Leather has now become an indispensable part of our lives. Be it our footwear, clothing, or even our accessories, leather is the one constant that surrounds us. So much so that leather and crafts have developed an intimate relationship, a power couple of sorts. Thus, the process of ornamenting and shaping leather into these different usable products is known as leathercrafting.
Leathercrafting is common practice in the fashion industry. But did you know that leather has found extensive usage in industries like furniture, automobile, sports and musical equipment?
Further, leathercrafting has emerged as an engaging hobby for many enthusiasts. Being cooped up at home and leather’s versatility as the material offers has contributed to this rise.
In this article, we bring you some intriguing facts about leathercrafting, leatherworking, and leatherworking tools. We’ll also talk about why, if you haven’t already, you must indulge yourself in it. So without further ado, let’s get to this leatherworking guide filled with some intriguing leather facts.
What Is Leathercrafting, And Why Do People Love It?
To put it in a nutshell, leathercrafting refers to creating usable items out of leather. The extensive use of leather in various industries has meant that more and more people are getting acquainted with leather’s magisterial properties.
Although leathercrafting may seem overwhelming during your first stint, with practice, you’re bound to venture more into the niche and fall in love with it.
To help your leathercrafting ventures, we, at Artisans, have put together a resource base of articles, DIYs, introductory stitching kits and so forth.
We believe in providing accessible knowledge to all, and thus, all our resources are available online. If you’re interested in leathercrafting, Artisans' leatherwork for beginners resources to further your interest and give you an elaborate introduction to leatherworking.
Intriguing Facts About Leathercrafting
If leathercrafting hasn’t already piqued your interest, these facts will surely leave you deep in thought. After all, leathercrafting is much more than luxury products. It’s more of an experience that one needs to indulge in to appreciate its various nuances truly. Let's get to the facts on leather.
Leathercrafting is more ancient than you think it is.
Did you know that leathercrafting as a practice dates right back to when humans lived in caves? Formal accounts that talk about leatherworking date back to almost 5000 years when the Romans used leather to make their sails for their boats. Additionally, the Egyptians used leather to create elaborate pieces of clothing and accessories back in the day.
Thus, leathercrafting is a much more established practice than most people think it to be.
Leather can also be moulded in the form of vessels.
Caveat - This will surprise you. Did you know that leather was predominantly used to create vessels to store water back in the day? The Egyptians were one of the first to use leather to craft out vessels to store their water. Towards the 16th century, leather containers were commonly used to store beer, an integral part of the English tradition and royalty.
In today’s time, leatherwork has a worth of more than $100 Billion.
According to specific stats, on average, a person uses at least four leather products at any particular point in time. Due to this popularity and demand, the leather industry is worth more than $100 Billion.
Thus, in an industry with such an expansive market capitalisation, leatherwork in the UK can provide a plethora of financial opportunities for enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. So you see, leatherworking is definitely for millenials.
Yes, leather wallpapers are a thing.
In today’s times, wallpapers are generally associated with plastic but not necessarily leather. However, leather wallpapers were common in Italy back in the 17th century. These backdrops enhanced the room’s decor, and the intricate designs that were stitched onto the leather were a popular accessory all over Europe.
It’s not black leather but instead white leather that is the most difficult to manufacture.
Most people think that the base leather will not readily take up dark colours like black, green and brown. But generally, that is not the case. It’s the soothing white colour that serves as the challenge to leathercrafters.
The difficulty arises due to the fact that when most grades of leather are dyed with the colour white, they lose their supple texture, and their exterior develops cracks and blemishes.
Get Started with Leathercrafting
Leathercrafting has its own set of tools for leatherwork and techniques that you should get familiar with. A lot depends on the product you want to craft, but some of the essential tools used in leatherworking are burnishers, sewing items, cutters, gauges, glue, moulds and stamps.
If you’re good at stitching, chances are that your proficiency in leather will be just as good. Additionally, if you’ve prior experience with sketching, tracing your leather designs on your base leather will be a seamless process. You’ll be good to start your leathercrafting experience.
Final words...
We’re sure that after learning such intriguing facts about leathercrafting, you’re itching to kick off a DIY. But how exactly do you choose one that isn’t too hard, nor is it too easy?
We, at Artisans, have you covered. Our user-friendly resource base will help you navigate leather crafting as a hobby without any hassles. From DIY templates to kits that will help you indulge in them, we structure our content around the requirements of a beginner.
Secret tip - to further your knowledge, you can also check out some reliable leatherwork courses in the UK.
Additionally, we believe that education today is DIY which is why we've attempted to create an accessible for all learning experience through our Artisans DIY leather crafting kit. Do check out our wholesome introductory leathercrafting kit and engage in an unparalleled leathercrafting experience with the finest leatherworking tools in London.
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