About

Hi, I'm Jenifer. Welcome!

I've been a maker most of my life, since my mom taught me to sew in elementary school. Over the years I've dabbled in sewing, cross stitching, crocheting, woodworking, stained glass, and more. I got into leatherwork when our daughter was a baby and our budget didn't support me buying the leather booties with cute designs on them that were popular at the time. I found a source online that had patterns as well as suggestions on how to source leather affordably (leather skirts, jackets, bags, etc from thrift stores, icyww). I made several pairs of cute leather shoes for her before killing my cheap-o sewing machine.

Oops.

They just don't make them like they used to.

I've since found sewing machines that are actually meant for sewing leather...

(our daughter wearing the black and white mary jane-style leather shoes I made)

When I started my business, I started with the idea of making and selling leather-bound notebooks, and while I did that for awhile, I soon branched out to making a variety of leather items.

My leather and waxed canvas buckets and collecting pockets were heavily inspired by our boys. Our youngest especially, who we affectionately refer to as being semi-feral. The picture below is one of my favorite: barely walking, still unsteady on his feet, and sticks in both hands. Even at such a young age he had his priorities!

He's 9 now and still loves sticks. He's actually pretty talented at finding interesting sticks and you can always tell which door he went in the house by the pile of sticks stacked next to it (he's not allowed to bring his sticks in the house, much to his disgust). Unsurprisingly, he's also the inspiration behind my "Mud Washes Off, Memories Last a Lifetime" t-shirts and stickers.

My DIY sewing kits were initially just something I thought would be a fun add-on, but they've grown to become a substantial portion of my business. It's fun finding or designing new projects and figuring out the logistics of making them work within the limitations of the product model (ready to finish with no special tools needed).

We used to spend a lot of time outdoors, though we haven't been able to as much the last couple years. I've had chronic health issues my entire adult life, and while anyone with chronic illness will tell you that some days are good and some are bad, lately my bad days have been both worse and more frequent. The bright side is that I've actually been able to get some diagnoses. Unfortunately, a diagnosis doesn't necessarily equal a cure, so while I now know why things happen, there's only so much I can do to treat the symptoms or stave off the bad days. On the bright side, there is a certain satisfaction to being able to say "see, it wasn't all in my head!", even if I can't say it to the doctors who told me that 25 years ago. But I digress.

Because my health issues have such a big impact on my life, you'll find me occasionally waxing poetic about life with chronic illness at Chronically Upbeat. I may not have all the answers, but I do know that a positive mindset makes life easier, hence the name. You'll also find info on various leatherworking topics, as well as info about my course Leatherworking 101, how to choose which DIY kit to buy, and so on, at Tell Me More About....

Sign up for my newsletter (using the form at the bottom of this page) to receive a discount on your first purchase and to be notified of shop updates. I know all the marketing people say we should be emailing our list several times a week, but I don't follow that thought process. I hate having my inbox overflowing with multiple emails from the same source each week. I try to send an email once a month, but honestly, even that rarely happens.

Have a product idea you'd like to see come to life? Suggestions on how to improve a product? Use the Contact form to let me know. If I use your idea, I'll send you a handmade leather item as thanks.

I'd also love to see pictures of my products in use. Tag @TrueNorthLeatherworks on Instagram or Facebook and I'll share your photo in my feed.

I look forward to sharing handmade items that will be enjoyed by you, your family, and those around you.

Jenifer Smith April, 2025