Professional Leatherwork Course

Max 6 students

This is a theoretical and practical introductory group tuition during which you will be taught common, essential leather crafting and sewing techniques and understand how working with leather differs from working with vegan leather or fabric.

You will be taught how to correctly use hand tools, how to sew leather by hand and understand the most common finishing and construction techniques used in bag and accessory making.

You will learn about different types of leather and understand how to select the correct type of material(s) for your project.

You will receive an overview of the technical aspects of working with leather and constructing bags and accessories such as inking, burninshing, marking, cutting, gluing, reinforcing, skiving, debossing and more.

You will learn how to saddle stitch, select the appropriate tools for this sewing technique, and produce your own samples of work to take home with you.

You will receive relevant, useful and informative handouts as well as lists of leather and tool suppliers.

At the end of the lesson, you will have the choice to create a simple hand-sewn leather item, such as a simple purse or card holder, to take home with you, or to practice more techniques.

This is a professional course delivered by a prototype maker and manufacturer, with the aim of providing an overview and hands-on experience on more common leather working practices.

At the end of the tuition you will have:

– Gained an understanding of leather types, tanning methods, leather characteristics and the best uses for specific projects.

– Gained confidence in using specific tools for preparing, marking, finishing, cutting leather and fastening fittings.

– Understood and practiced leather craft techniques such as inking, beveling and burnishing techniques

– Understood what it means to work with different leather types and thicknesses and have the ability to source and select the correct tools and materials for your projects.

– Understood how to manipulate leather using tools, reinforcement, stabilisers and stiffeners in crucial areas of bags and accessories.

– Gained confidence in sewing by hand and obtained the skills to realise some simple leather items independently.

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT?

LEATHER, VEGAN LEATHER AND HAND TOOLS:

– Understanding leather: overviews on types of leather, tanning, finishings and best use

– Vegan leathers: an overview on different types and features

– Understanding how to choose the right materials for your project and the appropriate tools for those materials

– Leather preparing, pattern placement and marking on leather

– Cutting complex shapes using a variety of tools

– Using leather punches

– Understanding the use of skiving, beveling and creasing

– Finishing leather edges: painting vs burnishing

– Using various leather glues and tapes

– Understand the use of reinforcements, fusings and stabilisers to back leather

– Prototyping and manufacturing leather goods: mentions of different working methods, machines and tools

HAND SEWING:

– To understand the different options, characteristics, and proper application of the tools used in saddle stitching

– To learn the basics of saddle stitching leather and understood the different the tools and materials used in the technique

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES:

– To create a small, simple hand stitched leather item to take home with you

IMPORTANT TO KNOW:

We will always try to cover as much on the syllabus as possible and depending on your ability and previous experience, we might not be able to complete the program or we might instead be able to teach you additional techniques relating to the above listed topics, such as:

– To cut, assemble and sew simple straps/handles or zips

– To incorporate basic types of lining in your project

– Understanding fittings, closure types, fastening techniques and tools: sam browns, magnets, pop buttons, eyelets, etc.

This tuition will require up to 12 hours to complete but depending on the number of attendees, the ability of participants and the group’s pace, the syllabus may be covered in a shorter time frame