A tubular handle is one of those parts that looks simple until you try it: keeping a full, even roll by hand is tricky, and floppy or lumpy results are common. The Leathercraft Academy tackles exactly that, showing the whole construction from flat strap to finished pair of handles, and backing it up with free downloadable PDF patterns sized for A3 paper so anyone can cut straight to work.
The build itself is nicely thought out. Two strap pieces are cut from a paper pattern, and a synthetic suede patch reinforces the tab sections before anything gets assembled. Edges are skived thin to keep the seams from bulking up, then a white braided polyester rope goes in as the core. Contact adhesive bonds the strap, rope, and end-lining tabs together, and the leather is folded around the rope and creased tight against the cord with a bone folder before being saddle-stitched with waxed polyester thread on a stitching pony.
A few choices stand out to me. The pricking irons mark both sides without piercing fully through, with an awl check before sewing, which seems like a careful way to keep holes honest. Punching from both sides with the same irons produces that X-shaped slant along the seam, and the maker trims the seam allowance flush with a skiving knife afterwards. I also rate the material advice: dense cord for a round, firm profile, and leather chosen so it does not stretch excessively.
One open question in my view: whether reversed-tooth irons would give a different slant than the same irons flipped side to side. The tutorial does not address that, so it is something to test for yourself.
Project by The Leathercraft Academy. Watch it on their YouTube channel: