I was asked by a customer, if I could make a leather collar for her little dog - so I agreed to have a go. I designed it myself, using photos of other collars to help me work out where the hardware should be placed and thinking through the issues of shape, lining, strength, structure and how to fix the hardware in place etc. The stitching came out okay, but had a few wobbles, due to the challenges of the structure and lining, but otherwise it all went very well. The customer doesn't mind the odd wobble in the stitches (she says it makes it more authentically hand made!), but I'll be working on that with the next one. Skills I used: design, pattern making, cutting and punching, strap cutting and shaping, paring and thinning, edge finishing, pricking, marking and stitching, working with hardware, making keeper loops, creating a lining and attaching it... probably some others that I've forgotten. I'm very pleased with the end result, even if it could do with improvement in several areas. We all have to have a "first attempt" and I'm glad mine came out well enough to please my customer.
One very proud owner of their dog collar