The Leathercrafter's Companion
Illume Magazine
A monthly magazine for people who work leather. Maker stories, studio tours, skills you can take straight to the bench, and the business side of the craft. Twelve issues a year, in print or digital.
Inside every issue
The same departments, month after month
Every issue is built around the same sections, so you always know what is coming. The makers and the projects change. The usefulness does not.
Maker spotlights
Profiles of leatherworkers building real businesses and real brands. How they started, what they charge, and what they would do differently.
Studio tours
Behind the scenes in workshops around the world. Bench layouts, tool walls, and the setups that make a small shop actually work.
Skills and techniques
Step by step instruction you can take straight to the bench, from stitching and edge work through bootmaking and saddlery.
Business and pricing
Pricing, margins, marketing, and the practical side of turning a craft into an income, written by people who have done it.
Suppliers and sourcing
New tanneries, hardware, tools, and materials, plus the sourcing resources that are hard to turn up on your own.
Patterns and downloads
Printable patterns and tool lists you can use on your next project. Included with both the print and the digital subscription.
Print or digital
Two ways to read it
Same magazine and the same twelve issues a year. The only difference is how it reaches you.
Print subscription
Mailed to your door. U.S. shipping is included in the price.
- 12 printed issues a year
- U.S. shipping included in the price
- A physical reference that stays on the bench
- Printable patterns and tool lists
- International shipping: [confirm availability and rate before launch]
- Issue specs: [add trim size and page count]
Digital subscription
Delivered to your inbox on the 1st of every month.
- 12 digital issues a year
- Arrives on the 1st of each month
- Read on a phone, tablet, or computer
- Printable patterns and tool lists
- Nothing to ship, so it works anywhere you can receive email
- Back issues: [confirm what subscribers can reach]
Subscription options
Pick the subscription that fits
All three carry the same twelve issues a year. Every subscription renews automatically, and you can skip or cancel anytime.
Digital
1 Year Digital
$35per year
12 digital issues
- 12 monthly issues sent to your inbox
- Arrives on the 1st of each month
- Printable patterns and tool lists
- Read on a phone, tablet, or computer
Auto renewing. Skip or cancel anytime.
1 Year Print
$55per year
12 printed issues
- 12 printed issues mailed to you
- U.S. shipping included in the price
- Printable patterns and tool lists
- A full year to keep on the shelf
Auto renewing. Skip or cancel anytime.
Digital
2 Year Digital
$65for two years
24 digital issues, about $2.71 each
- 24 monthly issues sent to your inbox
- Saves $5 against two single year digital terms
- Holds your rate for two years
- Printable patterns and tool lists
Auto renewing. Skip or cancel anytime.
Already looking at courses
The print magazine comes with a yearly membership
Learn with Illume is the membership side of Illume Connect: 140+ pro led courses, live monthly Q&A, patterns, and a private community. It runs $50 a month or $500 a year.
The yearly plan includes a print subscription to Illume Magazine and a leather goodie bag on top of the course library. The monthly plan includes the digital eMagazine but not the printed copy. If a membership was already on your list, the print subscription arrives with it instead of as a separate purchase.
In a yearly membership
- 140+ expert led courses, beginner to advanced
- New courses added every month
- Live monthly Q&A with instructors
- Printable patterns, checklists, and tool lists
- Private artisan community
- The Little Black Book of Suppliers
- Ultimate Business Playbook
- Illume eMagazine subscription
- A print subscription to Illume Magazine
- A leather goodie bag of premium and exotic scraps
From readers
What subscribers say
Illume is current. It's what is happening now in the leather industry. It's exciting to see what's going on out there.
It helps with my learning curve... The skills section really helps me out being so new to the craft.
Always some article will have some new way of doing something I have not tried yet.
The maker spotlight. Love to learn about other makers... New ideas of things to make, new ways to approach running my business.
Questions
Before you subscribe
If something is not covered here, reach out and we will answer it.
How often does the magazine come out?
Twelve issues a year, one a month. Digital issues land in your inbox on the 1st of each month.
What is the difference between the print and the digital subscription?
The content is the same. Print is mailed to you and U.S. shipping is included in the $55 yearly price. Digital arrives by email on the 1st of each month for $35 a year, and there is a two year digital term at $65.
Do you ship outside the United States?
The $55 print price includes shipping inside the United States. The digital subscription has nothing to ship, so it works anywhere you can receive email.
Can I cancel?
Yes. Subscriptions renew automatically, and you can skip or cancel anytime from your account. Checkout asks you to agree to the cancellation policy before the order goes through.
Is the magazine included in a Learn with Illume membership?
Every membership includes the digital eMagazine. The yearly membership at $500 also includes a print subscription to Illume Magazine and a leather goodie bag. The monthly plan at $50 does not include the printed copy.
Who is the magazine for?
Anyone who works leather. Newer makers lean on the skills section to shorten the learning curve, and working shops use the business and supplier coverage. Projects run from small goods through bootmaking and saddlery.
How do I read the digital issues?
Each issue is emailed to the address on your order on the 1st of the month, and you read it on a phone, tablet, or computer.
Start with the next issue
Twelve issues a year of makers, methods, and the business behind the bench. Print or digital, and you can skip or cancel anytime.