Why I make these

I am Zsombor. I draw these patterns myself, in Budapest.

I have been making leather goods for years. Like most crafters, I struggled with design at first, so I bought patterns from many fellow makers. Some were great, some were on the simple side. At some point I wanted patterns that matched the way I actually work, so I started learning Inkscape and drawing them myself.

What I realised is that one of the main problems was the irons. Everyone owns a different brand, a different style and a different spacing. If yours were not the ones the pattern was drawn for, you were left with the note “experienced crafters can adapt it to their own irons” — but the panel sizes themselves still did not fit your tools. On top of that, the curved corners everyone uses, each with a different radius, make slanted irons a nightmare. Right-angle corners with minimal rounding keep every stitch line straight, look more refined, and work with both round and slanted holes.

Designed this way, the panels became a system. They combine like puzzle pieces into many different models, and each one is drawn in every spacing so the holes land where your iron punches. That is how my first patterns, the Puzzle series, were born: with the spacings, opening styles and panel combinations, you can build the piece you actually want.

That is the whole idea, and it is where the name comes from: aptus is Latin for fitted. One person, one system, and a pattern that suits the tools already on your bench.

I have many more ideas. To work on the ones you really need, take a moment to answer the questionnaire or write to me directly. Thank you.