Patterns Help Request

Apologies for the mixup. I subscribed to the full year project which includes all the videos/courses, or so I thought. So Mastermind is only for the products highlighted in the video section?

As a side note, I just got the Impossible Card holder pattern project from Phil and I believe it is a doable project for a beginner.

Moving this to the "Help Section". The mastermind group is for questions pertaining specifically to the courses Phil offers and is limited to the members subscribed to the courses only. The Help section is open to all members and you will get more people engaging with your posts there :)

Many thanks @Fadi !

I have started on a small pouch. I took a 1:1 course with Nigel Armitage to cover the basics. For me personally, I know I get discouraged quite easily if I don't have the basics explained and even just handling the tools and having that explained took a ton of the confusion out of the equation.

I then found Leathercraft Masterclass along with many other channels and this one struck a cord with me, hence joining :)

Since posting I have undertaken dressing up my clam and hope to post pics of it soon. Just wanting on the fancy brass hardware. I have also started on a simple pouch and plan on knocking a few variations of these out as practice. I just need to remind myself that this is all new and not to expect perfection.

Lastly, your points about things here being advance are true and I did review what all was available to me if I joined. Perhaps it's odd but I will plan on tackling some of the parts i.e. have a go at wrapping a handle or tackling some of the parts of a full project. Again, as practice and to see what it is I like and don't.

Main goal is to have a go at the medicine bag. My sister would love that, but I'll wait a bit before trying that one out!

Thanks again,

Perry

Hello :)

Do not be discouraged! You can do it!!!

Ok, so yes, the courses here are a bit advanced; BUT that does not mean you won't be able to find stuff you can make.

For me, the following courses are doable for beginners:

- Stringray Card Holder: Super simple card holder, just forget the part about the stingray specifics, and make the card holder using regular leather.

- The Glasses Case: Also pretty simple and straighforwards

- The Bespoke Apron

- The Card Slot Cardholder

- Switch Buckle Belt

- The traditional leather wrapped belt buckle belt of belting beltitude: Just skip the part of wraping the buckle and watch the 2nd video for how to make a very luxurous belt

Now, if you google "Free Leather patterns", you will find a lot of resources, like a lot! One of my favorites being: https://makesupply-leather.com/templates/free-leather-templates/ , lots of easy beginner projects and some a tad bit more advanced, but still manageable with a month or two under your belt.

Another thing I would advise you is to be selective when watching youtube tutorials and videos. Sadly, some of the "biggest" names on Youtube are not that advanced in leatherwoking and do a lot of technicals errors. They are advanced in filming and video editing for sure, but is that what you need to learn?

Finally, something that personally helped me a lot in the past is to always modify the patterns I got. Any pattern I downloaded, wether I bought it or got it for free, I always try to add a small modification. It doesnt really matter what the modification is, as long as it is there. And since you cannot modify something you do not fully understand, this will force you to think about the pattern and why this fold is here, or why you are skiving there, etc. In turn, this will help you a lot in becoming a good pattern maker yourself.

Be patient, take your time, enjoy the failures and successes, and most importantly: have fun!

And never forget, if you are stuck on a project, or just need a wall to bounce ideas of off, just make a post here on the forum in the help section and we shall flock to your banner and go to war by your side until that project is vanquished and your enemies are beaten (I might be reading a war novel at the moment...)

@Perry P Hey Perry, the Pattern projects will become available tomorrow the 30th of November.

These will be a separate offering to the Video Plans.

@ddunn68 Good advice there!

Hey Perry, welcome to the forum. I think at first glance the website can feel a bit like drinking from a firehose. You are right...there are not a ton of super simple beginner patterns. There is the card slot wallet that is pretty basic, but Phil's projects are always going to be more "refined". I would absolutely recommend that, as a beginner, you watch his "Techniques" videos like "Techniques of the Edge", "Techniques of Hand Stitching", "Techniques of Adhesion" etc. They will be absolutely invaluable to you as a beginner and will keep you busy for a while practicing them. Of course I realize that it is more fun to create an actual usable item while practicing these techniques so I would suggest looking online for patterns that you can download. Places like Etsy have patterns that you can download affordably. There's also leathercraft pattern.com that has a bunch of patterns that I have used in the past. Sometimes they have instructions for assembly and sometimes not. You'll just have to do a bit of searching to find projects that interest you. Phil does have some new pattern projects that you can buy in the "shop" section of the website. At the end of the day, it's important just to get crafting and learn as you go. Often times you just need to get creative and make do with what you have. Realize that you'll probably never have all the tools you need, and so you have to make what you have work. You're getting top notch instruction now. Have fun, make mistakes, ask questions here and just keep at it.