Techniques & Materials

Dyeing, saddle stitching, embossing, hardening: the hand skills and the materials I work with every day, broken down step by step.

Dyeing Vegetable-Tanned Leather: A Practical Guide

Prep, dye choice, application and sealing: a practical guide to dyeing vegetable-tanned leather evenly, without streaks, from a maker.

Jun 233 min read

How to harden leather so your armor holds its shape: the cuir bouilli method, waxing and heat, explained simply by a maker.

Jun 232 min read

The saddle stitch, the tools and the steps to hand-stitch leather that lasts. A guide from a maker who has hand-stitched everything since 2007.

Jun 233 min read

Embossing leather to create raised, three-dimensional relief: casing, plate and hand-modelled repoussé methods, and finishing, from a maker.

Jun 233 min read