I love carving and tooling western floral designs into my leatherwork, but have always struggled with the mechanics of creating my own designs. Thankfully there are some good teachers and resources available that can help us get started in coming up with our own creative designs. So in this video blog edition I'd like to introduce you to several commonly used methods for tracing designs onto leatherwork and Bob Park's book called, "Creating Western Floral Designs" Bob's book is a must have for anyone who desires to learn how to create their own floral designs. Please feel free to comment or leave me your questions below. Enjoy!
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Depending on who you talk to this bag has a variety of names, from a hippie pouch, biker pouch, waist bag, or my favorite, “The Medicine Bag.” Bags such as these are a popular accessory with bikers and serves as a stylish and useful place to store a wallet and cellphone for comfort and safe keeping while on the road. I’ve worked on a variety of leather accessories over the past few years, but this has quickly become one of my favorite pieces, which is why I've decided to make Fischer Workshops latest video tutorial on the medicine bag.
I shot about 30 hours of footage to make this video and after editing tried to keep the video as short as possible without robbing the viewer of any details in making the bag. Although this bag is a more challenging piece to make, it is far worth its weight in gold and makes a brilliant handcrafted item. So for those who are looking to make something more exotic and ornate, I hope this project will meet that demand. 
Thanks and enjoy!

Product Specifications -

• Leather Type - Vegetable Tanned Leather (alligator skin)
• Features - 
  1 Interior compartments
  Closes with leather strap
  Leather Stained by Hand
  Saddle Stitched by Hand

Dimensions - 18cm x 13cm x 3.5cm

 When I 1st got involved with leather working there seemed to be a sufficient amount of resources available online to get started in the craft. But as time passed and I began to look for more professional instruction I often came up short. I overcame this problem by making friends with other professionals in the industry and leaning on their expertise. This has saved me valuable time and money, while greatly adding to my knowledge and skill in leather working. When getting started in leather working it's easy to just buy what the stores offer and quickly rack up expenses, which is why I appreciate any leather worker who is willing to share their knowledge with me. I hope I can also be as generous with my knowledge and experience as others have been with me.
So each month I will be releasing new instructional tutorials and product reviews. Where you should spend money and where you shouldn't when starting out. Discovering your leather working niche, and much much more. To subscribe to my youtube channel or view my growing video tutorial library please click on the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuxgLLYGCxEJInI0NlbAgMA

Below is a sample of my latest video of a customizable coffee cup sleeve:

Hi Everyone, Here is my 1st video tutorial on a leather billfold. I'd love to know what you think and if there is anything you think I could do to make it better. Also, if you like the wallet and would like to make one yourself, I've included a pattern download link in the video. Enjoy and thanks!

What exactly does handmade mean? Working on a new product involves many, many steps. First you have to come up with a design. Then go through a long process of making the pattern and tracing mattes in preparation to begin cutting the leather. Then artistic patterns are hand drawn and later transferred onto the leather cover of the bag. After this the leather then must be carved, tooled, and painted where necessary. Each piece is then carefully stitched together by hand using an ancient technique called, "saddle stitching." That's right! Saddle stitching is the strongest stitch in the world as the thread is waxed and thicker that normal threads. Each stitch is individually locked, which means that even it somehow a stitch were to come loose it wouldn't unravel like it usually does on a shirt or jacket. Also, depending on the products color and style I prefer to hand dye my leather for a more beautiful and authentic look. From start to finish no machines are used to aid in the creation of what I've made.

So how much time does it take to go from the idea to the finished product? Honestly, it seems like forever, but it also depends on the difficulty of whatever it is I'm making. The sample I'm using for this blog entry is smaller and easier to produce, but larger bags or purses will of course require more effort. But I would say that I spent just as much time preparing the art and design as I did on the construction of the bag itself.

Why are handmade leather goods so much more expensive that mass produced products of similar function? Given how long it takes and the skill required to produce each piece I often find it difficult to put a price on a finished product. Honestly, a price that would fairly compensate me would most likely be so high that no one would want to buy my work. But of course whenever someone is purchasing something that is handmade and made of leather they are usually looking for something very unique and artistic in its form and design. Something made with superior quality, yet without looking manufactured.

Why would someone want to get involved with making handmade leather goods? There is no one answer to this question, but for myself I just really enjoy the creative process and challenge that comes with building each item I make. When I started experimenting with leather I had no intentions of starting a business. But as time went by and my skill increased opportunities to share my work with other began to present themselves to me. Now I'm in the process of building my own business.

Why Taiwan? I moved to Taiwan in 1995 and married my Taiwanese wife in 1997. I came to Taiwan with the simple desire to serve the people of Taiwan and share my faith in Christ with them. Over the past 20 years Taiwan has blessed me with many wonderful friends and experiences. I have been very fortunate and blessed to call Taiwan my home for the past 20 years and hope I can bring a piece of Taiwan to everyone who enjoys my work!