I bought some shoe leather yesterday . . . gray kangaroo. I’ve had kangaroo leather gloves before (different tanning method for glove leather) and they’re tough. I also bought a skiving knife that can be sharpened. I did not want the kind that had replaceable blades. They may be safer but they’re more costly over the long run and they take more passes to get the job done.
The leather won’t be here for a week. That gives me time to play with patterns.