Leather, Shoe and Bag Making

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, women's groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why leather, shoes and bags

• Ghana has a living leather tradition. In Tamale's Zongo-Mazeema area a tannery has worked since the 1940s, and its "leather boys" make handbags, shoes, belts, sandals, drum heads and other goods.
• Kumasi is the main hub. Shoemakers at Kejetia Market say quality Kumasi-made slippers and shoes sell for about GH¢100 to GH¢250, while cheap imported rubber slippers sell for GH¢30 to GH¢70.
• The trade is under pressure. In May 2026 the Ghana Leather and Footwear Manufacturers Association said more than 70% of footwear sold in Ghana in 2024–2025 came from China, and asked for a "Buy Ghana Made Footwear" campaign and for state bodies to buy from certified local makers. Good quality and honest leather are how a small maker competes.
• Government programmes still train people in the craft: in June 2026, 228 women completed an apprenticeship in weaving and leatherwork in the Upper West Region.
• CTVET lists Leather Works Technology from National Proficiency I up to HND.

How to read this manual

• Every unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, a range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent.
• About 70% of the time is practical (the same split CTVET used for its Oil Palm programme).
• Steps are numbered. Do them in order. A line that ends with a source name in brackets comes from the sources list at the back. A step with no source is standard safe practice or the author's teaching advice, not a measured figure.
• Any number marked example is made up to practise sums. Replace it with your own local prices.
• Every unit ends with a Check yourself of three questions. Answers are in the Teacher Copy.

Competency standard

Range. The training workshop: cutting table, glue station, stitching area and store. Evidence. Knife and glue checks; workshop set-up checklist; emergency drill; oral questions.

The hazards, one by one

Knives, punches and awls. Leather is tough, so you press hard. If the knife slips, it goes where your other hand is. Most cuts in leatherwork happen to the hand holding the ruler or the leather (author's teaching advice).

Solvent glue (contact cement). Many shoe and leather glues contain solvents such as n-hexane or toluene. n-Hexane is a highly flammable liquid: its flash point is −7 °F (about −22 °C), so it gives off vapour that can catch fire at any room temperature in Ghana. Breathing it can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and, over time, peripheral neuropathy: numb hands and feet and weak muscles. In the 1960s and 1970s dozens of shoe workers in Japan and Italy got this nerve damage from n-hexane glue solutions; prevention means controlling exposure and using less toxic products where possible.

Leather dust. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says boot and shoe manufacture and repair carry exposures that cause cancer in humans (Group 1). Nasal (nose) cancer was much more common in the dustiest work, the preparation and finishing rooms where leather is cut, trimmed and sanded, and leather dust is the likely cause.

Benzene. Some old glues and solvents contained benzene; leukaemia among shoemakers exposed to benzene is well documented. Never buy a glue or thinner that does not show what is in it.

Needles, hammers and your body. Needles prick, mallets hit thumbs, and long hours bent over a low table hurt your back and neck. Work at a table at waist or elbow height and stand up to stretch every hour (author's teaching advice).

Knife rules

1. A sharp knife is safer than a blunt one. A blunt knife needs more force and slips. Change or strop the blade as soon as it drags (author's teaching rule).
2. Cut away from your body and never towards your other hand.
3. Keep your holding hand flat on the ruler, fingers spread, behind the ruler's edge. Use a steel ruler, never plastic or wood, because the knife can ride over them.
4. Cut on a mat or hardwood board, never on your lap or the table top.
5. Several light cuts are better than one hard cut on thick leather.
6. Never try to catch a falling knife. Step back and let it fall.
7. Pass a knife handle first, or put it down on the table for the other person to pick up.
8. Close, cover or put away every knife when you finish. Snap off used blades into a closed tin, not the dustbin.
9. Punch on a hard board with a mallet, holding the punch upright; keep fingers off the top of the punch.

