The latest thing to get stuck in my brain’s teeth is leathercraft.
I watched a video by one Bernadette Banner, a fantastic clothing historian, about making medieval leather shoes. It looked surprisingly straightforward and satisfying!
I didn’t jump straight in, naturally. I waited a little bit, and finally decided to pick up a few kits that were pre-cut and had all the notions (is that the term for leatherworking?) included. They were pleasant enough to put together, and I do enjoy the practicality of the things I made - a little belt loop for keys or whatever and a soft leather pouch.
Now I’ve stopped by to get more proper stuff: a starter hand-stitching set and some leather off-cuts. Since getting that, I’ve made an extremely simple leather cardholder wallet and a bag for my stitching chisels.
There’s an amount of attention to detail that sits well with me, I think, and the progress is relatively quick. Most of the structure of the thing is constructive, rather than destructive, like woodcarving, but it keeps the geometry easier to manage in my mind.
Plus, I feel like this can fill in for gift ideas!