ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Susan Hofstadter didn’t set out to be a leatherworker—she just wanted to make her niece a toy that would last. What began as a hand-stitched elephant with button eyes turned into a growing body of work that’s both playful and beautifully crafted. Today, Susan creates leather-based toys for children that blend softness, structure, and imagination, from floppy-eared animals to small tactile puzzles and stackable shapes.

Her designs are rooted in childhood memory but made with the seriousness of a craftsperson. She works mostly with chrome-free tanned leathers and natural finishes, prioritizing materials that feel good in small hands and age gracefully over time. Many of her toys feature modular parts or stitched-in textures meant to invite touch and interaction. “I’m not just making objects,” she says. “I’m making companions that are meant to be handled, dropped, carried around, and loved.”

Susan’s process includes both hand-stitching and light machine work, and she often combines leather with wool felt, wooden details, or embroidered fabric panels. She’s drawn to the problem-solving side of toy design—how a piece folds, moves, or stands—and she often prototypes in cardboard before cutting into leather. Her studio is full of tiny pattern pieces and worn-out test models with pencil marks all over them.