r/Leathercraft

I wanted to see how far geometry alone could go.

This phone case is made from 2.2 mm red vegetable-tanned leather with black-painted edges to emphasize the interlocking pattern created by the assembly itself.

There are no stitches and no glue holding the structure together—just a zipper-inspired locking geometry.

My design philosophy is simple:

A great design should achieve maximum impact with minimum effort.

This construction method isn't limited to phone cases. With the right type of leather, it's surprisingly strong and can be adapted to many different products.

I'd love to hear what other applications come to mind.

I hope you guys like this one more then the last one 😅 I obviously couldn’t change the footage I already captured and I had to keep things sped up to try and keep the video under 90 seconds but I took many of your suggestions into consideration when editing this one. Let me know what you think….🫣

Simple little rectangle design, wanted to try using reinforcement to give more body and shape to lined bags.

Pretty happy with how it turned out!

Dimensions are about 8.5 inches long, 4 inches wide and 5 inches deep.

Materials and specs:

Sepici Dollaro 3-4 oz red
Calf skin royal blue 2 oz lining
Microfiber .4mm
Ritza .6mm thread at 4mm diamond spacing
#8 zipper, corn teeth, brass over nickel plating
Stainless steel 1 inch rectangle ring
#12 copper rivet
Vinymo 5 for inner stitch, 5mm inner stitch spacing
Piping is 3mm leather cord and about 1.5 oz leather covering

does anyone have this pattern?

where can i get it?(btw i would be thankful if someone would share it with me T_T)

Didn't want to wear the stainless steel bracelet that came with my watch full-time, so I crafted a simple band.

Some of you may remember my previous post featuring this bag design with the braided edge construction.

This time, I wanted to show a different interpretation of the same concept.

The bag is made from brown leather laminated with microfiber, so unlike the vegetable-tanned version I shared before, this one is finished with an edge stitch to permanently secure the laminated layers. The braided edge remains the defining construction and visual element, while the stitching complements the structure required by this material.

For me, this also highlights one of the strengths of the design: its versatility. The same construction principle can create very different personalities simply by changing the leather, texture, color, and finish.

My design philosophy remains the same:

Minimum Effort, Maximum Impact.

I enjoy creating designs that are accessible to build while still looking distinctive and memorable. Instead of adding unnecessary complexity, I try to find construction methods that let the design itself create the visual impact.

This video shows the complete build process—from the individual leather pieces to the finished bag.

I'd love to hear which version you prefer: the natural vegetable-tanned leather from my previous post, or this softer laminated brown leather version.

One thing I find interesting is how much the material changes the character of the exact same design.

The previous version was made from 2.4 mm vegetable-tanned leather and relied entirely on the braided edge construction. This one uses leather laminated with microfiber, which requires edge stitching to lock the layers together, while the braid remains the signature feature.

Same pattern. Same construction idea. Completely different feel.

That's exactly what I wanted this design to achieve.

Hej you lovely people,

I am new to this subreddit and reddit in general. I do leathercraft as a hobby, and I am still learning. There is great inspiration here on this page, wow! Thank you all for that. I want to show you one of the leatherworks I made last year (also made the knife). The sheath is inspired by viking ornaments. I am still struggling with proper shading and dyeing.

Cheers from germany!

So I saw this beautiful journal cover design in an instagram shop and I was wondering how I could achieve this look since I’m already in the process of making a trifold leather journal.

It seems that the creator placed the lace onto the journal and sprayed some paint on it. Would acrylic work? Along with a layer of modge podge to seal it

First time doing a button or a small pouch, just debating whether to add a belt loop now 😁

This entire bag is built around a completely stitchless free concept.I use 2.4mm vegetable-tanned leather for the body panels. To assemble it, I cut the pattern, use an oval punch for the slots, and then weave everything together using a single, continuous leather strap. For this specific piece, I chose a green strap to create a sharp contrast against the blue leather.It requires no glue, no thread, and no metal—just geometry and leather. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this assembly method!

Would something like Leatherface’s mask from the remake be possible to make out of faux or animal leather and if so then what kind of leather would i need to get that base color aside from the dirtying and who could I go to do the shaping of the wrinkles, brow, and nose, and face-looking parts?

I’m trying to make a journal/planner cover that I love. These are my first 3 attempts. I can tell they are improving. I’m looking for advice on best places to get good quality leather. The first two are with Tandy Leather and the last is buckleguy. I only bought a panel (which I now realize was a bad idea). I’m also looking for suggestions on ways to improve the look in general. I’ve reduced the degree of my corners and the grommets. I have a pocket on the right side and a large one in the middle back. Each one has been saddle stitched.

Just finished this custom medieval cat kidney bag for a customer; cat tax of the models and the medieval cats I based the drawings off of are included! I'm really pleased with how it turned out and how the leather lacing connecting the flaps looks! :)

I’m just getting into leather work after making nylon horse tack for several years.

I’ve been working on this design for about a year now. I've made countless iterations and prototypes over that time, but something always felt just off—a detail wasn't right, the fit wasn't perfect, or it just didn't work for me. But with this latest version, I've finally found a design that works and satisfies me. Super proud to share it with you all!

Complete beginner here! I found this in a box of leatherworking supplies at a thrift store- does anyone know what this is and what it's used for?

The top curved part is able to rotate relative to the bottom part, I'm not sure if that's supposed to be happening though. The bottom part looks like a blade of some kind. I think it is detachable, there's a set screw on the back of the tool that looks like it can be used to detach the blade.

So I'm pretty new to leather work and bit off way more than I can chew dying, hand sewing and making my own template for my frist a bag. MANY mistakes were made. I'm looking for advise on the side. They Really bulge out compared to other people doing similar joints. I'm gunna scrap it and start again but I'd like some advise on what went wrong please.

(Please forgive that absolute monstrosity of the the lining 😅)