Lessons learned on my first Leathercraft coaster

[silasrobinson]

I just finished my first leathercraft project and this it's a little coaster and even though it is not perfect, I am glad I stuck with it. I jumped right in and got a beginner set, but the whole process was much harder than I expected and I am hoping some experienced people can tell me if my materials were the reason.

I know I should have stitched closer to the edge next time but the leather scraps I bought, which is the white side of the coaster, were so soft that I could barely even mark the cutting line with my awl. And the black material came from a thrift store purse, which I found out was stuck to a layer of foam. My cheap contact adhesive dried up and got crusty before I could stick the two halves together so I had to put on a second layer and stick them when it was still wet, but it held together okay. I had a really hard time making the holes for the stitching, and I wonder if that was because of the low quality materials or if my mallet was too soft for punching through. What are the best, easiest-to-work-with types of leather that you would recommend for a true beginner to practice on?

 

[li'lpowh]

Afaik, most beginners often prefer vegetable tanned leather that is about 2–3 millimeters thick because it is easier to handle. If you want to experiment, just get a small offcut of veg tan from a leather supplier are affordable. It also provides a steady surface for practicing stitches along the edge without dealing with stretching or hidden layers.

 

[Waffl3s]

for beginners, the best leathers are the VegTan for learning structure/tooling (especially thicker bellies/shoulders for cheap practice), I also like ChromeTanned for soft, pliable projects (bags/wallets),
try to start with small, inexpensive pieces like belly sections to learn cutting, stitching, and dyeing without high cost