Project Summary:

Cutting your own leather fringe has many great benefits including being able to pick your own leather so it ties in with the project you are using it on. It also enables you to cut nice, long fringe and choose the width of the spine on the fringe, which in turn allows you plenty of room to work with and stitch the fringe onto your project. In this tutorial we will be showing you how to cut ¼" fringe with a 1" spine for a leather tassel.

What You Need:

· Leather of your choice — chrome tanned or a thin veg tan works best (09-1050S-2/3, 09-1000S, 09-1007S)

· Utility Knife (65-2860)

· Steel Square (65-3038)

· Silent Poundo Board (3461-01, 3461-02)

Step 1: Cut Piece of Leather

Cut your piece of leather to the size you want your fringe to be. Make sure you add room for the spine, or uncut portion. We recommend a 1" spine.

Step 2: Place Steel Square on Leather

Using your Steel Square, place the top edge against the top of your leather; the 1" arm of your straight edge will work as your uncut portion. In this tutorial we are making ¼" fringe; however, you can choose any width you like. Once you have your Steel Square flush with the top of your leather, come in ¼" and cut your first strand, running your Utility Knife blade along the edge of your Steel Square.

*Tip: For a nice, clean cut we recommend putting non-slip tape on the back of your Steel Square to ensure it does not slide around when cutting your fringe.

Step 3: Cut and Slide Steel Square

Continue this process, sliding your Steel Square in ¼" increments until you have your desired width of fringe.

Step 4: Cut Off From Large Piece of Leather

If you’re making a tassel like we are in this tutorial, slide the Steel Square over another ¼" and fully cut the fringe piece from the rest of the leather.

Step 5: Trim Bottom

If the bottom of the fringe has any pieces where your Utility Knife cut a little bit to the left, use your Steel Square and trim about an ⅛" inch off so you have nice, even ends.

Step 6: Completion

You now have a finished piece of fringe. These are the basics to fringe cutting, and although this is a tedious process, if you’re patient you will be so pleased with the end result!