Introduction

Until recently, leathercraft seemed to be a dying art, but these days, leather is in fashion. The old-timers have retired and given up their toolsets, and the new generation is crafting leather with a clean, modern style and a beginner’s eye. Few are lucky enough to find a master to learn from, so their style is completely different. Nearly all are self-taught.

That’s how we got started. In 2009, Geoff began bicycle commuting to work in Portland, Oregon. When he had ideas for bike products he couldn’t find, he decided to make them for himself out of leather. Geoff chose leather because it is strong, versatile, flexible, and durable, and because the bicycle is the modern horse. He was familiar with leather from growing up with horses on the family ranch outside Pendleton, Oregon, and was inspired by bikes from the golden age of cycling, whose Italian leather bar wraps look as good now as they did in the 1920s. He had no one to teach him leathercraft, but he knew design as a graduate of the architecture school, and fabrication as an artist.

Looking back at them now, Geoff’s early projects seem rough and unsophisticated. But that is how everyone gets better: you start somewhere—anywhere—and practice, practice, practice. We grew our business as a married couple, and we now offer over 40 different products that we make ourselves and sell online as Walnut Studiolo, supporting ourselves full time.

We are so pleased to write this book so you can have what we didn’t. This book is a beginner’s guide to modern leathercraft. The projects are arranged in order of difficulty, from easy to hard, and each project successively introduces a new technique or two.

Leather projects can look bad while you’re partway through them, and it can be tempting to give up. Have faith and follow the steps—they always come together right at the end. By the end of the book, you’ll be applying all the techniques you’ve learned to make one gorgeous, intricate product.

If you can, try to make each of the projects one by one in order. There are a lot of specialized tools and techniques in leathercraft and it’s better if you can practice beginning techniques a few times and add to your toolset gradually. Your friends and family won’t believe the beautiful things you’ll make out of this luxurious material!