World's Leather Tooling Designs | Stonestreet Leather
The Masters of Leather Tooling Designs
Talented crafters from across the globe create amazing and unique leather tooling patterns. Here's our list of the top leather toolers in the world!
Amazing Tooling and Carving Leather Patterns From the World's Greatest Artisans
By: Benjamin Carver / Founder, Stonestreet Leather
Published: July 2, 2019
Leathercraft is one of the oldest forms of human expression. For over 33 centuries, humans have used leather as a medium to record important information and events and as a vehicle of expression. The products of leather tooling used to be a pursuit limited to the very wealthy and powerful, but over time this artform made its way to the rest of society.
What was once used to share vital information years ago has now been transformed into a creative outlet. Today, people worldwide are taking part in this ancient art and crafting some truly unique works.
We are consistently in awe of the craftsmen and women from all over the world that we see online displaying their latest content. It felt fitting to create a showcase of some of the most skilled crafters we could find.
Like any type of craft, there are unlimited possibilities, and we are pleased to highlight the wide variety of applications for leather tooling. From traditional and functional to colorful and whimsical, many highly talented leather crafters are plying their trade today.
We're pleased to see this ancient art is still going strong!
We have painstakingly researched those active in the leather tooling community and chronicled their work in this new, annual list of the masters of leather working tools. While the tools and methods vary greatly, the designers on display all show amazing imagination, technical sophistication, and attention to detail.
You'll find all sorts of leather tooling designs below, using various tools, including the swivel knife, a background tool, camouflage tool, special beveling tool, pear shaders, veiner, seeder, lasers, and mallets.
Tooling leather is a slow and deliberate process that can take anywhere from hours to days or even weeks to finish, depending on the size and complexity of the design.
The results and details, however, are always relevant and worth the wait.
Whether you're a seasoned leatherworker or just getting started, we hope you enjoy this list of the world's top leatherworkers.
If there are other talented leather craftsmen and women that we didn't mention but deserve to be showcased – we want to hear about it! Contact us and share your work. We would love to see it!
– The Stonestreet Leather Team
3p Custom Leather
- Website
Antonio Pecina of 3P Custom Leather has some seriously cool engraved leather designs. His designs are influenced by the elements popular in Texas, including guns, horses, cattle, and cooking.
What we liked about Antonio's work was the rustic nature and simplicity. The item featured is an excellent example of his work, which shows a longhorn skull and cactus – not too much or too little. Keep up the great work, Antonio!
76 and Riveted Leather Co.
Ashley Radz is a leather artist with a fantastic collection of purses and other handcrafted items. Ashley's designs come from her inspiration and are deeply rooted in natural settings, particularly animals. Although there are several great pieces to choose from and download, we were inspired by the color scheme seen on this handbag.
8Tres Leatherworks
- Website
Mario Prz of 8Tres Leatherworks is a Madrid-based leathercrafter. Inspired by his love of motorcycles, many of his pieces are influenced by the biker aesthetic or made for motorcyclists, like this dramatic eagle bike seat cover.
We love seeing leather crafters from all over the world showcase their designs. We would love to hear about where he draws his inspiration from.
Adam Croft Leather
His love of old motorcycles inspires Adam Croft's incredible leather goods. In fact, his leatherworking business, Adam Croft Leather, goes hand in hand with his other business, restoring motorcycles at Vintage American Cycles. Check out the incredible detail on this hand-tooled seat cover.
Alden School of Leather Trades
Alden's School of Leather Trades, founded by Tim Alden, is located in Burns, Oregon, and is dedicated to creating the next generation of leather artisans. We're sure Tim has a wide variety of stunning engravings, but we wanted to showcase one of their most recent, this amazing custom saddle. If you are interested in upping your skills in the leather game – this is the place to do it!
American Made Upgrades
Oregon-based American Made Upgrades offers a variety of leather goods, from patches to guitar pickguards to sheaths. Their shop can do custom pieces, geometric carvings, beautiful floral designs, and everything you can search in between, but it was this Chewbacca wallet in progress that caught our eye.
Archetype Leather
Archetype Leather is a handcrafted leather maker out of Chicago, Illinois. Archetype has an excellent collection of bags, belts, and more. Many of his works cater to the motorcycle crowd and are awesome!