Glue rules

1. Air first. Glue only outdoors under shade or in a room with doors and windows open on two sides so air moves through. A fan blowing fumes away from you and out of the room helps (author's teaching advice).
2. No flame, no smoking, no sparks anywhere near glue: no gas stove, candle, mosquito coil, cigarette or welding. Switch off electric heaters and grinders nearby.
3. Pour a little into a small tin or jar lid. Close the big tin at once.
4. Wear gloves or keep glue off your skin; it irritates skin and airways. Wash hands with soap and water before eating.
5. Never sniff glue and never let children near it. Keep glue locked away from children: glue sniffing harms young people.
6. Store tins closed, upright, in a cool, shaded, locked cupboard away from heat and sunlight.
7. Glue rags go into a metal bin with a lid, emptied daily outdoors. Never leave them in a heap.
8. Use water-based contact cement when you can for light work: it is non-flammable and has less fume, though it is weaker than solvent glue.
9. If you feel dizzy, sick or get a headache, stop, go into fresh air and tell your trainer. Numbness or tingling in your feet or hands that does not go away needs a clinic visit; say you work with glue.

Dust rules

1. Cut and trim, do not grind, where you can. Sand only small areas by hand.
2. Wear a dust mask (FFP2 or P2 type) when you sand, buff or rasp leather (author's teaching advice, based on the cancer evidence).
3. Sand outdoors or near an open door, with the wind behind you.
4. Clean with a damp cloth, never by blowing or dry sweeping.
5. Shake out your apron outside and wash work clothes separately.

Set up a safe work space

1. Choose a bright place with good air flow: daylight helps you see your lines.
2. Put the cutting table at a height where you can press down with straight arms (about hip to waist height).
3. Put the glue station near the open door or outside, at least a few metres from any cooking fire or gas (author's teaching advice).
4. Keep a first-aid kit (plasters, clean gauze, bandage) and a dry powder fire extinguisher where everyone can see them.
5. Keep a knife tin and a sharps tin for old blades and broken needles.
6. Keep floors clear of offcuts: they are slippery.

Emergency drills

Check yourself: Unit 1

1. Why is a sharp knife safer than a blunt one?
2. Name three glue rules.
3. Which part of shoemaking has the highest risk of nose cancer, and why?

Competency standard

Range. At least four kinds of leather and two alternatives. Evidence. Leather sample card; inspection record; oral questions.

What leather is

Leather is a strong, flexible material made by tanning animal skins and hides so they do not rot. Most leather comes from cattle (about 65%), then sheep (about 13%), goats (about 11%) and pigs (about 10%). In northern Ghana, goat, sheep and cow skins are tanned locally.

Two main kinds of tanning

In Ghana, local tanners mostly use the pods of Acacia nilotica, called bagaruwa; supply is seasonal and over-harvested, and researchers at KNUST are testing cashew bark, neem bark and cocoa pod husk instead. A study of northern Ghana's indigenous leather found problems with poor tools, leather that smells and goes mouldy, and dyes that fade. Check local leather carefully before you buy.

Grades of leather

• Full-grain: the top layer of the hide with its natural surface. The best quality; it ages nicely.
• Corrected grain: the surface has been sanded and a pattern pressed in.
• Nubuck: the grain side sanded to a velvet feel.
• Split and suede: the lower layer of the hide; suede is the soft, napped side.
• Bonded leather: scraps shredded and glued onto a backing; it can be 10% to 90% leather fibre. It peels and cracks; do not sell it as real leather.
• "Genuine leather" is not a grade. It may only mean "contains leather".

Thickness: millimetres and ounces

Leather thickness is often given in ounces (oz). This is thickness, not weight: 1 oz is about 0.4 mm.

For layered items like a lined belt or a wallet, the total thickness of all layers matters. Measure with a ruler on a cut edge, or better, with a cheap thickness gauge or vernier caliper.

Alternatives to leather

• Artificial (synthetic) leather: a plastic coating of polyurethane (PU) or vinyl (PVC) on a cloth backing. It is cheaper and even, but it does not breathe, it cracks with time, and edges cannot be burnished. Sell it as "PU" or "synthetic", never as leather.
• Plant-based materials: mushroom-based "leather" is described as biodegradable. These are imported and expensive; at this level, just know they exist.
• Fabric and leather together: bags of strong local cloth (canvas, batik, kente-inspired prints) with leather handles and corners use less leather (author's idea). Name the cloth honestly.

Inspect leather before you buy

1. Look at both sides in daylight. Note holes, cuts, brand marks, insect bites, deep scratches and thin spots.
2. Smell it. A rotten or sour smell, or white or green spots, means poor tanning or mould.
3. Bend a corner. Good leather bends without cracking on the grain side.
4. Rub a damp white cloth on the colour. If a lot of colour comes off, it will stain clothes.
5. Measure the thickness in several places. Hides are thinner at the belly (the soft edges) and thicker along the back.
6. Plan where you will cut: the firm back for belts and sandal straps, the softer belly for linings and small pieces (author's guidance).

