You can buy a leather wallet, bag, or backpack because they are always available. However, if you want a one-of-a-kind leather item that bears your personal touch, you can come up with the idea of a DIY leather project. In this article, I will go over some simple handmade leather goods that you can make yourself and how to make them at home. Let's start right away with a few things to prepare as follows.

I. Prepare DIY Leather Projects

To make a DIY leather project, we must prepare many tools, such as raw leather sheets, hole punchers, glue, sewing thread, needle, and ruler... Please consider yourself. If you intend to make any leather goods, prepare the appropriate tools.

• Treat the piece of skin

Once you have a goal and design a pattern, you cut the prepared skin accurately and meticulously to the size you want. Use a ruler and pastel to mark the size so that when slashing, it does not get stuck in part to be used.

In this step, if you are not confident with your "workmanship," you can use the designs on an accurate scale, apply them to the leather and cut along.

• Fix the details

After you have processed the leather, apply glue to the edges and secure them in preparation for punching the stitches. The types of glue you can use are milk glue, dog glue …

• Punch the sewing thread

You need to punch a hole in the leather so that the thread can be threaded through, and the way to get a nice straight seam is to knit the detailing.

How to punch the seam into the leather: Use a puncher or a 4mm round hole into the leather surface. When chiseling, you need to hold the chisel perpendicular to the plane of the skin. Use a hammer to lightly tap 3-4 times for the chisel to penetrate the skin thoroughly.

• Sewing

After completing the above four steps, we will move to the most meticulous stage when making a handmade leather item: stitching. Following the pre-punched seams, we will sew the thing in place.

• Finish the product

Once you're sewed, you need to work on the item's edge. You should use armor paper to rub the edges until smooth to get the complete product. This step requires your care and patience.

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II. The most basic technique - DIY Leather Projects

• Techniques of using knives to cut skin

For a successful DIY leather project. The cutting technique requires a lot of hands. The cut must be straight and 90 degrees perpendicular to the leather. In the cutting technique, other leather-making processes dominate, such as the technique of holding a knife, the method of placing the ruler to cut, the design of contouring, the practice of cutting right angles, etc., but the most important thing is to keep it. Straighten the blade perpendicular to the leather for a straight, even, and beautiful cut.

• How to use a knife correctly in a leather craft project

There are many types of knives for cutting leather, but I highly recommend the paper cutter because this type of knife does not have to be sharpened but only needs to be broken to be sharp, but the cost is the cheapest and takes less time. Because you don't have to sharpen your tongue.

• Chisel technique

In the chiseling and cutting techniques, it is essential to keep the chisel straight, perpendicular to the parchment, and aligned. If the chisel is tilted during operation, the back chisel will also be listed, even though the edge of the chisel is tilted. The product thickness is from 1 to 3 mm, but if the chisel is not straight, the back chisel is tilted, creating an unsightly seam. If the chisel is not aligned, the hem will be curved, appearing on the product, making an unattractive appearance. During punching, we also have to arrange the hole accordingly to ensure the spot is relevant and present. The reason is that the skin has an elongation. During the punching operation, it is dragged, causing excess or lack of.

• Sewing techniques

Sewing techniques have many types, such as single-needle sewing, 2-needle sewing, 2-sided cross-stitching, single-sided cross-stitching, x-shaped sewing, zigzag sewing, etc., depending on the preferences of each person. Select a suitable sewing pattern. But the most crucial thing in the sewing technique is pulling the thread so that it is stable, avoiding the case that sometimes when pulling hard, it causes a firm squeeze that causes the seam to deform, or if the thread is too light, it creates an open, loose line on the hem. At the end of the seam, you must know how to lock the seam for the strongest and most aesthetic.

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• Specialized prison needle for sewing leather

Basic leather sewing techniques for edge processing. Edge processing also has many types commonly used. Three techniques are edge polishing, edge painting, or rustic and natural product edge.

Edge polishing is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it makes the difference in a successful product for your DIY leather project.

• High-quality wooden edge

The edge painting technique is often applied to industrial and DIY products because of its optimization. It works faster and is more durable. It does not require a lot of courses but still creates sophistication for the product.

• The simplest and most effective edge painting tool

Rustic edge requires standard cutting and chiseling techniques. If we do these two techniques well, the joining lines of the product will be even, beautiful, and not undulating. This is the optimal and fastest way to create such a lovely product if mastering the above two techniques of leather making.

Thanks for reading this article!