This page is a list of various online and print sources that may be of interest to someone getting started in historical leatherworking. A short list of materials suppliers is included at the bottom.
Online Resources
Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York
A great, in-depth look at what the archaeologists have found in York, England, including tools, materials, and construction methods for shoes, sheathes, and scabbards. Covers finds from the Viking era and several centuries after the Norman conquest.
Museum of London, Sheathes and Scabbards Collection
This digital gallery has over 100 well-preserved examples of medieval knife sheathes and scabbards from London, dated from the 10th through the 17th century.
This craftsman has recreated shoes based on actual finds spanning several millenia; most are from late antiquity and the middle ages, and the site provides construction photographs and bibliographic references for each piece as well.
Interactive Maps of Historical Footwear
These are projects I’ve been working on, mapping the locations where various early Medieval shoes have been found in northern Europe. There is one that goes up through the 8th c. CE and a second one picks up in the “Viking Age.”
In print
Links go to WorldCat, find them in a library near you or get lucky on the internet…
Die Lederfunde von Haithabu, Willy Groenman-van Waateringe
In German, but the pictures alone are useful and include reconstructed patterns for dozens of Viking-era shoes from Hedeby/Haithabu, as well as several pouches, knife sheathes and a quiver.
Archaeological Footwear, Marquita Volken
In this excellent resource, the author presents cutting patterns and construction methods for a wide range of historical European shoes from prehistory through the 17th century.
Primitive Shoes: An Archaeological-Ethnographical Study Based Upon Shoe Finds from the Jutland Peninsula, Margrethe Hald
This study looks at a relatively finite geographical area in northern Europe where bogs have preserved a large number of shoes from many different time periods. The work includes one-piece shoes and turnshoes and has examples with cutting diagrams that are of interest to anyone looking at footwear from the late Iron Age through the Viking era.
Purses in Pieces, Olaf Goubitz
While fairly narrowly focused on Dutch finds from the late medieval/early renaissance time periods, this book is filled with useful illustrations for construction and stitching techniques for a variety of purse and pouch types.
Stepping Through Time, Olaf Goubitz
An incredible overview of footwear from pre-history through the 19th century, including information that will help with patterning and construction.
Materials sources
Since folks have asked, these are the U.S.-based suppliers I get most of my materials from. I will update this periodically as I find new vendors.
Veg-tan leather (cow, calf, and goat, including colored hides). Search for “project pieces” if you are looking for smaller bits of veg tan and don’t need a whole hide – for pieces thin enough to be suitable for pouches/purses or layered belts, look under bookbinding hides.
Good source for larger pieces of veg-tan for tooling (single shoulders, etc.) as well as pre-cut strips and straps)
Where to get bone pins?
Bone hairpins useful for tooling can usually be found at craft supply sites like this for about $1.25 to $1.50 each from individual sellers on Etsy as craft supplies (like this or this) or less from wholesalers (like this) if you wanted to order a large number.
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