Leather Christmas Gift YOU Can Make!

If you have visited a store lately, any store, I don't have to tell you that Christmas is just around the corner.  In our area, Christmas decorations hit the stores before Halloween, which, in my opinion, is kind of sad, but for those of use who like to make our Christmas gifts, it is a good reminder to get on the ball and start creating.

Why not give something made of leather this year?

Even if you are still just a beginner in the art of leathercraft, there are many inexpensive kits that come with instructions easy enough for even a small child to follow and end up with a really impressive gift for holiday giving.

Years ago, on a trip to Mexico, I picked up several tooled leather wallets for family members who thought they were wonderful.  As the years went by, the wallets wore out.  Since a 2000-mile trip to Mexico to replace them seemed a bit extreme, I was happy to discover that leather kits to construct similar ones were available only a few miles from my home.  And, better yet, I have now located several sources online.  You can too, by googling leathercraft kits to see where to go for your own.

One of my favorite kits is the one at the  top of this blogpost which only costs around $10 but when finished, looks like you spent much much more.  An added plus is that it would be a gift handmade, by YOU.  Click Here:  Tandy Leathercraft Identification Id Wallet Kit Nip 4141-00 to find out more about it.

Books for The Leathercraft Beginner

As a kid, I remember trying to make a wallet for myself with a piece of deerskin and a woodburning set. It didn't turn out very well. I needed a few more tools than I had, but didn't have the slightest notion of what kind of tools that might be.

Later, I had the good fortune to stumble across a Tandy Leather Store in our small Oregon town and thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Talk about a kid in a candy store. There was nothing in the leather tooling line that Tandy didn't have.

Later, I discovered books about leathercrafting, not only in our local library, but specialty ones in the craft section of our local bookstore. Now, if I want, I can sit at my computer and order a book about any type of leather tooling imaginable and have it delivered to my door in just a few days, or even pick a leather tooling e-book, and download it to my computer in a just few minutes.


Here are just a few books I particularly like that may help you get started in this fun hobby.

1. Leathercraft, by Linda Sue Eastman. This book is directed at kids but useful for any leathercraft beginner.  Click on the photo to order.






2. Traditional Indian Bead & Leather Crafts, by Monte Smith & Michelle Vansickle. If you like the look of beads combined with leather, this is a great book for you.  Click on picture to order.




And, finally, the book that covers everything you ever wanted to know about
Leather Craft:------

3. Leather Craft Secrets, by Dwain Berlin. This is my personal favorite and is an e-book packed with all kinds of information for leather crafters.  And it even comes with some great bonuses, and a money-back guarantee, so you can't possibly lose on this deal.

Click Here to order.  



* There are lots of places to buy leather online. Just google "leather." But check out your local thrift store first for leather garments, belts, or other leather items you can often pick up at a reasonable price.

Leathercrafting Has Been Around For a Long, Long Time

Not long ago, I noticed my granddaughter chewing on something purple. "What's that I asked?" With a full mouth, she said, "Fruit leather" and went on chewing. I had to admit, that was a new one to me. Fruit leather? What next? I wondered.

Actually the fruit leather my granddaughter was enjoying wasn't actual leather--it just looked like it and the length of time it took to finish the thin piece of purple fruit leather she was chewing on probably made it seem as though she was chewing on a piece of leather.

Leather has been around since the first animals arrived in the Garden of Eden, and I suspect that Adam and Eve quickly learned how to use it to their advantage.

History records leather being used in thousands of ways over the centuries.

In the beginning, animal skins were used mainly for crudely made shelters to protect a family from the elements, for plain clothing and foot coverings, and for blankets to keep warm. Later, various other ways were found to use leather in shaping instruments of warfare, for musical instruments, as a surface for writing as men learned to communicate with each other, and for decorative items for their homes.

Today, leather is still popular for shoes, clothing, office items, belts, and a large number of decorative things for our homes.

At one time, leather postcards were very popular and some vintage ones can still be found in antique shops, or at auction sites such as ebay.

If you are a person that enjoys the feel and look of leather, you might be interested in trying leathercraft yourself. Although choice leather is expensive, there are places you can order bundles of scrap leather online and try a few small projects to get the feel of it before advancing to something more expensive.

A lot of beginner projects only take a large needle, some strong thread, and a pair of scissors besides your piece of leather. Give it a try and you may surprise yourself by coming up with some unique Christmas gifts for your family and friends for very little cost.

A great book, on just about everything you ever wanted to know about leathercrafting is Leather Craft Secrets by Dwain Berlin. Check it out for yourself and see.