Soft Leather Practice: Piece 7 (Part 1)

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Tested 2/2.5 oz soft leather with five signatures, identifying limits of the 1 mm punch, thread-tension failure on the fifth signature, and the need for heavier template material to maintain uniformity. Findings emphasized the importance of proper station layout and highlighted tooling gaps to address before the next prototype phase.

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Date: Monday October 20, 2025

Classification: Week 4 Day 1 | Craft Day

Made: 5 signatures with Staples stock to practice with soft/limp leather 2/2.5 oz.

Reference: Dark Horse Workshop for x-pattern stitch.

Piece: 7

While I’ve been waiting for supplies to arrive including larger awls for leather work and 18/3, I thought what the hell, let’s practice with what I’ve got.

On the path back through the 5th signature the thread broke. This highlighted a few learnings.

Learned

• 1 mm hole punch was not big enough. Extra tension around thread aided break.

• 18/3 thread will also aid with this.

• Heavy material for making proper templates are a must going forward. Uniformity was difficult as I eyeballed and punched a lot of this.

• Grid paper would aid greatly in station uniformity.