It's no secret that we love intricate, audacious designs, and the one we've highlighted certainly fits the bill. The design has a lot of elements going on with birds, flowers, and more – altogether, it looks like it will be a fantastic piece for a happy customer. We'd love to see the final product!
Caleb Hilton Custom Leather
- Website
Caleb Hilton specializes in making custom leather products. Caleb caught our eye on two fronts: his designs' intricacy and the vivid colors he's added to make the designs super unique and exciting. Check out these amazing shoe designs like his take on the Converse All-Star – a classic with a new twist!
Chami’s Leather Works
- Website
Proving that amazing leather engraving can come from across the world, Chami's Leather Works in Japan has an excellent collection of wallets, badges, straps, and more. Chami's uses a mix of regular and color finishes across their collection of item handmade leather items. What caught our eye was the vintage styling used for the various military-themed items.
CHÄRÅTÊ Designs
CHÄRÅTÊ Designs utilize a variety of leatherworking methods in the creation of their unique, handmade crafts. We love the colors and intricate design of this piece!
Dibazar Leather
- Website
The dramatic colors of Dibazar leather's work jumped out at us immediately! In addition to leather engraving, most of their pieces are vibrantly dyed with one or more colors. How about this beautiful multicolored mandala purse?
Dracolite Medieval Store
Dracolite Medieval Store is the "largest and most complete brick and mortar medieval store anywhere," and with all the cool stuff they sell, we can believe it! Among their varied product offerings are cool medieval-inspired leather goods like this custom scabbard, leather masks, and much more.
Endless Designs
Endless Designs creates excellent custom gifts for any occasion, working with wood and leather. Check out their customized products engraved with family names if you're looking for a wedding present, or take a look at their cute home accessories for a great gift for any occasion. This leather coffee cup sleeve made us laugh – they get it!
Fitzgerald Leather
- Website
Patrick of Fitzgerald Leather specializes in clean, functional designs that employ leather dying, hand-stitching, and leather carving. The design here is going to become a charm for a purse. We love the fine detail on the lines and the unexpected blue sewing. It's a lovely contrast and will make someone a very happy customer!
Foxes and Ravens
Nora, the brains and hands behind Foxes and Ravens, creates beautiful leather goods with a medieval or Viking influence. Check out the detail on this custom tooled corset, and don't miss the rest of her shop with items like her signature soft leather booties and custom ax sheaths.
Freedom Warrior Designs
Kelly Freedom of Freedom Warrior Designs hopes to inspire a sense of freedom and creativity with her handmade leather goods. Viewing her designs which draw inspiration from nature, we feel freer already! These boho, hippie-chic earrings are some of our favorites.
Frontier Girl Leathercraft
Ashly Howard of Frontier Girl Leathercraft has a fantastic story along with her incredible art. After being diagnosed with lupus, she took up leatherwork as a hobby to help her adjust to a new way of living. She often works with the natural shape of the leather, as seen in this key valet/coin dish. Keep up the great work, and best of luck in your fight!
GrandEngrave
Grand Engrave, based in Australia, delivers an eye-catching collection of custom engraved products across various mediums, including leather, wood, and more. What caught our eye here (besides all the awesome dog pics!) was the variety of applications that they are using engraving for. We picked out our favorite leather engraving piece, which showcases a family of elephants. It's subtle, well-worked and certainly made an elephant-lover quite happy!
Holston Leather Supply Co
The work of Bailey Dickenson, a leather artist out of Church Hill, Tennessee, stands out due to the fun pops of color on many of the pieces. These vintage logo wallets are some of our favorites – and be sure to check out Holston Leather Supply's Instagram for cute ads of shop dog Mattie!
Hutt Armouries
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Bill Hutt of Hutt Armouries is an excellent crafter who is all about stunningly displaying weaponry. We keyed in on one of his amazing revolver holsters with a rich-colored finish. It looks like Hutt is getting into some of his first-ever real armor designs for cosplay, which is exciting. Keep up the great work, Bill!
Ismail Am Leather
- Website
Ismail Fahmi's creations for Ismail Am Leather are influenced by various elements, from traditional art in his native Indonesia to the band Iron Maiden. The special thing about his Instagram is that he shows a lot of work-in-progress pieces, so you get an authentic behind-the-scenes look at the leather engraving. Check out the progression of this embossed wallet.