Where to buy

• Kumasi is the hub of shoemaking and leatherwork, with shoemakers at Kejetia Market and a footwear area at Asafo. Ask the shoemakers where they buy leather, soles and glue.
• Northern Ghana (Tamale, Bolgatanga and nearby) has traditional tanners of goat and sheep skins.
• Takoradi: shops selling shoe-repair materials around the market were not verified for this manual. Visit the Market Circle area and ask the shoe repairers (author's advice).
• Online: leather-working tools such as a revolving hole punch plier were advertised in Ghana for about GH¢240 in October 2026. Check the seller and the item before paying.

Check yourself: Unit 2

1. Give two differences between veg-tanned and chrome-tanned leather.
2. About how many millimetres is 5 oz leather?
3. Why must you never call PU or bonded leather "real leather"?

Competency standard

Range. Card patterns for a key holder and a card wallet; cutting on veg-tan and chrome-tan leather. Evidence. Labelled patterns; cut pieces; layout record.

Your basic tool kit

Make a pattern

Patterns are drawn on thin card so you can trace them again and again.

1. Draw the finished shape on paper with a pencil and ruler. Use a set square for every corner.
2. Mark the stitch line: for small goods, about 3–4 mm in from the edge (author's guidance for 3 mm stitch spacing).
3. Mark fold lines, holes, snap positions and the grain direction (along the backbone line for straps, so they stretch less) (author's guidance).
4. Glue the paper onto card, or trace it onto card. Cut the card carefully with a knife and steel ruler.
5. Label every pattern piece: product, piece name, how many to cut, leather type and thickness, date.
6. Make a test in paper or cheap card first. Fold it into the product and check sizes (for example, does a bank card fit with 3–4 mm to spare each side?).
7. Store patterns flat in a big envelope.

Lay out and mark

1. Put the leather grain side up on the clean cutting board.
2. Place the biggest pattern pieces first on the best part of the leather, then fit small pieces into the gaps.
3. Keep straps along the length of the back (author's guidance).
4. Avoid faults you marked in Unit 2.
5. Hold the pattern down firmly and trace around it with a silver pen or a sharp pencil. On veg-tan you can lightly scratch the line with an awl.
6. Write the piece name in the waste area beside each piece so they are not mixed up.

Cut cleanly

1. Straight lines: lay the steel ruler on the line, with the leather piece under the ruler (so if the knife slips it goes into the waste). Press the ruler down with a flat, spread hand.
2. Hold the knife upright (90° to the leather) so the edge is square, not slanted.
3. Make one light cut to set the line, then one or two firmer cuts until the blade goes through.
4. Curves and corners: cut slowly with short strokes; turn the leather, not your wrist. For round corners, use a coin or a round punch as a guide.
5. Inside corners: punch a small hole at the corner first, then cut to the hole; it stops tears.
6. Check: the piece matches the pattern, edges are square and smooth, and there are no "steps" in the line.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself: Unit 3

1. What must every pattern piece label show?
2. Where do you put the ruler when cutting a straight line, and why?
3. How do you stop an inside corner from tearing?

Competency standard

Range. Practice strips; the key holder and card wallet from Unit 3. Evidence. Stitched and finished practice strips; finished pieces; oral questions.

Gluing with contact cement

Contact cement goes on both surfaces, dries until it is tacky, and then sticks the moment the two touch. You cannot move the pieces after they touch.

1. Safety check (Unit 1): air moving, no flames, gloves, small amount poured.
2. Clean the gluing area with a damp cloth; oil or conditioner stops glue holding.
3. Roughen smooth grain lightly with fine sandpaper only where the glue will go, so the glue can grip. Keep a mask on.
4. Dry-fit the pieces to check they line up.
5. Spread a thin, even coat on both surfaces with a spreader or old card. Thick coats trap air and weaken the bond. Leather soaks glue up, so the rough flesh side may need two coats.
6. Wait for tack: the glue looks dull and feels dry, not wet, when you touch it lightly with a knuckle. Joining too early causes blisters and a weak bond.
7. Line up one edge or corner, then lay the rest down slowly. Press hard all over with a roller, the flat of a mallet, or your hands.
8. Wait at least about 30 minutes before stitching or handling hard; full strength takes several hours. Times change with heat and humidity, so read the tin.
9. Close the tin, put the rag in the metal bin, wash your hands.

