Beginner’s Leathercraft Starter Checklist

If you are new to leathercraft, knowing what to buy first is genuinely difficult. There is a lot of conflicting advice online, plenty of unnecessary tools marketed at beginners, and very little guidance that is specific to the UK.

This checklist covers everything you actually need to get started — organised by process, with notes on what to buy now and what can wait. It is unbranded and printable, so you can use it however suits you.

Two versions available

Quick Reference — one page

A clean tick-box list covering all the essential tools, consumables, and supplies. No notes — just the list. Print it, take it shopping, tick things off as you build your bench.

Download — Beginner’s Leathercraft Starter Checklist (Quick Reference)

Full Guide — with notes and tips

The complete version. Each item includes a practical note explaining what it does, what to look for when buying, and why it belongs on the list. Also includes leather thickness guidance for different project types and a section covering leathercraft with physical limitations.

Download — Beginner’s Leathercraft Starter Checklist (Full Guide)

What the checklist covers

The list is organised around how leathercraft actually works — in the order you use the tools. Safety and workspace basics come first, then marking, cutting, gluing, punching, stitching, and edge finishing. Optional tools that are useful early on are listed separately so you can make that call yourself.

Product examples are included in brackets throughout — not as the only option, but as a reference point for what a good choice looks like.

A note on leather

The full guide includes a brief leather section covering where to start and what thickness suits different projects. The short version ends with a one-line summary. Either way: start with vegetable-tanned leather. It is the most forgiving, the most workable, and the most suitable for learning the fundamentals.