Jacobs Engraving
Jacob's Engraving offers a wide variety of leather goods. They work mainly with laser engraving on leather, wood, and silver, specializing in designs that include text. One of their unique offerings is the ability to laser engrave a photograph onto leather, as seen in this cool leather keychain.
Laser Cut Co.
As their profile explains, the Houston, Texas-based Laser Cut Co. folks create custom goods for small businesses, special events, and creatives. Their team of makers can work with you to figure out how to make your event special or make your branded goods pop. Check out this awesome leather apron they designed for a local Western store.
Lazy Cat Leather
- Website
Louise Churchhouse creates elegant handmade leather crafts as a side gig from her home in the U.K. We love this well-detailed image of a winding tree and think it will be a stunning piece. Don't forget to check out her sleek, sophisticated notebooks and travel journals that stand out from the crowd.
Leather Crafts By Eleana
In Eleana Antonopoulou's Leather Crafts By Eleana, the artist uses a variety of mediums, including pyrography, to decorate leather before sewing it into purses, wallets, journal covers, and more.
We especially like her anime and comic-inspired pieces, but the map-centric design made the cut! Take a look at the fine detail on the compass. All the elements work nicely here and make it an excellent piece.
Lee Elmer’s
Cason at Lee EElmer'smakes clean, beautiful handmade custom leather goods. YYou'llsee his work influenced by different elements in Texas and beyond, including some college-specific designs. We enjoyed the Boy Scouts-themed knife sheath, a retro design brought back to life by Lee Elmer.
Lofty Leather Co.
Lofty Leather Co. out of Sheffield, Alabama, is a Christian leathercrafter. Many of their designs feature Bible verses or other uplifting messages. Among Lofty LeatheLeather'svariety of items, this leather guitar pickguard with a floral design stood out. The way the leather tone matches the wood of the guitar is adorable.
LuLu Leatherworks
- Website
Shin, the Japanese leather crafter behind LuLu Leatherworks, is another artist whose intricate detail blows us away. Check out the incredible linework on this work-in-progress leather carving, and head over to her Instagram page to see the step-by-step progression of this piece.
Lunar Leather
- Website
Lunar Leather, a leather and wood crafting operation out of Florida, caught our eye with their trendy leather bracelets and phone cases, engraved with Instagram-ready mantras like "be ki"d" and "good "ibes."We"chose these cool pieces because they reflect the brand'brand's Lunar Leather. The stars incorporated with the other elements make these simple pieces stand out. Check them out for great gifts for your gal pals!
Misfit Skinny Kustoms
Freddie Sheppard of Misfit Skinny Kustoms is not only an expert leathercrafter, but also he's ehe'sience with metal engraving, painting, and custom motorcycle work. He draws on these skills in his leatherwork and often takes on custom projects that combine his interests. We were blown away by this custom bench seat Freddie hand-tooled for a vintage car.
Mitra Leather Engraving
- Website
Mitra Ebrahimi of Mitra Leather Engraving is known for her intricately detailed floral designs. Carrying purses, sheaths, watch straps, and custom projects, this leathercrafter can do it all. The leather bag seen here is incredible- the carving is multi-dimensional, with different layers of flowers exploding from the center.
MNLeatherShop
Nikolai Dimitrov creates a wide variety of handmade leather goods, from jewelry to sheaths to motorcycle accessories. Check out the delicate pair of leather feather earrings featuring pearl and turquoise beads. It'It'se of our favorites we'we'veen. For the item featured, we love the simplicity and deep lines.
Moaalii Leather
- Website
Rex G of Moaalii Leather is a leather crafter known for his use of bright colors and excellent craftsmanship. His Buffalo Bill leather post made us giggle, but his use of color earned him a spot on the list. Great work, Rex!
Nora Leather
Nora Leather is a talented engraver and crafter. Her collection features several incredible bags and purse designs with flower-centric engraving. The item we loved was an engraved bag with red dye and sunflowers. All of NorNora'ssigns are vibrant and colorful, and we cancan'tit to see what she comes up with next!
Petrus Leather Garage
- Website
Petrus Leather Garage is located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and dishes up some righteous motorcycle-themed designs. It'It'setty amazing seeing some of these engravers from across the world making designs that you think came from around the corner in the U.S.
We chose the Virgin de Guadalupe to be highlighted because of the contrast of the dark leather and vibrant colors. It'It'sgreat piece that just works.
