Tim Tierney came to us a couple of years ago to get familiar with sewing terms and methods of construction.

Since then, he and his business partners have founded Stock Manufacturing on Chicago’s Near-West side.

Every now and then he pops in to just hang out or learn something specific.  The latest thing he wanted to understand was basic leather working with hand tools.  He brought us this great set of antique punches and awls and said “let’s go!”.

He got to work draughting out his basic shape and then working out the details with an awl and a hand-sewn lockstitch.

 

At the end of a couple of visits, he had a simple and elegantly functional wallet as well as a case for his glasses.

Not bad for the first time out of the gate!

 

We’ve got really interesting students who take their projects in all kinds of directions.  If you want to keep track of Stock Manufacturing and see what they are up to, you can follow them on Facebook.