Mark and punch the stitch holes

1. Set the wing divider to the stitch line distance (for example 3–4 mm) and run it along the edge to scratch a line, or cut a shallow channel with a stitching groover.
2. Put the leather on a hard board (or a rubber pad on the board).
3. Stand the pricking iron upright on the line and strike it with the mallet. On thin leather you can go through; on thick leather just mark the surface and open each hole with the awl as you stitch.
4. For the next strike, put the first tooth of the iron into the last hole you made. This keeps spacing even.
5. Use a two-tooth iron on curves and corners so the spacing stays even.
6. Common spacings are 2.7 mm (about 9 stitches per inch), 3 mm (8), 3.38 mm (7) and 3.85 mm (6). Smaller spacing looks finer for wallets; larger spacing suits belts and bags.

Saddle stitch, step by step

1. Measure thread: about five times the length of the seam. Running short in the middle of a seam is worse than wasting a little thread.
2. Thread a needle on each end. Waxed polyester needs only one pass through the eye. For linen, pierce the thread about 1 cm from the end and slide it back over the eye to lock it.
3. Clamp the work in the stitching pony with the stitch line facing up, and start at the far end.
4. First hole: push one needle through and pull until the two ends are equal on both sides.
5. Each stitch: open the next hole with the awl if needed. Push the left needle through to the right side. Then push the right needle through the same hole, passing behind the first thread, and pull both threads firmly and evenly. Always do it in the same order so the stitches all slope the same way.
6. Lock as you go: many makers loop or "cast" the thread around the needle so each stitch locks. At Level 1, just keep the same order and the same pull.
7. Finish: go back two or three holes (back stitch) so the ends are held.
8. Ends: with polyester, trim about 1 mm from the leather and melt the end carefully with a lighter, keeping the flame off the leather and away from glue; with linen, put a tiny drop of glue in the hole. Never use a lighter near open glue.
9. Set the stitches: tap them flat with a smooth mallet or hammer face on a hard board.

Finishing edges

Raw edges look fuzzy and wear fast. A finished edge is smooth, rounded and shiny.

1. Trim any uneven layers flush with a sharp knife (keep fingers behind the blade).
2. Bevel the top and bottom corners of the edge with an edge beveller, pulling it in one smooth motion; always bevel before dyeing or burnishing.
3. Sand the edge smooth with medium-grit sandpaper (about 120) on a block, then finer paper if you have it. Wear a mask; sand outdoors.
4. Dye the edge now if you want colour; leather does not take dye well after you use a burnishing lubricant, because it seals the edge.
5. Wet lightly with water (or gum tragacanth or an edge wax) using a cloth or cotton bud. Do not soak it: over-wetting weakens fibres.
6. Burnish by rubbing fast with a wooden slicker or a piece of canvas, starting light and pressing harder as it shines.
7. Repeat wetting and rubbing until smooth, then polish with a soft cloth; beeswax gives a sealed, natural finish.
8. Soft chrome-tanned leather does not burnish well; finish it with edge paint in thin coats, sanding lightly between coats (author's note on chrome leather).

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself: Unit 4

1. How do you know contact cement is ready to join?
2. How much thread do you cut for a seam?
3. Give the order of edge finishing.

Competency standard

Range. One key holder, one card wallet and one belt made to a real person's size. Evidence. Finished products; quality checklists; measurements.

Product 1: card wallet (simple two-piece)

1. Cut two pieces about 11 × 8 cm (example size: check with a real bank card and your test pattern).
2. Optional: cut a thumb notch (half-moon) at the top of the front piece with a round punch and knife.
3. Finish the top edges of both pieces first (bevel, sand, burnish), because you cannot reach them well after gluing.
4. Glue the two pieces together around three sides only, about 5 mm wide, leaving the top open.
5. Mark, punch and saddle stitch the U-shaped seam.
6. Trim, bevel, sand and burnish the outside edges.
7. Check: two or three cards slide in with a little resistance and do not fall out when shaken.

Product 2: belt

Measure the customer. Measure round the waist over trousers, where the belt will sit, or measure an old belt from the fold at the buckle to the hole they use. That length is the centre hole of the new belt (author's method).