Progress Leathercraft
When it comes to Progress LeaLeathercraft'sods, the cut-outs and stunning leather to fabric contrasts are some of the first things that caught our eye! This Japanese artisan is also notable for their use of metal accents on their products, which makes sense because they also create some metal jewelry in addition to leather goods.
Psybabas Bohemia
Psybabas BohBohemia'sather crafts have a boho hippie flare that stands out from the crowd. With various products from beautiful shoes and sandals to jewelry, bags, and even hats, they have something for everyone. The detail of this leather cowboy hat is just stunning.
Punctured Artefact
The artist behind Punctured Artefact creates tattoo art as well as leathercrafts, and that influence comes through in their work. They blend geometric and organic elements for a super unique product. How about this stool seat cover featuring a type of beetle native to Sweden?
RyDo
- Website
Rytis Rydo of Rydo is a leather artisan known primarily for his classic, handcrafted bags. His pieces are durable and incredibly beautiful, from briefcases to backpacks to handbags.
Shadywood Leather
- Website
Shadywood Leather in Spokane, Washington, is a newer player on the engraving scene, but we think big things are headed their way! Shadywood has a variety of custom products, including keychains, belts, collars, and passport holders.
The items we'we'veghlighted showcase their custom work, taking pictures of several family birds and bringing them to life as keychains. A fantastic way to keep your winged friends with you at all times!
Taylor Made Leather
There are many great ways to put your style into leathercraft, and this family crest from Taylor Made Leather really stood out. Based in Arizona, Taylor Made appears to develop a lot of customs for their clients, bringing their ideas to life. YouYou'llnd binders, bible covers, and more on their website.
Wasteland Oddities
Danny Smash and The Odd Mob are behind Wasteland Oddities, who have some of the most exciting and fun leather items we'we'veen. It was the pocket sheaths that stood out among their collection of items. Check out some of the comic and horror genre-inspired sheaths; they are very spooky and cool!
Winchester Leather Co.
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Winchester Leather Co. has a message along with their beautiful leather goods- they work to educate their customers about the power of small businesses and local craftsmen in this day and age of bulk purchasing and one-click orders. We love that – and we love this pair of custom kicks!
Oksana Kruglova
Oksana Kruglova'snate leather carvings are so detailed that they look like drawings – color and all. In her shop, youyou'llnd not only incredibly lifelike representations of wild animals but also wallets and more embossed with your favorite Game of Thrones characters.
Craig Montgomery
- Website
Craig Montgomery can fit a tremendous amount of detail into tight spaces, which we admire! Come to his account for the gorgeous floral key fobs and coasters, like the ones seen here, and stay for a little bit of education on fine cigars, bourbon, and craft beer.
Pursuit of West
- Website
Montana nativeWeyant'sant's designs for Pursuit of West draw their inspiration from the western United States and are made for life on the ranch. These hand-tooled spur straps with metal accents are something special!
FAQs About Leather Tooling
Is Leather Tooling Difficult?
Yes, leather tooling is a very delicate and difficult process. It involves cutting and stamping designs into vegetable-tanned leather, which can be very thick and tough. The process requires a lot of precision, patience, a steady hand, and a good eye for detail.
How Thick Should Leather Be for Tooling?
The thickness of the leather will depend on the project you are working on. For smaller projects, such as keychains or coasters, you can use thinner leather. For larger projects, such as belts or wallets, thick leather is better.
Can You Make Your Own Leather Stamps?
Yes, you can make your own leather stamps! You will need to purchase a carving set and some carving tools, such as a gouge, a chisel, and a mallet. You will also need to find a design that you want to carve into the stamp. Once you have all your supplies, you can sign up for a leather carving class or watch some online tutorials to learn how to carve your stamp.
What Is the Best Leather for Tooling?
The best leather for tooling is vegetable-tanned leather. This type of leather is made from cowhide and is treated with tannins, which give it a natural yellowish color. Vegetable-tanned leather is also the most durable type of leather, making it ideal for tooling projects.
What Are the Different Types of Leather Tooling?
There are many different types of leather tooling, including carving, stamping, pyrography, and inlay.
Carving is the process of cutting designs into leather with a knife or other sharp tool. Stampings are made by pressing a stamp into the leather to create a design. Pyrography is the process of burning designs into leather with a hot poker. Inlay is the process of inserting pieces of leather or other materials into carved-out sections of the leather.