Leather Craft

A Brief description of the contents of existing manuals & those still to be written

The manuals cover all the subjects that were in that City & Guilds two year full time course & a lot more that we could not include. Sadly those A & O level courses are now defunct & the college no longer offers any craft courses.

The Finished Manuals, Which are on sale from my site. www.theleatherconnection.com
Manual No.1 Covers all the basic skills, Straps & Belts, Handles, Cutting, Hand Sewing, Paring, Fixtures & Fittings, Tools, Costing, etc. In all 154 pages. This is a comprehensive work which provides all the basic skills & techniques, What is good practice as well as bad practise. It is full of old tricks & tips & makes an ideal reference manual for the beginner as well as the professional worker. The Hand Sewing section covers all styles of hand sewing that are or were in use by leatherworkers & Saddlers. The Cutting & costing section coves an essential collection of information never before recorded. It is something that any small business should pay close attention to.

Manual No.2 Covers Small Leathergoods such as: Notecases, Coin Purses & Wallets With examples of all relevant methods of construction. There is also another section which completes the costing process. In all 228 pages. This manual deals with what is often described as flat work. & takes the reader from ‘Cut Edge Work’ (Sometimes described as ‘Raw Edge Work’) to ‘Semi Solid’ To ‘Turned Edge Work’ The subject of costing is completed including examples of costing’s related to the articles used for examples.
Manual No.3 Continues Small leathergoods with Giftware, etc. Subject dealt with: Glass cases, Traveling Photo Frames, Blotters, Jewel & Trinket Boxes, Built Up Work, Folios & Zip Insertion. in al1110 Pages, This takes the Manual user into more complex constructions using more advanced techniques & will provide the ability to start developing their own styles & concepts.
Currently being written.

Manual No.4 This covers all the construction methods related to Handbags. (Plenty of photo’s &
sequences). ‘Butt Edge’ Turned & Butted’ ‘Boot Seams’ Piped Seams’ ‘All round Gussets’ ‘Set in End Gussets’ ‘Compound Gussets’ ‘ Concertina Gussets’ ‘Raised Bases’ ‘Brief Cases’ ,Top Frame Briefs’ ‘Framed Bags’ Nothing is left out.

No. 5 Large Luggage. Areo Bags, Shut Flush Cases, Shut Over Lid Cases, Valises, Kit Bags, etc. Executive Cases, Gun Cases. Again many old styles of cases some never dealt with before including some unusual methods of construction.
(Material Gathered but still to be written).

No. 6 Fitted Work. Frets, Partitions, Special Linings, etc, Again too much to list but there are methods & techniques here that have never been written about before or included in a craft college course. This was my own special expertise (Still to be written).

No. 7 Pattern Making & Design, The creation of Patterns will be fully explained here. You will be taken from the stage of a design on paper to the production of a full set of cutting patterns & making patterns including assembly jigs, the production of a prototype, etc. With regard to design the normal standard information will be provided with The features & considerations that must be included to produce a functional & salable article. (Still to be written, Although some related material is included from Manual No. 3 onwards).

My Background I had over 50 years experience in the leathergoods industry, this started with an Art & Design course, followed by a Leathergoods Course which led to the following: Working for "Top London Companies" as a Craftsman producing leathergoods for; all the Top London Stores, then a supervisory & designer role with a Diary House, Works Manager then Works Director with another leathergoods company designing & producing display & fitted cases & finishing as a Head of Department at a London College.