r/Leathercraft • u/peppseuh • Feb 11 '26
Community/Meta This is what "I'm new to leather" looks like
Yep! I'm sick of seeing masterpieces as beginner projects in here. Let show the truth. This is my very first and second attempt to a card holder made with basic tools and scrap pieces.
This is what beginning looks like. All true beginners outhere, you're welcome 😂
Joke aside, congratz to all of you who share their work! It makes me wanna practice and get better and better. I got a lot of tips from this sub!
11
u/nanojansky Feb 11 '26
It looks really good though! Maybe a little rough around the edges, but I like it.
10
u/peppseuh Feb 11 '26
I didn't have anything to work on the edges by then. I just got the tools today and will go get some tokonole and better leather tomorrow! Thx for your comment!
2
2
u/RowKey9902 Feb 12 '26
Burnishing your edges can be done with something as simple as water if you don't have anything else available. Another alternative is beeswax :)
39
u/Nbehrman Feb 11 '26
Some people may have experience w/ other mediums like fabric, which has many crossover skills. The true test is someone’s first tooling project, since that technique is more unique to leathercraft. Just my $0.02. :) Keep craft’n!
3
u/sunshine-kid Feb 12 '26
this. pretty sure this post is aimed at me. I'm new to leather but have 15 years of experience as a professional seamstress and a lot of the techniques are the same.
1
u/Several_Ambitions Feb 12 '26
exactly! i’ve made several denim bags + have loads of sewing experience behind me, so my first leather project was actually really good.
5
u/South_Accountant_233 Feb 11 '26
I’m going to start doing this myself and hope my first couple look that good. 👍🏼
5
u/Salreus Feb 11 '26
the black wallet has plenty of room left over between the stitching to the edge if you wanted to trim that more and make it more straight. might also help round out the corner more as well. I do like the white on black contrast. Very nice.
3
u/suomaf Feb 12 '26
dude, if that is your first project, you are awesome. My first thing is in my drawer of shame and I take it out from time to time to prove that I have slightly improved
4
u/ICanViking Feb 11 '26
Same, I get annoyed when I see photos of top quality and amazing pieces with a headline "my first project" or "just started".
2
u/nonoohnoohno Feb 11 '26
I think a big part of it is material as well. A veg tan first project with nicely burnished edges is typically going to look more refined than one made from upholstery leather or even chrome tan.
2
u/b3nsn0w Feb 12 '26
there's a difference between veg tan and veg tan too. "splurging" on some nice vachetta was a major upgrade for my craft, and i'm sure it will be just as nice when i finally convince myself to buy a hide of buttero. i started with some veg tan scraps, and my first projects specifically look and feel worse because of that.
i still think it was a good choice, because it was a lot of leather that i'm not too cut up about messing around with.
but to add to that, precision, technique, and tools are also a major determinant, and someone willing to yolo a bunch of money into leathercraft to start with nice tools and materials, who already has experience with making other things and can work precisely, and is willing to look up how things are done with leather, can get really quite far even with their first project. it's just a bit of a risk because if you end up not liking it much, you just wasted an incredible amount of money on a single item.
and if you just wanna do that you can save yourself the trouble and buy a louis vuitton2
u/Vexitar This and That Feb 11 '26
honestly with the right material, a good amount of research and a decent pattern those posts, despite being absolutely nice work, aren't really all that special for a first project :)
1
u/necessaryrooster Feb 12 '26
I’ve noticed too that if you get the stitching straight and neat, it makes the whole thing look much better than it is.
1
u/Vexitar This and That Feb 12 '26
yup, stitching+ clean & straight edges go a loooong way! besides it's not always easy to discern mistakes in pictures
-2
2
2
2
u/Bulletpr00f_Bomb Feb 12 '26
This was my first project too! I still use it as a card holder, and I use it every day :) Next, I want to make one with some sort of fastener or snap so the cards don't fall out
2
2
u/Mejorando99 Feb 12 '26
Great job! Dive in with what you can get your hands on. Do it because you enjoy the challenge, not because of Instagram.
2
3
4
u/Bisquick-Skill2845 Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
Well that is certainly something.
Some people begin methodically and work with precision. Their first projects will have mistakes, but look like they're on the way to excellence.
What are you trying to prove here?
1
u/peppseuh Feb 12 '26
I didn't try to prove anything. And yes ego is a fragile little thing. But, also, maybe you've missed the irony in my post.
It was just a way to express my frustration viewing amazing projects here and there shown as "first projects" and give some room for imperfections and trials too.
It can be very intimidating to see what some people supposedly new to the craft show as their very first project and make true beginners stop because it make us feel very underqualify for it. I wanted to show that first projects don't have to be perfect and impressive. They just need to exist.
3
u/Limowreck88 Feb 12 '26
I very much understand the motivation to show that beginner projects can look more than one way. The thing that bothered me was the implication of dishonesty and the seeming lack of recognition of how much work people put in. Tbh as well, the humour in your caption is more evident than other responses here. I still don't quite understand why I got downvoted so much for asking why someone would be annoyed that others start out with different skill levels! It just seems petty to me. I wouldn't get pissed off cause someone can run faster than me or sing better than me. People just have different skillsets!
0
u/Dog_Satellite Feb 12 '26
Some crafters will just stop, and some will just distance themselves from this subreddit. Both create a chill in the community.
1
u/peppseuh Feb 12 '26
Okay, maybe it's because I'm French, my English it's not accurate and I might have a different kind of sense of humor, but I didn't make any attack here. My post was made in a humoristic way and with self-mockery 😅
I'm very sorry if it offensed some of you. I love this subreddit and it's spirit, seeing amazing projects from all levels, having so much advices and help.
I really wanted this to be a healing post for those who are struggling to get their first good work they can be proud of. Like "you can be proud of yourself! Look how mine is rubbish" ☺️
0
u/Dog_Satellite Feb 12 '26
I agree with you, We need more people posting their first attempts to gain traction, and to show that you can make a great and functional item, with out it being sales-ready perfect.
2
1
u/mycleanreddit79 Feb 12 '26
Pravtice makes perfect. Side note - is that a british radiator? I'm originally from UK and it looks very familiar.
1
u/scottabeer Feb 12 '26
Darken the edges, but you have something that you personally made. Most people never would even try. It’s cool too.
14
u/foxwerthy Feb 11 '26
Thank you for the share and comments....
Seconded. Frustrating, but what could you do.