StretchLearn Course

Make Real Leather Goods by Hand, From Your First Cut

Cutting, skiving, the saddle stitch, dyeing, and burnished edges, taught the way bench leatherworkers actually do it.

Beginner10 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course takes you from a flat side of vegetable-tanned leather to a finished bifold card wallet and a hand-stitched belt. You will learn the cutting, skiving, hole-marking, and two-needle saddle stitch that bench leatherworkers have used for centuries, plus how to dye, condition, and burnish leather so it looks and wears like a quality product. No machines and no sewing machine required, just leather, a handful of hand tools, and the habits that make the work clean, square, and durable.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Identify leather types, tannages, and weights and convert ounces to millimetres to choose stock for a project

Cut leather straight and square with a rotary cutter or head knife against a steel rule

Skive edges and overlaps thin for clean folds and low-bulk seams

Mark and stitch a balanced two-needle saddle stitch with even back-stitching at the ends

Dye, condition, and seal vegetable-tanned leather to an even colour with a protected surface

Burnish edges to a smooth, hard finish and complete a card wallet and a belt

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Knowing Your Leather and Tools

Build the foundation every project relies on: understanding tannages and weights, choosing the right part of the hide, and setting up a small kit of hand tools that actually works.

3 lessons

Tannages, Hide Anatomy, and GrainContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Reading Weight: Ounces, Millimetres, and UseContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Beginner Tool KitContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Cutting and Skiving

Turn a flat hide into accurate parts: cut straight and square against a rule, then skive edges and overlaps thin so folds lie flat and seams stay slim.

3 lessons

Cutting Straight and SquareContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Skiving Edges and OverlapsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Gluing, Marking, and Punching the Stitch LineContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: The Saddle Stitch and Edge Finishing

Master the two-needle saddle stitch that makes hand-sewn leather stronger than machine stitching, then finish raw edges to a smooth, hard, burnished line.

3 lessons

Threading Up and the Saddle StitchContent · 55 min

LMS Access

Back-Stitching, Locking Off, and Fixing FaultsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Beveling and Burnishing EdgesContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Dyeing, Conditioning, and Your First Projects

Colour, protect, and care for your leather, then put every skill together to make a hand-stitched bifold card wallet and a finished belt.

3 lessons

Dyeing, Sealing, and ConditioningContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Project One: A Bifold Card WalletContent · 60 min

LMS Access

Project Two: A Hand-Stitched BeltContent · 60 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

leathercraftleatherworksaddle stitchvegetable tanned leatheredge finishingleather dyeingwallet makingbelt making