View fullsize We love to post the fun, wacky custom projects! But it’s never a bad time to remind everyone that we do all your regular shoe repair and cobbling services as well 💪 This pair of Enzo Bonafe Mary Janes got new Topy Semlux halfsoles. They&rsquo
View fullsize 🤠 Seeing photos of our clients using things we made or repaired or made makes our day! A sent us these photos, wearing custom chaps we made, on his ranch! We’ve also edited the tapaderos (Spanish leather stirrups), his saddle bags, the roll
View fullsize It’s Tess’ birthday today!! If y’all know Tess, then you know she’s kind, determined, skilled & just a barrel of fun 🥳 In-the-studio, you can find Tess heading up our cobbling department (pictured here) and doing all the
View fullsize We’re borrowing some of that virgo season energy today and re-organized all our peg boards 💪✨ It’s been on our to-do-list for awhile - to make it easier for our Team (and ourselves!) to be able to find things. But this has been the mont
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View fullsize ☠️ Oh my! ☠️ This jacket’s back had a very unique design but the faux leather/vinyl was peeling all over the place. We removed and replaced the back panel, preserving the original skull. Image Description: Tess is standing in front of the Adl
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View fullsize This custom-commissioned harness was designed specifically for a dancer who will be serving from a pole! The mickeys are held in snug to allow them to twirl upside down with easy slide in-and-out action If you like sexier leather goods, we post thos
View fullsize A perfect vest mashup was born 👏 Our Client had a vintage Iron Heart flannel he loved - and a Harley back patch he didn’t. Hope everyone is keeping cool today! 🌞 Any heat-related closures will be posted on our social media, website, etc. We
View fullsize It's National Leathercraft Day today! (August 15th). To celebrate the day, we figured we would take a quick moment to reintroduce ourselves at Awl Together Leather ✨ Awl Together is co-owned by Ariss and Tess. We're both proud to be apart of the cur
View fullsize Two boots, all four gussets 👏 These Fluevog Boot’s elastic panels had loosened and stretched out with age. We replaced them with all new gusset, using the same original holes. And yes- we can do this to ANY style Chelsea Boots (Blundstones too
View fullsize We will be closing early on Friday, August 12th (at 4:30pm) and closed all day, Saturday, August 13th! Tess and Ariss are both excited to be getting some time off and away with their respective partners (for the zillionth time - we’re not a c
View fullsize Ariss sewing on the walking foot, the sun starts to set, disco plays faintly in the background. They’re in their happy place ✨ Image Description: Ariss is sitting in front of the industrial sewing machine, head down, sewing a giant leather cus
View fullsize We tried to do a cool reveal video but it’s harder than it looks apparently. 😂 This jacket got brand new sleeves and pocket welt flaps, as the vinyl/pleather ones had started to disintegrate. The owner was smart and brought this to us in the
View fullsize We love a good matching set 👯‍♀️ These four, custom valet trays left the shop today, destined to be groomsman’s gifts. All leather, inside and out, with brass snaps on each corner. Each of these trays has their new owner’s initials
View fullsize This well-loved jacket was living life in the back of the closet when it came to us. 🫣 Per the Client’s request, we installed a new “old school” collar, as well as a double zip-in expansion panel. It’s not visible, but we als

Awl Together Leather

Joining forces, Tess Gobeil and Ariss Grutter opened Awl Together Leather on May 4th, 2021. We are a custom leatherwork and shoe repair studio located in East Vancouver.

Ariss and Tess first met while working together at a local boot manufacturer and formed strong solidarity as underrepresented leatherworkers – both sick of sexism and unstable work environments. Together, we have over 10 years of leatherwork experience. We have named our company to reflect our collective values ‘All Together’ and a commonly used leather tool – an Awl. Welcome to Awl Together Leather!

Proud members of the BC Gear and Apparel Association, SRI (Shoe Repair International), and the East Vancouver Culture Crawl.

