Tools of the Trade

The Spring/Summer Collection features a lot of leather, so I've been learning how to use the tools of the leather trade. I am blown away by how much there is to learn and am just now getting comfortable with some of the more intimidating tools. The rivet press, for example, is a big heavy thing that at first had me scratching my head. But now, after watching a few online tutorials, I don't know how I lived without it. Straps are perfectly secured every time. Not to mention how cool it looks perched on my workbench in the studio. It's red and cast from steel. 

This week I tackled cutting my own straps from an enormous cowhide. Again, intimidating at first, but after a few tries it was easy. 

What I've learned: It's all about having the right tools for the job and mastering them. After a little practice it's like second nature. Now I love working with leather!

A Lesson in Leather

Leather is all about luxury. Its not just the association with buttery soft Italian handbags, or gorgeous shoes that only get more beautiful the more you wear them. It's about the moment you touch a piece of leather and you are seduced by how it responds to your own skin.
I haven't worked much with leather...yet. But, lately I've been curious to know more about this incredible material. So I decided to learn.
I signed up for a series of four leather smithing classes at Tandy Leather Factory in Chelmsford. Last Wednesday was my first class! I walked in twenty minutes early, I was so excited. The smell of tanned leather, the feel of swede, the beautiful hides hanging form the ceiling, I was instantly in love.
The first class was learning to carve leather. Yup, that's right, carving leather. It's hard! But I did it. You can see my handy work in the last image. Not bad, right?
I'm excited to try these newly learned techniques on a future line of handbags. It's so exciting to have a new skill and figuring out how to adapt it so it for the things I make. I have some ideas...