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It seems like you might have to stretch the leather to get that sort of curve. Is that something that could be done realistically by hand? Thank you!

Alright guys, I posted some WIP shots of this one earlier. Now done, and ready to hand over to the client. It is 2mm italian veg tan, with a pigment finish coat. Beautiful stuff, and great to work with. It is stacked up to 4 layers thick where the cardslots are on the left side, so it is a fairly substantial feeling piece, and punching those stitch holes with the awl was both character building, and a great learning experience! The lining is 1mm chrome tanned kangaroo skin in a tan colour. The whole thing is hand stitched, with waxed linen thread. There is a tuck lock closure, which adds a nice bit of bling. Enjoy! Comments, questions, and feedback is always welcome: I'm here to learn, and share what i have learned the hard way.

Not done yet... but here are some progress shots. Using italian veg tan with a pigment coating. It's really nice stuff! Stitching by hand with waxed linen thread. Lining with a chrome tanned kangaroo skin.

Product shot of a few 13" document portfolios. Just one main compartment and smaller flap pocket. I need to make a few changes, but I like how these have turned out so far : )

Hello, This is a project I started a LONG time ago but didn't get back to it until this year -- kinda embarrassing since my wife's initials have changed since I started this when we were dating. Plenty of things to blame such as teaching high school science but excuses aside, I finally started to get back to the craft. Probably helps that I'm looking to make a career change and I'm hopeful that I can make leather work a big part of that change. I'm currently trying to learn about tack and saddlery because there's high demand in my area but doesn't seem to be anyone to supply to that demand. I'm still trying to find someone near-ish Cincinnati, OH, USA to learn from so if you have any leads, please let me know. Anyhow, back to the project and my questions for you: I made the front and back panels and originally intended to use them for a three ring binder with laced edges. I then learned that my wife preferred to have a portfolio similar to my personal portfolio but with stitched edges and pockets/pouches for her pencils, calculator, and phone (she's an actuary so she does a lot of calculating). Also, she really doesn't like pen/pencil loops so the internal snap pouch is what I came up with. What do you think about the coloring and finish, particularly the silhouette on the back panel and fading on the horse? How can I make the transition to a new thread for my saddle stitch less apparent? What do you think of the construction? Is this something you would have used an edge kote on -- I don't have any yet and I'm unfamiliar with its behavior?

Is it me, or does it seem like there are a lot of people lately with a "specialty" (to the left of your posts) with no examples or pics of their work ... Doesn't need to be "staged" or even "professional" photos (in fact, I'll likely have a less-than-stellar opinion if it is-- and wonder what it is you're accounting for in your work). Why would someone go on about their work and not show it?

Is there a advantage to one type of briefcase bottom over another? I have enough leather to make the case I want with one piece for the front, bottom and back, sewing in only the sides, and having only 3 pieces of leather to deal with, this seems easiest; it seems most folks sew in a separate bottom and sides using, then, 5 pieces of leather. The only disadvantage I see could be wearing out the bottom - however, since it will be a laptop case I don't think it will spend much time on the bottom - mostly laid down on it's back. You know, typing this out has convinced me to use one piece for the main bag and sew in only the sides........................................ but I am going to wait and see if there is a good reason from you knowledgeable folks on why I should not do that. Thanks, so much, I'm a wood carver dabbling in leather and would really appreciate the advice from leather workers. Phil

My latest creation. A simple portfolio. Read more about how its made here: http://andersenleather.blogspot.com/2016/04/simple-folio.html

Hello everyone. I hope you're doing well. I'm hoping for some advice in solving my zip installation problems as shown below. This is the first zip I've fitted, and although it turned out ok, it's just ok, and needs to be better. In brief, and for some background, the case you see below was hand stitched with a 2oz leather exterior, a stiffener board, and then a veg tan lining of approx 3oz. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice as to how best to fit a zipper that wraps around the sides of a product, specifically where the zipper and product meet at 90 degrees. More specifically, I'm looking for advice as to how to tackle corners in this situation. I realise in my model that I've attached the zip to close to the edge of the product at the corners, which explains why the gap between the front and back cover are not even all the way around. This I can solve in version two. What I'm not sure about is how to avoid those puckers / pleats at the corners. When I examine commercially available products like this, I notice that there do not seem to be any pleats at the corners, and the zipper fits (in many cases) perfectly. Secondly, when making something like this, how do you all ensure that the outer and inner components align perfectly, so that your stitches are equidistant from the edges? In my case, I pre-marked my stitches, punch a few using my awl, and used a handful of needles to align the components. This was semi-successful. Does anyone have a better solution? I've often been able to solve problems like this by finding a YouTube video or two showing a professional making something similar. This time however I'm stuck for resources. Help! Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some suggestions. Nick www.madebynick.co.uk

This was a 5x8 notebook I made recently. It was for a gentleman that had recently received a promotion at work, and his wife wanted to surprise him with a personalized notebook. She wanted an Oak leaf design that incorporated his initials. It was a bit of a rush because he works away from home for long periods of time and she wanted to give it to him the next time he came home. Fortunately I was able to get it finished and sent to her in time though it took a night with almost no sleep to finish the lacing. Both she and her husband loved it! It's nice when you get that kind of feedback. Bob

Padfolios & Portfolios