My usual style of self-learning would be very laid-back. However, as I've mentioned in Part 1, I was really serious to learn leatherworking, thus needing more structure with this one. For the first time ever, I adopted a slightly aggressive approach to the point of coming close to developing my own leatherworking course outline. Since the focus of this post is not on my personal style, I'm going to go straight to the main agenda — the self-teaching and learning resources I've used in my leatherworking journey.
I bought two books:
- The Leatherworking Handbook: A Practical Illustrated Sourcebook of Techniques and Projects by Valerie Michael
- The Leatherworking Starter Handbook: Beginner Friendly Guide to Leather Crafting Process, Tips and Techniques by Stephen Fleming
I find the contrasting qualities between these two books quite interesting and I'm actually glad I have them both. However, I prefer the first one more not only because of its physical quality, but also the writing style of the author. On top of the nice-looking, substantial number of images, the way Michael words her contents is much easier to understand. Furthermore, the book already includes 10 projects for three mastery levels, which saves me the time to curate additional resources for self-evaluation. I would definitely recommend this for someone who's looking for a more traditional and structured learning.
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| Michael's table of contents |
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A spread from Michael's
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| A spread from Michael's |
My personal preferences aside, Fleming's book does have its own charms. Written 27 years after Michael's, it brings in extra information that are more time-relevant and practical. In fact, the theme of the book is to give shortcuts to newbies to learn the skill more efficiently. The lack of verbal and visual clarity of this book doesn't negate the fact that it does fill some gaps left by Michael and more — including tips for beginners on a budget, and links to leather craft magazines and free downloadable patterns. If Michael's book feels more textbook-ish, Fleming's is more YouTube-ish, but in written form.
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| Fleming's table of contents |
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| A spread from Fleming's |
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| A spread from Fleming's |
Since there are so many, I'll break them down to categories/keywords instead of sharing individual links to specific videos.
- "Getting started in leathercraft", specifically on tools for beginners and choosing the right leather. These videos were really helpful when I was in the process of planning and gathering my DIY starter kit.
- Specific leathercrafting techniques such as edge burnishing, saddle-stitching, and top-sealing leather. These searches began only after I started reading the books, to aid my comprehension of the techniques. It sure is more helpful to see things in 3D.
If I had the patience to come up with my own quiz, I would've done it. Since I didn't, I took these quizzes to see my theoretical knowledge in leatherworking. What I like about these quizzes is they give some explanation after you answer each question so even if you get the answers wrong, you still learn something.- How Much Do You Know Leatherworking - 35 questions
- Leather Quiz - Trivia & Questions - 10 questions
These quizzes are just for fun and not a key tool for learning. Knowing all the leather terminologies does enrich my knowledge in the craft, but it's not as fulfilling as applying it. If I were to include a quiz as a self-evaluation tool of my understanding, I'd like one with questions derived from the books that I've read, as well as from the projects attempted.
As personal as these methods and opinions are to me, I do hope that you'd find some of them helpful in your own leatherworking journey, inspiring you to come up with your own self-learning framework and resources.
Until next time, O.
Bonus content:
- Tanner Leatherstein - YouTube channel featuring leather product analysis and reviews, casual documentaries
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