currently takes up about 1cm x 5cm x 4cm. - The Habotai Silk as pocket lining: It really is a nice and soft fabric, but definitely not suitable for a handbag's pocket lining. It already shows signs if warping. Lesson learned. - The Diamond Pink leather: It is pretty and reflects the pink glow of the light, but it is not very durable, on the close-ups you will see that some of the glitter has already rubbed off. - The 2x zippers instead of 1: It makes it a bit more hassle to open the bag, next time I'll definitely need to purchase the right size zipper AFTER making my plans - The thick handles: Not only did they turn out to be a bit too thick, it was also a pain to figure out a way to attach them to the bag and keep them in place (the resistance of the flexing is pretty strong). Also, the place where the D-rings are attached to the handle, I could not get that fold as pretty and elegant as I imagined... that will be something to practice. - The Sewing: we only have an old Singer machine, and although I tried, the Patent and Diamond leather did not pass easily (even with a walking foot) so I had to sew the whole bag by hand... which would explain why it took me a month to finish... Here you can barely see the switch that is activated by fully opening the zipper Close-up of handle attached to the bag and the bag's edges: requires some more attention to make it smoother and more elegant Once again, my biggest reward was the look on my Wife's face when I gave her the bag... and she's already submitted requests for more Thank you for viewing and please leave your comments and feedback below! Gergo p.s.: a huge shout-out and thank you to my Wife, Janint, for taking the pictures - if you're interested in her work you'll find much more @ Imadlak Photography

"Mother's Day-out" by Imadlak (logo embroidery done by my lovely wife Janint) =============== Hello to everyone, It's a pleasure to finally have something to show you guys after repeatedly returning here for guidance for my first leather projects! I'm Gergo, 28, from Hungary. I guess insterest in leatherwork came to me as to most of us guys here: to create something we can be proud of, with such a noble material, and to please and perhaps impress the women in our lives (please tell me if I'm wrong ). The first bag that I made - to my Wife - a beautiful Patent-Croc embossed evening tote, which I will upload shortly after this one, was the result of about a year's worth of "not knowing where to start" and watching 2-3 minute Youtube videos of Designer brands' crafting processes (at least the process they advertise to the public) eagerly trying to catch the techniques and methods from there, along with this forum, where a lot of my unanswered questions found a resolution. Then came second, the bag that I've been promising for years to my Mom, in order to replace the one bag (below) she's since completely worn out: (as you can see, it's torn and faded in places... and it has lost most of its elegance and beauty...) Inspiration: my Mom's original bag (as seen above), Gucci Vintage Backpack, Gucci Backpack with Woven Strap Materials: Body: Soft Torino Lambskin - brown (chrome-tanned @ unitedleather.com) Base & Trims: Crazy Horse Cow Skin - brown (veg-tanned @ unitedleather.com) Lining: French-style striped canvas burgundy-beige Zippers: Antique-brass double RiRi zipper (ouside) and Brass RiRi zipper with silk-tape (inside) Hardware: all Antique-brass hardware made from solid brass (@ buckleguy.com) Features: H-35cm x W-28cm x L-17cm Outside Double-zip pocket Drawstring closure with snap Inside Zipper pocket Snaps on inside to attach division compartment for custom organizing Design-process: Firstly I downloaded some pics online from various sources of the bags that inspired mine, and used my measurement needs with the help of Google SketchUp to scale the bag down and take measurements I used those measurements to make the cut patterns for the bag and the various pieces it is made of (about 30pcs + fabric lining + hardware) Using a handy tool for Sketchup, I printed out to-scale patterns for the pieces that were too complex to draw with a pencil and ruler Some thoughts and lessons: If I had one regret while making the bag is to have started way too late (I gave myself 2 weeks for its finition) and did not have enough time to finish the inside separation compratment and to attach our logo. It was a real gamble that all the pieces fit nicely and the end result looks and holds great as I did not have the time to make a mock-up before the real thing. Realizing and discovering how to put everything together along the way did make it extremely exciting for me, as even with initial planning of assembly steps, at times I found that I had forgotten about something. This project taught me a lot about basic skiving, stitching and braiding techniques, and very importantly about knife sharpening, which was a game changer once I got the hang of it. Some mistakes during construction I was able to fix while others are there to stay. I find I should have made the bag a bit taller and stiffer to give it more body. The stitching was inconsistent on the thicker parts as my machine is not really adapted for that kind of work. Also the studs look awful - I guess they are meant for thicker projects, and cutting the stems shorter didn't help too much. But my biggest reward was the look on my Mom's face when I gave her the bag Thank you for viewing and please leave your comments and feedback below! Gergo

Hello to all, I posted in the show-off board already and forgot to stop in here to say hello, so here I am to say it. :-) I've been tooling leather as a hobbyist for about 3 years total strung over an eight year period. I've had a couple of moves that left me with little to no space to pursue the craft, but now I'm back into it. I mainly have focused on learning to tool veg tanned leathers, but I am also interested in getting into garments. I enjoy making my own things and participating in an art that is so rich in history and exemplary works. I just hit the 50 year mark back in November 2014. I've enjoyed a career as a digital artist for twenty some years now but have always enjoyed my roots in classical materials such as oil paints and more recently acrylics and watercolors. Working in leather is, for me, among the most enjoyable mediums for artistic expression due in part to it's practical nature. I get to make beautiful things that don't just hang on a wall or sit on a hard disk. I have always loved learning new things and in this area of the arts of making, I have vast areas of unexplored territory. That fact excites me! I live in a suburb of Portland Oregon with my wife of nearly 30 years, my adult daughter and her daughter (our granddaughter). Our adult son lives nearby and he and I collaborate on many projects related to his coffee business. If you're still reading, thank you for being interested. I hope to get to know some of you going ahead and very much hope to learn more through the experience.

Hello there, I am the owner and designer/maker for my brand Ò Faoláin. I work out of Arkansas and show in NYC and LA. This is a really great forum and I'm very excited to be connected with so many other talented individuals. I began leatherwork when I was 12, making Venetian styled masquerade masks from scrap leather from repairing saddles at a local feed store where I grew up. That turned into leather bags and accessories etc. The hobby became my passion and is now my career. I love what I do and I'm looking forward to learning some tips and tricks from other artisans and to expand my knowledge on the subject as well as have good conversation about the craft with other artists. If you would like to see any of my work, the galleries on my website have some of my previous and recent works. www.OFaolainLeather.com facebook.com/ofaolainleather I have a few questions I will be asking shortly as soon as I figure out this site navigation and find the appropriate placement of questions. Thank you for your time and I look forward to being a part of this community.

Hello, I am looking for someone who can cut & sew duplicates of a wallet concept I have already had a 1st sample & patterns made. This is NOT a tooling leather wallet. We use calfskin & other lightweight leathers. Also there are tucked edged & would be concidered a "designer" wallet, even though it doesnt seem like it. The elments used are: Leather Elastic Bonded leather My company is a 100% domestic manufactured. Looking for sampling contactors & someone who can do production domesticly. Thanks for ANY & ALL help! -Rye