The Art of Hand Sewing Leather

So you want to know how to hand stich leather; then this is the book for you. If you know nothing about leather crafting and are looking to get started, this is not the book for you; at least not yet. But you will want a copy if you get into leather working. The author Al Stohlman was a master at the art of leather working. He wrote a series of books on the subject form the 1950's through the 1980's. Yes, this is an older book. As such the photography is questionable. Fortunately, the bulk of the book is high quality line drawings. The drawings are superior to photographs in relating information on the stitching process. They are clear and precise with no extra information; such as the table background or extra tools on the workbench and so on. As for the actual instruction on stitching, I have not seen better in another book. Granted my leather crafting library is still small, not quite dozen book. This one is head and shoulders above anything else I have seen. It covers hand stitching leather in the greatest detail. I have my doubts a modern publisher would allow such a micro focused book to be published in this day and age. The book also includes a complete set plans to build a stitching pony. A nice bonus. This is not a book for the beginner, as it only covers hand stitching leather and nothing more. But you will want copy of this book if you get passed those first few projects and want to stick with it.

If you want a book for beginners this is it. Perfect pictures and descriptions are perfect for all ages and levels. If you want the perfect book for leather, this is it.

This book is very well illustrated. It is easy to understand and inspires me to start multiple hobby projects with leather. It covers the basics, tools, techniques and a good variety of projects. Projects include many things including belts, artwork, custom cases, and repairs. All of which are of immediate interest to me. I especially appreciated the quantity and quality of the illustrations that brought understanding and life to it as compared to indepth books that are composed of large blocks of text. Yes they are useful but this is very practical and clearly writtten, by one who has hands on experience. You should also know that this is a medium sized book, not a large one. But it is rich in content. I love this book.

The 4 stars is for the actual author of the book. Would give the seller 1 star because before completing my purchase they gave me a chance to double my shipping charges for better service. I refused and paid $3.95 for shipping. Yes, they did give me a window way out for delivery which was acceptable to me. The tracking and emails show it being mailed next day from Idaho to orange county California. They must have mailed it 4th class (if there is such a thing) because tracking showed it sitting for days at most every depot along the way. Over 10 days without any holidays to finally get to me and it was past their projected date. For $3.95 my opinion is that should cover the cost for first class and if it doesnt then charge that much and we will pay it. But dont try to make more money off of shipping and punish the customer if they dont wanna pay double by sending it snail mail. That is all.

This book (it's more of a manual) should be in the hands of everyone that's interested in hand sewing leather. It is a bible of sorts and I keep going back to read it just because I adore it so much! The illustrations and instructions are detailed and easy to comprehend. It literally is only about hand sewing so it won't go into different types of leather, dyes, glues, finishes etc that you'll have to understand regarding leather craft but for someone that wants to learn how to sew using the traditional laborious method, it will answer a lot of your questions. It will show you how to make a belt, how to sew around corners, sew circular items and join two pieces of shearling together among many other things. Al Stohlman teaches in this book how to sew a twin needle method called a saddle stitch using a needle on both ends of the thread. You can also do this stitch with one needle (he tells you how also) but the twin needle is the stronger, neater and time intensive way which pays off in the end. A variation of the saddle stitch called a lock stitch isn't shown. Personally, the saddle stitch is the better of the two anyhow. There's also directions on how to make a half stitching horse to help with holding your work steady so your hands are free to sew which is fantastic.

Many of the techniques in this little book are certainly worth knowing either for leathercrafting or repair of leather & vinyl goods that are going to fall apart over time. As always with this author the book is well laid out with clear easy to follow illustrations, that show a range of tasks from simple to complex that can be used by novice & experienced craftsperson's alike.

In the depths of the Internet caught my eye book: The ART of Hand Sewing Leather by Al Stohlman. It was a pirated copy. But the book I liked it so much that I decided to buy a license copy of this book. Although Al and Ann have passed away, I am grateful to them for their willingness to share their experience of millions. This marvelous book. Studying it, one cannot try to do anything with his hands. And with such detailed instructions, drawings and photographs, I believe that I will succeed.

I am very happy with my purchase it is going help me a lot. Thank you

Un des rares ouvrages sur le sujet . Beaucoup de schémas assez clairs. Cela mériterait tout de même une bonne traduction. Le vendeur très courtoisement m'a prévenu du retard possible, et effectivement, l'attente a été plutôt longue !

This book is just the bees knees with very clear diagrams and instruction including how to make leather working equipment yourself. There can't be a better book on sewing leather. I have other books on the subject but they go nowhere near the detail of this one. Highly recomended.

Le livre est très plaisant, très bien illustré et l'anglais ne gêne pas tant les dessins parlent deux même. 5 étoiles pour le contenu. seul bémol de taille pour la livraison.livre arrivé avec tranche déchirée et contenu arraché de la couverture. Pas très sérieux.

Arrived in good time, excellent book will get a lot of horse tack repair work done thanks the detailed instructions and hey, perhaps attempt some of the more artistic work also shown