This Week's Wallets

[corter]

I've been working on sampling products for a new brand I'm designing for. These are all hand cut/sewn with W&C Harness/English bridle, and the final products will be machine sewn

[Wishful]

Those are nice.

[JoeSnuffie]

Nice designs. Are you splitting the leather yourself or having W&C do it for you? I see you hand cut. How are you getting the curves so consistent.

Edited March 23, 2014 by JoeSnuffie

[corter]

Thanks! I have W&C split it to 5oz, then split it beyond that with a Landis.

The only tip I can give for cutting is practice as much as possible. I don't use guides or anything, even the straight cuts are freehand. I used to buy the cheapest leather I could find and cut shapes and straight lines for hours on end, so I guess it's just putting in the hours to learn and develop the muscle memory. I also use a #2 exacto instead of a big leather working knife.

[courtney]

Corter, those are nice. I read something before we're you said you didn't use guides or patterns. Does that mean you just start cutting out with no marking? Just look at the leather and start cutting?

[MonicaJacobson]

They are all nice, but I really like the larger brown one.

You don't even use a ruler?!

[corter]

Courtney- that's the way I work for custom work most of the time. I use guides on my cutting board to get square pieces, then cut all shapes freehand. These are samples for manufacturing (which I will not do myself) so I made a pattern on the computer, printed it out on card stock, and transferred it to leather with a scratch awl. All the cutting is without any guides, I just follow the lines I trace.

Monica- I use a ruler for drawing, but I do not use one for cutting. All free hand.

[Britkk]

Great work! May I ask how you finish your edges? I'm trying to edge dye some W & C bridle leather edges and am curious about what has been done by those who are successful with having no rub off of the dye.

[Marten]

Some of my products ;-)

Edited March 26, 2014 by Marten

[corter]

Britkk- I sand my edges, then use an edger to round them. Then I burnish with gum trag and after that I dye them if the plan calls for it. once they're burnished, it's easier to keep the dye in place. However it's also a lot of practice.