Hello from the West

[budhorning]

I'm new here and to leather-craft  My interest are knife sheaths, holsters, belts, cuffs, wallets,  etc.  We (my wife and I) are full time RV'rs, who spend a lot of time in the west south west..  Looking for a hobby and looking to learn from experienced crafters.

[rodneywt1180b]

I'm new here too.

Welcome!

Rodney

[cjartist]

Welcome.  Be careful with your new hobby to not go crazy on the tools or you'll need a second RV.

Honestly I think you picked a good hobby for your lifestyle. Enjoy.

[bikermutt07]

You may want to buy a trailer to pull behind that rv. Ha!

There are lots of great tutorials on here and lots of people to answer questions when you get stuck.

If I can offer some money saving advice.....

Start with several of the same small items. This will give you a multitude of experience with a small amount of leather.

My example is simple bracelets. You can learn to use the strap cutter. Learn to dye, tool, stitch, finish, burnish, and get some hardware experience all from one or two small pieces of leather.

A single shoulder or a few bellies will give you months of fun while you develop your techniques and style. 

The repition will pay huge dividends in knowledge.

And if you mess a few up you aren't out half a side of leather. All of this will lead you right into making belts. 

I also suggest Al Stohlman's "leather tools" and the "art of stitching".

If you happen to run across one F.O. Beards "leather secrets" can teach you just about everything you would want to make or carve.

Good luck, and enjoy.