Authors: Valerie Schafer Franklin and Geoffrey Franklin
Publisher: Alpha Books
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Format: 233 mm x 195 mm
Features: 192 pages, full color, paperback
Language: English
Printed In: China
ISBN: 9781615648955
from $4.95 USD 
*Written and Signed by the Authors at Walnut Studiolo!*
Curious about leather crafting? Let us teach you how to create your own gorgeous leather projects with our glossy new leathercrafting book, published by DK Publishing as the newest addition to their how-to book series, Idiot's Guide: Leather Crafts.
Walnut Studiolo owners Geoffrey and Valerie Franklin were approached by Alpha Books, a member of DK Publishing and the Penguin Group, to write a how-to guide. Over the following months, Geoff created 20 projects and 34 accompanying techniques, which Valerie wrote into step-by-step instructions. We also researched and wrote a primer to leather crafts, covering tools and material purchasing. Every step is accompanied with crisp photography by our favorite photographer, Erin Berzel.
DK Publishing and the Idiot's Guide series were a perfect partner for Walnut Studiolo's leathercrafting expertise. We have always admired the quality and quantity of imagery and photography used in DK books, and the how-to book know-how of the Idiot's Guide series was a neat and clean fit for our long-time desire to write a beginner's book on leathercrafting. The editing and design team was a delight to work with, and it ensured that this book was finished professionally.
We arranged the projects in order of difficulty, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced projects, such that each successive project builds on the techniques explored in the previous projects. If you like Walnut Studiolo's sense of design, you'll love poring through these pages! The 20 projects include modified versions of Walnut Studiolo favorites (including a Bicycle Mud Flap and Drink Coasters), modern hipster goods (like a Mason Jar Sleeve and Leather Valet), and outstanding bag designs, including a convertible Tote Backpack and a lush Lineman's Bag.
We wrote this book, wishing we'd had it when we got started. There is very little on the market to help modern leathercrafters make clean-lined projects, and we were entirely self-taught.
All of the books sold here come signed by the authors, Walnut Studiolo's owner team Geoffrey and Valerie Franklin.
If you'd like a personalized dedication, please indicate your requested message in the "Message to Seller" box during checkout.
Part of the artisanal/DIY movement is about authenticity and quality, with a return to simplicity, real values, genuine materials, and careful craftsmanship. Leather is one of those authentic materials, and while it has always been used for handbags and gloves, it’s enjoying a resurgence in the field of crafts.
Idiot’s Guides: Leather Crafts offers 20 projects (illustrated with copious step-by-step photos), ranging from beginner to advanced, each one building on the skills that have been taught in prior projects. Unlike most existing books on leathercraft, which come with a heavy whiff of the ‘70s, this one has a sleek, modern aesthetic. The projects are functional, and the minimal, elegant embellishment and natural finishes will keep them timeless.
The book includes:
"Leather" at Walnut means only the highest quality, full grain, un-sanded, non-stamped, natural cowhides. (For a wood analogy, it's like using a real wood board instead of particleboard or veneer.)
"Vegetable-tanned" means the hides are "tanned" (preserved for long life) using naturally-occurring oak bark and plant tannins. Just how pretty much all leather was tanned for millennia until the Industrial Revolution. (Nowadays over 90% of leather is tanned with chromium/mercury - the leather we use is the 10%.)
"American-made" means that the cow hides, which are a by-product using up the waste created by the beef industry, are from American cows, and the hides are tanned in American tanneries, which follow more stringent EPA environmental laws. (Vanishingly rare these days.)
"Uses" means we take the raw material by the hide and transform it through: cutting and shaping; hand-dying with natural oil dyes (which is like staining wood to allow the woodgrain to shine through, rather than painting it); and treating the edges into all the products you see here on our website.
Since we're using such a natural material, your product may look slightly different from the product pictures. Real, natural leather hide has unique characteristics that individually personalize each product. Each piece of leather is distinctive in its base color, grain, and markings, which may include small scars, mars, or blemishes that are a natural part of the cow's life and a sign of the high quality of the leather we use.
Walnut uses "English-style bridle leather" for a very few of our products, each of which is labeled in the Materials. Bridle leather is vegetable-tanned leather that is dyed at the tannery and infused with extra waxes and oils for more weather resistance. It's important for only a few products, such as our Bicycle Mud Flaps. The tannery dyes create a homogenous surface with a matte finish that matches the color of our hand-dyed veg-tan leather but not the lustrous natural leather grain.
Sign up for our Free Leather Learning Series.
Explained: Garment Leather vs Vegetable-Tanned Leather
(What is Vegetable-Tanned Leather? Learn more.)
(Shop our house-made Leather Care Conditioner.)
Our vegetable-tanned leather does great in all weather, rain or shine. It is the same kind of old-fashioned heritage leather used in equestrian gear (horse tack), so it is meant to be used outdoors and in the elements!