1. Cut the strap: veg-tan of about 3–4 mm (7–10 oz) for a strong belt, cut along the backbone; width to suit the buckle (for example 3.5 cm for a jeans belt, example). Make it about 20 cm longer than the centre-hole length (example allowance).
2. Shape the tip: round or point the tip using a card template.
3. Buckle end: about 5 cm from the end, punch two holes close together and cut out the slot between them for the buckle tongue.
4. Skive the fold area a little thinner so it folds flat (your trainer shows this; Level 2 teaches skiving fully).
5. Keeper: cut a strip about 1.5 cm wide and long enough to go round the doubled strap; join it with a few saddle stitches or a rivet.
6. Finish all edges (bevel, sand, dye if wanted, burnish).
7. Fold and fix: fold the end round the buckle, slide the keeper in, and fix with two rivets, Chicago screws or stitching.
8. Holes: mark the centre hole at the measured length from the buckle fold, then two holes each side, about 2.5 cm apart (example spacing). Punch on a hard board with the right size punch.
9. Check: fit it on the customer; the tip should pass the keeper when on the centre hole.

Setting hardware

Rivets: punch a hole the size of the rivet post; push the post up through both layers; put the cap on; place the rivet's head on the concave anvil and the setter on the cap; strike firmly with the mallet two or three times until the cap is tight (author's teaching steps; follow the instructions with your setter).

Snaps (press studs): each snap has four parts: cap, socket, stud and post. Set the cap and socket on one piece, the post and stud on the other, each with the right setter. Test that it closes and opens firmly (author's teaching steps).

Chicago screws: punch a hole, push the post through, and screw the top in, with a tiny drop of thread-lock if needed. Customers can change the buckle later (author's note).

Quality check before you sell

Check yourself: Unit 5

1. Why do you finish the top edges of a card wallet before gluing?
2. Where does the measured length of a belt go?
3. Name four parts of a snap.

Competency standard

Range. One pair of open slippers or sandals to a real person's size; three repairs. Evidence. Foot outlines; finished pair; repair record with before and after photos.

Parts of a shoe

• Upper: the top part that holds the foot, cut and stitched before it is joined to the sole.
• Insole: the inside base the foot rests on; in shoes it is fixed to a last, the foot-shaped form that gives a shoe its shape.
• Outsole: the bottom that touches the ground.
• Heel: built up from heel lifts.
• A cordwainer makes new shoes; a cobbler repairs them.

Open slippers and sandals do not need a last, so they are the best way to start.

Materials for open slippers and sandals

• Outsole: rubber sheet or ready-cut soles. Ask local shoemakers where they buy soles.
• Insole (top sole): leather or a firm leather-board, glued on top of the outsole.
• Straps: veg-tan or firm chrome-tan leather, about 2–3 mm (author's guidance).
• Glue: contact cement made for shoes (Unit 1 safety rules).
• Thread and needles for stitched straps; buckles if the design needs them.

Measure the foot

1. The person stands, full weight, on a sheet of paper on a hard floor.
2. Hold a pencil upright and draw round the foot. Do both feet: they are often different.
3. Mark the widest point (the joint behind the big toe and little toe) and the arch.
4. Draw the sole shape about 5 mm outside the outline all round (author's guidance), smooth the curve, and cut it out as a card pattern. Make a left and a right.
5. With the person's foot back on the pattern, mark where the straps should go: for a slide, the strap usually crosses the foot at its widest part (author's guidance).

Make a pair of open slippers (slides), step by step

1. Cut the outsoles from rubber with a sharp knife (several cuts) using your left and right patterns. Mark L and R on the underside.
2. Cut the insoles from leather with the same patterns.
3. Cut the straps from leather. Make a card test strap first and try it over the person's foot on the pattern.
4. Finish the strap edges (bevel, sand, burnish or edge paint) before fitting.
5. Mark on the insole where the strap ends go under it, and cut matching slots in the insole (or plan to sandwich the strap ends between insole and outsole).
6. Fit: push the strap ends through the slots (or position them), and check the fit with the foot on it. Adjust before any glue.
7. Glue (outdoors, Unit 1 rules): roughen the rubber and the flesh side of the insole; spread glue thinly on both; wait for tack; lay the insole down from heel to toe; press hard all over, especially at the edges and strap ends.
8. Weight: leave under weight for the time on the glue tin (at least several hours).
9. Trim the edges of insole and outsole flush with a sharp knife; sand the edge smooth with a mask on; finish with edge paint or polish.
10. Optional stitching: stitch round the edge of the insole through the outsole for extra strength (Level 2 shows this with an awl and with a machine).
11. Check: the person walks for 5 minutes; nothing rubs, the strap holds the foot, the soles do not lift at the edges.

