Gift Ideas for Leather Workers and Leather Crafters

Choosing the right gift for a coworker or leather-worker friend can be tricky, which are supposed to be more than usual items we pick up from local drugstores. That’s mainly because people not in the leather industry usually don’t know the ins and outs of the trade. This guide aims to give you a starting point and help you find the right gift for a leather craftsman or craftswoman.  

Gift Ideas for a Leather Worker

There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to gifting something to a leather craftsman. The key here is to try to find and give them something they want and either don’t have it or cannot buy it for themselves. It can be something that can make their job easier such as a tool that can help in projects. Here are a few ideas that can help you pick the right gift for a leather craftsman.

Leather Supplies / Crafting Kit

A leather crafting kit can be one of the best gifts for a leather worker. While you might think that they already have it, there is a fair chance that the kit they have has worn out and is no longer useful. Similarly, someone might have started off with a beginner’s leather kit and now they want to move up the ladder. Even if someone has been working as a professional leather craftsman, their kit might have worn off after years of wear and tear.

The important thing here is to dig for information without directly telling him/her about your real plans (if it’s a surprise gift). If you are unsure about what your friend is missing in his leather kit, try talking it out. It’s better not to explain directly why you are asking about it. Instead, talk about it in a regular conversation to keep the element of surprise. 

You don’t necessarily have to buy a full kit and can also consider buying important tools. Following are some of the most important tools leather workers use to get their job done.

Item Usage
Rotary Punch Helps in punching holes in leather
Osborne Leather Working Hammer Helps in stamping, marking, and flattening the leather
Leather Edge Beveller Helps in removing square corners from the edges of leather products
Stitching Grover Helps in creating grooves (stitching channels) in the leather
Cutter Punch Helps in cutting out particular shapes from the leather. 
Miscellaneous Items (Scissors, Brushes, Leather Glue, Thimble, Wax) Help in routine activities during leather crafting

Additionally, you can also get your friend some leather/hide for their day-to-day work. Gifting Shell Cordovan can make a passionate leather craftsman ecstatic, but it’s very expensive with a long lead time to get. There are different types of leather so be sure to choose wisely according to what your friend already uses. For example, if he exclusively makes shoes, gifting goat leather might not be the best option as cowhide is the norm for making leather shoes.

Leather crafting tools

Outfit Ideas

There are plenty of ways in which you can gift an outfit to a leather worker. One of the best ideas is to give the person an apron with padding for comfort and pockets for accessibility. Such aprons add comfort by relieving stress on the neck and shoulders. If your friend is a male, a dark-colored apron is probably a better choice, while for females a bright-colored apron might be a better option.

Another great outfit idea could be a customized shirt. A person who does not prefer wearing an apron might actually like a customized shirt. Have it designed your way including the text and the pictures. Here are a few ideas that you can consider.

  • A quote about hard work and a picture of a person working on leather items.
  • A shirt with different types of leather products printed on it.
  • A shirt with a pun about leather on it.

Learning Material

A leather crafter can actually make great use of learning material. This includes CDs, DVDs, books, subscriptions, magazines, or any other form of learning that could help the leather crafter in developing or improving skills. If the person is fond of reading, you could buy him a book on advanced leather crafts. 

Likewise, if you think that the person will be more convenient in watching videos, you can buy them a subscription for a specific course on leather crafts. Online courses are already making their way as one of the easiest ways of learning. Udemy, Coursera, and Edx are a few of the best online platforms providing video-based learning sessions to students. Whether you choose a CD, book, or subscription, it will be a quite useful gift for a leather worker. 

Moreover, you can also provide access to learning material by enrolling your friend in an institute that teaches about leather crafting. Not everyone is a fan of learning via videos or books as some people are looking for more focused instruction and practical learning. You are just one “Google search” away from finding a suitable leather crafts institute for your friend. However, this option might be a little more burden on your pocket compared to the other ones because institutes usually charge a hefty fee for practical courses. 

A man reading a book

Customized Items

Customized items are a great option if you are on a tight budget.  You can easily have your own design and text on these items. All you need to do is to provide the appropriate design to a company that makes customized products. Common examples of customized items include

  • Customized Cups
  • Customized Keychains
  • Customized Wallets
  • Customized Caps

There are plenty of ideas to choose from as a gift for your fellow leather worker including: 

  • A customized leather cap with the person’s name on it.
  • A customized keychain with the person’s picture or name on it. (Leather keychains are also a great idea)
  • A leather wallet with the person’s name engraved on it.
  • A customized cup with a picture of the person, a quote, or both.

It’s worth mentioning that customized gifts for men will be different compared to customized gifts for women. Therefore, think about what your friend might like and you will be able to figure out just the right design for any of the above-mentioned customized products. 

A Gift Card

If you can’t seem to figure out the right gift, or simply, you want the person to choose a gift themselves, you can give them a gift card. This way, they can buy anything that they require the most at the moment. You can get a gift card from Amazon, eBay, and Walmart for different prices. They have a wide range of products that are useful for leather crafters. The gift cards are priced in variations so you can get one according to your budget and give it to your friend. 

2 Gift Cards

Conclusion

Your leather crafter friend deserves appreciation and giving them a gift is one of the best ways to do that. We hope that the above-mentioned gift ideas for leather workers will help you in choosing the right gift. Try giving some extra thought to each of these ideas and you might come up with more creative ideas according to what your friend might like the most.