Being left out in a hot, direct sun is much harder on this kind of leather than wetness and rain; however, after getting wet the leather needs time to dry or else it will mildew.
Vegetable-tanned leather gains more of a luster, darkens a bit, and becomes softer with use (unlike garment leather, which fades and becomes more brittle with time and use). Un-dyed vegetable-tanned leather (our "Natural" color) will "tan" or darken in sunlight.
Vegetable-tanned leather just loves to be touched - the oils in your hands naturally condition the leather the more you use it. In fact, some of our products that are constantly handled, like our bicycle sew-on bar wraps, may rarely ever need a conditioning treatment - if they look lustrous and shiny from your hands touching and sweating on them regularly, then no need to worry.
Whether it's veg-tan or bridle leather, we recommend conditioning the leather occasionally, especially if it starts to look dry, using the care recommendations below.
If your product is starting to look dry, take the time to give it a little care with a conditioning treatment. Care for it as little as once every year or two for occasional use with good storage conditions and as much as once a quarter for heavy outdoor use in the direct sun with dry humidity.
If your leather gets dirty, clean it with diluted mild castile soap (like unscented Dr. Bronners) or unscented dishwashing liquid. Dilute the soap/liquid at least 1:10 (it should not be sudsy), and allow to fully dry before conditioning.
Keep in mind that conditioning leather usually darkens it slightly. Don't worry, this is normal. In fact, doing this several times in a row can speed up the natural darkening process that happens during aging and can also help you fine-tune the color match, if for example, you're trying to match an aged Brooks saddle.
Want to know more about leather? We wrote a FREE "Leather 101" educational course.
Want to know even more? We wrote a book! Check out the Idiot's Guide to Leather Crafts, written by Geoff and Valerie.
A: "Studiolo" is an architecture term for a small private cabinet or study room. The "lo" is a diminutive, like "little studio." And Geoff is an architecture nerd.
A: Yes, really! We know, there's a lot of "handmade washing" these days and it's diluting the meaning for real people like us. Geoff makes everything in our home, in small batches. He uses hand-tools and everything. In 2016, we upgraded our home garage from a two-car to a full-sized workshop by moving from urban Portland to the rural Oregon Coast. To see a short video of Geoff's handiwork in action and see "what handmade means to us", go to: http://vimeo.com/cineastas/walnut
A: Thank you for your support! We are a grassroots company and we appreciate all the grassroots support we've had to keep it going. Here's what can help us:
A: Great! Leather has always traditionally been an outdoor material (think equestrian gear, work boots, etc). We use the same high-quality leather used for horse gear and bridles, so it's designed to withstand the elements. Leather is an exceptionally durable material, which is why we like working with it. That said, we recommend taking care of your leather using the directions on our Leather Care page.
A: Sorry, but no! We don't recommend our products for use on motorcycles. We don't have access to a motorcycle to design them for. There's a wonderful motorcycle-specific leather craftsman in Oregon called Langlitz Leathers you might want to check out, or for your custom project, check out the website Custom Made, or there are other leathercrafters on Etsy that may be able to help out.
A: Our vegetable-tanned leather darkens naturally with age and use, but you can speed up the process with a conditioning treatment. Read more on our blog post.
A: Nothing is theft-proof these days. But read this blog post for customer ideas on how to deter theft of your leather bicycle accessories.
A: The bottom line is, you can make any bike beautiful and uniquely yours - that's the fun part! The two bicycles shown in most of our pictures are a 1980's Bianchi that we stripped completely down, had powder-coated in cream and chocolate colors, and re-built all the components from the ground up. The dark blue road bike with honey leather wraps on the handlebars and top tube is a 1970s era vintage French Detouron that we found on eBay, delivered straight from France.
Check out this page with FAQ specific to our Leather Handlebar Wraps.
We are pleased to offer FREE Domestic Shipping with a minimum order and Free Local Pickups. For our latest offer, check out our Shipping Promotions page.
We offer multiple domestic shipping options to US addresses using the US Postal Service and FedEx, with prices calculated in real-time!
Free Standard Shipping delivery times apply to USPS First Class Post (2-5 days).
If USPS gives us an error message regarding the address, we may write to request an alternate address to prevent the item from being shipped and returned. This may delay your order.
If your package is returned to us, we will rely on you for further instructions. Re-sending the package may incur duplicate shipping charges, and any active free shipping offers do not apply to re-sending returned packages.
If you have any questions about your order or a particular deadline, please contact us using the link below so we can talk about the options and costs:
Walnut Studiolo can ship to over 200 countries* and we have proudly shipped already to over 50 countries around the world!
We are pleased to offer promotional FLAT RATE shipping rates world-wide, which vary by country/region. For our latest offers, check out ourShipping Promotions page.
It depends on what you order and when you need it! Use the Shipping Calculator in the Shopping Cart page to get an estimate.
With the exception of our promotional Canada Flat Rate DDP service, we do not collect international import taxes or VAT/GST taxes on your behalf.