Simple repairs

Repairs earn money every day and teach you how shoes and bags are built. Repair work on leather is also "shoe repair", so the dust and glue rules apply.

Say no to repairs that cannot be done well (for example a cracked plastic sole, or rotten bonded leather), and tell the customer honestly. Some Kumasi shoemakers now refuse to mend cheap imported slippers because they do not hold a repair.

Check yourself: Unit 6

1. What is a last?
2. Why do you draw both feet?
3. What must a repair ticket show?

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own products and plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; one-page plan; product photos.

What sells, and for how much

• Handmade leather sandals and slippers were advertised in Ghana for about GH¢150 to GH¢250 in October 2026, several described as made in Ghana.
• Quality Kumasi-made slippers and shoes sell for about GH¢100 to GH¢250; cheap low-quality local slippers ("faala faala") sell for about GH¢25.
• A Kumasi shoemaker said hand production gives only about 2 to 10 pairs a day and that starting a shoemaking business needs about GH¢20,000. You can start smaller with hand tools and small goods.
• Industrial leather sewing machines were advertised from about GH¢3,800 to GH¢11,000. Do not buy one until your hand skills and orders justify it.

Location settings that give good returns

Small business ideas and ingenuity

Market yourself

• Photos sell leather. Take clear daylight photos: the whole item, a close-up of the stitching and edges, and the item in use.
• WhatsApp Business, Instagram and Facebook are the main ways small Ghanaian fashion firms market. Post each new item with its price.
• Show the work: a short video of saddle stitching or burnishing proves it is handmade.
• Be honest: "full-grain leather", "PU" or "leather and fabric", never "genuine leather" for bonded or PU.
• Guarantee: offer to re-stitch free for 6 months (example policy). Customers trust a maker who stands behind the work.
• Made in Ghana: the footwear makers' association is calling on Ghanaians to buy Ghana-made footwear. Say proudly where you made it.

Accessibility

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) protects the rights of persons with disabilities, including to work. Training centres for persons with physical disabilities in Ghana already teach leather work, and Assemblies' disability funds now favour skills, devices and start-up capital.

• Workable tasks: pattern making, stitching in a pony, edge finishing, setting hardware, repairs, quality checking, packing, selling and social media can all be done seated. Saddle stitching needs fine hand control but little strength.
• Adjustments: a table at seated height with knee space for wheelchair users; a stitching pony clamped to the table; a cutting guide or jig that holds the ruler down (fewer cuts near the fingers); a safety knife with a guarded blade; tactile marks (notches) on patterns for people with low vision; picture steps and written instructions for Deaf trainees; a partner at the glue station for anyone who cannot move away quickly.
• Safety stays the same: everyone follows the knife, glue and dust rules.

Check yourself: Unit 7

1. Name three good places to set up a repair stand.
2. Why should you offer a re-stitch guarantee?
3. What words must you never use for PU or bonded leather?

1. Name the three big dangers in leatherwork.
2. Give three rules for using solvent glue.
3. Why should you wear a dust mask when sanding leather?
4. What is the difference between full-grain and bonded leather?
5. About how thick is 6 oz leather in millimetres?
6. Why do you put the ruler on the piece you are keeping when cutting?
7. How long a thread do you cut for a 20 cm seam?
8. In saddle stitch, why must you always start each stitch with the same needle?
9. Give the steps of edge finishing in order.
10. Where does the measured length of a belt go?
11. Name four parts of a shoe.
12. What must you do before starting any repair for a customer?

Best next reads: Tandy's guides to saddle stitching and edge finishing; the IARC summary on boot and shoe manufacture; the hub's Workplace Safety, Garment Making and Money Skills manuals.

What this module does not cover: tanning raw skins, closed shoes on a last, machine stitching, lined wallets and structured bags, and registering a business (see Levels 2 and 3).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.