This course is designed for the complete beginner. Quickly learn to make, repair, and alter leather goods.
Delivered directly to your inbox, or you can access the course via the Skool platform.
Start and stop whenever you like. Delivered in blocks, with each block completing a new item as you learn new skills.
I am now hosting my leather craft and harness making lessons on the Skool platform at The Steward’s Circle.
If you want to learn the traditional skills of repair, maintenance, and leather work, this is the place to start.
Platform: Skool
Community: The Steward’s Circle
Cost: FREE to join until March.
Stop by and join the community.
For people who value quality work and traditional skills over a disposable lifestyle.
Please follow the link to my profile and then to the course
The Craft Defined
A leather crafter and harness maker is an artisan skilled in designing, constructing, repairing, and customizing durable leather goods, with a specialized focus on horse tack (saddles, harnesses, bridles) and heavy-duty, functional equipment.
This trade combines traditional techniques with, occasionally, modern machinery to create items that require high durability, strength, and precise fitting.
Key Definitions & Roles
Harness Maker: Traditionally, a maker of equestrian harness gear for driving or working horses. They mostly work with heavy, vegetable-tanned leather, ensuring it can withstand significant stress, sweat, and daily, outdoor use.
Leather Crafter:
A broader term for a person who cuts, sews, decorates, and constructs items from animal hides.
Saddler:
A closely related, sometimes interchangeable term, often used to refer to a master artisan producing saddlery, as formalised by the Society of Master Saddlers.
Core Responsibilities & Techniques
Hand and Machine Stitching: Using methods like the saddle stitch (two needles and an awl) for maximum durability, or heavy-duty machinery for efficiency.
Cutting & Shaping: Working with thick, robust leather (e.g., 10-13 oz leather) to create heavy-duty items like bridles, harnesses, holsters, and belts.
Edge Finishing: Beveling, creasing, dying, and burnishing edges for durability and aesthetic appeal.
Hardware Assembly: Incorporating metal hardware such as buckles, rings, and snaps to make functional goods.
Repair: Diagnosing and fixing broken components on existing tack, often matching stitch-for-stitch.
GP Leather 