This article has been created to give you the opportunity to browse through a leather workers vast array of tools.  Some of them may be strange or confusing; all of them are definitely medieval looking.  The article will contain a brief selection of tools that I use most often however there is a much wider range of tools and devices on the market for leather work.  Hint:  Good quality tools are always an asset and should last much longer than their cheaper equivalents. Round Knife (A.K.A Head Knife)   The round knife is a good versatile knife due to its shape.  There are varying sizes of round knives, however this is t... » Read More

The Finishing Touches One of the unique things about The 13th Realm is that most of our items are hand sewn / hand laced or possibly both!  In this weeks’ blog I am trying to give you an insight in how to the lacing is created as well as what items we can create using each technique. Lacing I try to make lace in house as much as possible as it impacts directly on the final quality of the piece.  Making lace of the same colour and material as the main project or as a complimentary colour opens up a wide range of possibilities in terms of form and colour.  Using custom made lace or cord that fits the project perfectly will enha... » Read More

One item in the catalogue that has enabled me to bring leather into the 21 Century is the iPad.  This 21 Century piece of technology can be damaged easily, 100% leather is strong and durable and can protect the iPad from wear and tear.  Below is a step-by-step guide on how the iPad covers from the 13th Realm are created. When picking the leather I need to use in any project I need to think about what the finished item will be doing.    I needed leather that would protect the iPad, allow easy access and have good tooling properties so I picked 6 oz. vegetable tanned liveoak leather.  This leather has a lovely smooth light grain to... » Read More

Outside of leather I am interested in all forms of art from paintings to sculptures.  A couple of years ago I had the urge to create a piece of art that would also be functional, but what?  One day, after speaking to a friend of mine about a book she was reading I was inspired to create something from that world for her.    To make it work various techniques had to be employed.  I made and sculptured three types of clay feet and left them to dry.  After they dried they were suspended into a container.  Using moulding rubber that I had melted in a pan over a low heat until it went from a cube to a liquid; I filled up the con... » Read More

To begin this journey I thought I would talk about the types of leather I’ve come across, so far! There are numerous types of leather used in my creations and until I started working with leather I really didn’t realise just how specialised it was.  Selecting the wrong type of leather can wreck a creation if you haven’t thought it through, so it makes sense to spend that extra time before you start your project thinking about what you want the creation for and how that will affect your choice.  Below is a more detailed description of the main types of leather we use and what we create using it.  The first two are the main ty... » Read More