Generally speaking, I like the minimally finished vegetable tanned leathers. I feel like it’s fairly easy to revive an old item by simply cleaning and applying leather conditioner. Some of the natural patina those leathers develop over time add character and make any item personal & unique. Having said that, I have seen some nice items made of saffiano or other heavily finished leathers which look beautiful and, one would argue, less prone to cracks, wear & tear. On another hand, some of those leathers no longer look genuine and, in my opinion, have a more plastic/nylon look. Would love your opinion on the following: 1) do heavily finished leathers even need leather conditioners? 2) why do you like heavily finished leathers? Thank you!

I apologize in advance if I am missing something fundamental in my question but...let me explain. Here is a diamond shape awl 🔶. Let’s say needle A (flesh/wrong side) and needle B (grain/front side). In Philip stitching video he show that A starts the course and needle B goes over the top (North point) for the casting on the flesh side. Why do we then need the East/West points of the awl and make a bigger slit in the leather than needed? If a pricking iron marks a 45 degree straight slit / then why not do the same with an awl? This would imply that the awl should be flat/parallel sides, sharp point with sides width = to 2-3mm or match the pricking irons used. Also, I see tapered edge awl blades too. I just think those are garbage because, unless you stop at exactly the same spot after puncturing leather, it will create inconsistent sizes of holes. So....when pricking irons alone are not enough, why not just use a flat/parallel sides/sharp point awl? This would also make the sharpening way easier. Another part of my question, has anyone tried to flatten out their diamond shape awl (east/west sides) with a whet stone or diamond plate? Thank you!

I noticed that thinner leathers stretch way easier than thicker/tougher leathers. With that in mind, do you burnish the entire surface before cutting or not? Even when I use rotaty cutter or thin/sharp blade to cut the leather, sometimes it stretches 1-2mm in the process or working with it. With some projects that would be a negligible allowance but with some it will look uneven. What is your approach when working with thinner leather? Thanks!

Hello, my name is Veronica (or simply Nica) and I started tinkering with leather in September 2020. I live just North of San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge in Mill Valley, a small town by the Richardson Bay and Mt. Tamalpais. My interest in leather became apparent when I was getting my coffee one morning and wondered into a retail store nearby. There I saw various leather and canvas goods when my eyes stopped at a display of an old saddle bag on the wall. It was rugged and beat up yet well made. Next to it was an exact replica of it, only this one was new, had smoother edges, painted edges, sharper looking stitches. I was immediately drawn to it. After a casual conversation with the store owner, I learned that the saddle bag was made locally by a leather craftsman (Jack H.) who is 86 years old and sharp as an awl. The second day I met him at his local workshop and my learning journey began. Pretty soon my weekly schedule included “Thursdays with Jack” and I never looked back. It took me a while to get all my tools due to covid10 supply chain disruptions when I met another local leather craftsman and tools guys extraordinaire (Jon B.). Jon had graciously made me a stitching pony, leather strop and a few other tools one simply needs and can’t always buy. Fast forward to today, I am thrilled to be viewing Philip’s videos. So many of my lingering questions are already answered and I continue to learn and absorb new and wonderful information!