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View fullsize ;; Maybe not directly mending but mending adjacent! Did a batch of black dye last week and upgraded a few garments that weren’t getting as much love in my closet. Had I not dyed them, they would’ve ended up at the thrift store. First pi
View fullsize ;; A little darn on recycled wool socks with recycled wool darning threads ✨ This one has a mix of scanfil yarns (the red and electric blue), recycled wool threads (the variegated blues and yellows) and, iirc, embroidery thread for the yellow outline
View fullsize ;; I was chatting with @emteabee yesterday about this mend and realized I bought these socks on my first trip to NYC, back in 2015. They’re made of recycled yarn to start with, and I am sure by the time I am done with them, will be basically en
View fullsize ;; If I had before photos of this sock, I can’t seem to find them. I started this one before we moved last month, before we opened @awltogetherleather and have been chipping away at it ever since. Unpacked my mending kit this week and finished
View fullsize ;; Mended this glove for a friend! The rest of the spots on it, I mended visibly. But sometimes I have a colour match that is too close not to invisibly mend at least ONE spot. _ Swipe through to see the before picture. I’ll upload the visible
View fullsize ;; A mended sock, with thrifted mending wool alongside recycled mending wool from @erinlewisfitzgerald 😍 I’ve washed this mend a few times since I did it and it’s now delightfully soft 👏 _ Swipe along to see before and after closeups! _
View fullsize ;; Hello friends! If you don’t know me outside of this account, you may not know that visible mending/darning is only a part of my art practice! The rest of the time, I am doing leather repair, leather garment alterations and shoe repair. As yo
View fullsize ;; In doing 50-60hr weeks, it’s still important for me to carve out time to myself. It looks a little different these days, but it often involves a tv show on my computer and a bit of mending in hand. The combination, for me at least, keeps bot
View fullsize ;; Pulled this sweater out of my closet to wear today and realized I never posted this mend from months back, oops! Thrifted American Apparel sweater, darned. _ Tossed in a fit pic at the end, because it’s nice to see mended garments worn! Swi
View fullsize ;; A torn corner on the pocket of a cardigan. I handstitched it all back in place and together first, then darned over top for a bit of reinforcement and visibility. _ Swipe along to see the before pic! 🖤 _ #darning #darnitall #darned #sweaterrepai
View fullsize ;; Something a little different perhaps! While scrolling through photos to find something else, I stumbled upon the first mend I ever did (2018), on a sweater of mine passed along to me from @poppyflowerworks 💕I remember being so excited that I got
View fullsize ;; A soft pink ombré on the ball of the foot. In an effort to reduce bulk, I split the six strand embroidery floss down to two for this. Worked great, as you can just barely feel the difference with your thumb (and not at all on the foot!). 👏
View fullsize ;; A sleeve cuff recently repaired. You can see how I like to do it in the before picture- with a jar inside the cuff. It’s a tough spot to use a hoop or darning loom on, but the jar (and an elastic) keeps the tension just right. 🪡 _ I opted t
View fullsize ;; When you have a great blanket, you just don’t want to let it go 🥰 This was a really fun project to work on, I’m grateful for great clients who also like mends to be visible. I used an embroidery hoop for this one, rather than my speed
View fullsize ;; A progress photo of a cardigan elbow hole. Just finishing up the first half of this darned spot. I’m testing a method I saw mentioned somewhere, likely the #modernmending group, where the person suggested starting in the middle if you’
View fullsize ;; Found my duplicate stitching rhythm while doing this sweater for a client over the holidays! They opted for red and blue and #visiblemending makes my heart sing so 🥰 _ Swipe along and you can see a few closeups and a few before pics! _ #visiblem

Make Do Mending

Combining her love of textile crafts with the increasing need for sustainability practices, Tess offered full-service mending to those living in the Vancouver/GVRD area. With garments now being made faster and cheaper, the push towards a “throwaway culture” is pervasive. Mending is an act of resistance, a choice to prolong the life of a garment. Oftentimes, mending is the step preventing an object from ending up in the landfill far before its time. Mends can be made both visibly or invisibly, as per the garment owner’s wishes.

Make Do Mending was run as a side business by Tess Gobeil, starting in September 2020. She continued to run it as its own entity, until May 2021, when Ariss and Tess opened Awl Together Leather. Make Do Mending and Awl Together Leather both officially closed mending intake for new items in Dec 2022, due to an untenable demand.

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FAQs

I have something I want mended, now what?

Take some photos of the object, including the damage and send them to info@awltogetherleather.ca. We will then talk about how you’d like the final result to look and feel.

Working collaboratively, we determine if you are seeking something visible or invisible, what your colour/leather preferences may be, and what the options are for the repair of your garment.

Is there anything you don’t do?

Yes, likely! But not much. Due to COVID-19 precautions, Awl Together Leather isn’t accepting jobs that are needing on-site repairs, such as household furniture.

Additionally, we will always tell you if we don’t feel comfortable completing a repair for you before we accept the job.

What is the turn-around time right now?

Barring time required to source specific hardware, threads, fabrics, etc, turnaround time is mutually decided upon when accepting payment for the work.

That said, our wait times can fluctuate between 1-3 weeks. Reach out and we can tell you how far out we are currently booking. Larger items or more involved repairs may take more time to complete.