Phwoosh Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Hi! I'm Phwoosh. I love to sew. I also love Middle Earth, hedgehogs, tea, growing things, Renaissance festivals, and collecting hobbies. My dad, being the crafty guy he is (what with the wood turning and the blacksmithing and the leather working and the chainmaille... Hobby collecting runs in the family), taught me the bare basics of leather stamping when I was little. "Wet the leather, apply the stamp, whack it with a hammer. Good job!" He didn't have the time to go further, and I didn't have the confidence to try on my own. Don't judge! I was, like, 8! You don't touch Dad's tools when you're 8. Recently, though, he found some beginner classes at a Tandy leather just around the corner from my home. Every Saturday this month. I work 2 of those Saturdays and can't make it. Grr. My husband, on the other hand, does not work on Saturdays at all, and he was interested. After all, you can't blacksmith (all 3 of us are obsessed) in an apartment complex, but leather? That's not a big deal. So he signed up and I'm making him teach me. So far, not so good. His patience wears thin when I start going about things my own way instead of doing what the teacher told him to do. Help a poor girl out? Point her in the direction of some awesome, easy-to-understand videos? Well written/photographed tutorials? Simple patterns? Being a big fan of Pinterest, I've got my board of inspiration started. The problem with that is that I'm a little daunted by the talent that some people are showing, and I don't even know where to begin. I know where I want to end up: Corsets and shoes and notebooks. Right now, though, I'm intimidated by coasters and mousepads. I repeat: Help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camano ridge Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Go to the on line Tandy leaather library ther are many video for basic project like coaster to advanced projects holsters etc. Even Steam Punk projects, also many patterns some free. If you are going to get into sewing look at Nigel Armatige video on saddle stitching. Search specific topics on these forums. If you are into Pinterest do a search for how to do leather craft. You will get enough that it will take you a week to look through them all. The easiest is figure out where you want to start, tooling, simple wallet, phone case, etc, then search for and ask for help in that area. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
electrathon Report post Posted February 12, 2014 I start going about things my own way instead of doing what the teacher told him to do. LOL First off, stop doing this. Start with small managable projects. Do the first ones 4 times each. The repitition will help you correct issues you are having. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treybecca Report post Posted February 12, 2014 Welcome to the habit. I am self taught and have been tinkering around w dead cow (plus a few other small animals) for about three years. My biggest piece of advice is to buy the best in everything you can afford (leather, tools, etc) and don't be afraid to muck up a bit. There is no such thing as scrap leather in my book, as I use even the smallest pieces for testing out new dye combos or stamp ideas all the time. I started with the basic kit you get from Tandys that had a few small projects in it. My biggest resource for learning hands down have been this forum and searching youtube videos while I try new ideas out. The how do I do that forum is worth it's weight in platinum not only w the info already there, but with folks willing to answer all your questions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
