The Art of Leather Braiding - Roy Luo & Kelly Tong
Search Press Ltd ISBN 978-1-7822163-2-2
The book begins with a description of types of braids, how to start and finish pieces, with a steady progression onto more elaborate items. The authors say they learned by looking at pictures and drawings in the beginning, since their English was very basic. However, the book is well written with extremely clear pictures and illustrations They are so easy to follow that I feel moved to make some of the pieces myself; this coming from someone who has hands like shovels and a predilection for one-inch manila and Stockholm Tar!
While previously being little more than aware of leather braiding, this book came as quite a surprise, not least for the reason that it contains knots that most of us would instantly recognize, yet they have completely different names. Perhaps this is a feature of the braiding world. They carry a hint of a Chinese influence, picturesque names like ‘Desert Moon’ or ‘River Breeze’.
In conclusion, if you ever thought about making coiled or knotted leather jewellery you could do worse than start here, as the authors say, “no special tools needed, materials readily available and lots of durable pieces for men and women”. Buy it for yourself, or as a present for a carefully chosen other, who might then make the pieces for you!
Gordon Teenan