When your package arrives, your country may charge you additional taxes on the order. We cannot reimburse you for your country's import taxes. Please check with your local country's customs office to find out how much taxes will be to your country - they could easily be as much as 20%-30% of the purchase price, including the cost of shipping.
If you need to know the HTS import tariff code to estimate taxes, please contact us. If this changes your mind on the order, no problem, let us know and we'd be happy to cancel it for you and refund your money in full.
--> To get an estimate on these costs, please review Duty Calculator.
To avoid this headache and get your item faster and without import taxes, take a look at our Retailers page to see if there is a Retailer near you: http://walnutstudiolo.com/pages/retailers
*For our customers in Brazil, we highly recommend you use a freight forwarding service or a 3rd party carrier such as DHL Express due to exceptionally slow post in Brazil, often taking 3 months or even more.
Due to US laws, these are the countries Walnut Studiolo CANNOT ship to. For a current and complete list of sanctions and embargoes, please see the US Trade Office website.
Myanmar (Burma)
Cuba
Iran
North Korea
Russia
Sudan
Syria
Walnut Studiolo now carries a small stock of most of our items in most color combinations, and can get the majority items into the mail within 1-3 business days.
However, we still do make some of our items to order.
If we need to make it to order, hand-stitched items generally take longer, and may take as long as 1-2 weeks to make.
Please note, monogramming will add time to your order, anywhere from 1-2 days to 1-2 weeks.
If you have any questions about your order or need to get an order on a particular deadline, please contact us using the link below so we can be sure to prioritize your order or talk about shipping options:
If we can't make your time frame and you'd like us to cancel the order, we will be happy to cancel your order and refund your payment, no questions asked.
We accept returns of clean and undamaged merchandise in re-sellable condition within 30 days of delivery for exchange or refund. Return shipping cost is the responsibility of the customer.
If you're not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, just let us know why, and we'll work with you to find a satisfactory resolution. Please contact us so we can talk about the options.
We do not accept returns on the following items: custom, gift cards, "AS-IS," monogrammed, or laser-engraved products, and closeout sales (unless there is a serious manufacturing defect). In certain uncommon cases, we reserve the right to refuse excessive returns, entirely at our discretion.
Refunds will be credited to the original payment method for the product value only (not the cost of shipping or any gift wrapping fees). For orders that received a free shipping promotion, the refund will be less the actual cost of the original shipping.
Exchanges may be issued as a store credit, or as a direct exchange for other products, which we will ship to you with no additional shipping charge (US addresses only; shipping charges apply to international exchanges). Any difference in total value will either be refunded or invoiced. International exchanges will be marked accordingly on customs forms.
Replacement Parts Policy: We provide a replacement guarantee for missing or damaged parts under the following conditions: 1) Notification within 30 days of delivery, and 2) Provide an unboxing photo or video demonstrating the issue, and 3) The evidence does not contra-indicate the claim. We will research each issue within 72 hours, including the carrier's package shipping weight and combined parts weights. Please note the same policy applies regardless of where the order is shipped: if the order is shipped to a third party, such as a contractor, we have the same requirements. We have a two-step QA/QC process to ensure we fulfill and ship your orders correctly the first time, with a 99.8% perfect order track record. Please carefully review the package, try opening the box upside down to make sure there are no "false bottoms", and count the parts prior to contacting us.
After the return window, we may accept returns of non-defective merchandise on a discretionary basis for exchange or merchandise credit for the purchased value of the product.
Restocking fees may be assessed in some cases, depending on the circumstances, such as a large handle orders with complex kitting and parts, not to exceed 10%.
Nonrefundable payment processing fees may apply. If payment processors, including PayPal and/or ShopPay, do not refund payment processing commissions (approximately 3%), then the funds are unavailable for us to return to you.
Undeliverable packages (such as: incorrect addresses, non-deliverable addresses, unclaimed packages, refusal to pay customs duties, or failed delivery attempts) are considered abandoned. They may be destroyed by the carrier or returned to sender. If we receive them back returned to sender, we will hold them for up to 6 months for re-delivery or return instructions. Please contact us if you have not received your package so we can discuss options, including shipping insurance. Please note, shipping fees for re-delivery are paid by the recipient.
Warranty: If you believe there is a quality issue or manufacturing defect on our part, please contact us and if possible provide photos to help explain the problem. Assuming we concur and a return or exchange is required, in these cases we will provide you with a postage-paid return label (US addresses only). (Note that the normal variations in leather inherent to the quality of the hide are not considered manufacturing or quality defects, but rather are a signal of the genuine, natural, and high-quality material we use.) See more about our warranty in the footer link.
To send in a return, simply ship the merchandise with:
An email in advance is always appreciated so we can be on the lookout for the package.
Please package your returns carefully to ensure they do not get damaged during return transit to:
Walnut Studiolo
Attn: Customer Returns
36005 Highway 53
Nehalem, OR 97131
USA
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