One Day Leather Watch Strap Making Deep Dive Course
Description
Like all my courses, this Leather Watch Strap Making Deep Dive is a course for people who want to learn actual practical skills. The intention is for you to be able to leave with not just your finished strap but much more importantly, the confidence that you'd be able to make more of them if you wanted to. In this course, we’ll be making a a fully hand made luxury leather watch strap from scratch. It’s made from Epsom Calfskin leather with a watch strap specific Zermatt leather lining. Epsom is a printed grain leather which means the texture is embossed onto the surface. This is done for both aesthetic and practical reasons. The printed grain is incredibly scratch resistant, making it perfect for items that will see a lot of use. You can choose the colour of Epsom you would like. You can also choose the colour of your stitching. The width and size of watch strap can be customised as per your requirements. I have spring pins for most watch sizes and Apple watch strap adaptors for most Apple watch series, The final strap will use a deployant style watch clasp (as pictured) but if you have other specific requirements, let me know and we can figure this out. In this full day course you will be learning about and using the following skills: - Correctly locking thread onto your two needles - Making your stitch holes - Getting a feel for correct tension while stitching - Back stitching to finish a stitch line - Precision skiving (thinning leather edges) - Prepping for and glueing leather - Decorative Edge creasing - Prepping for and finishing edges Skill Level: This course is designed for beginners with no prior leather crafting experience required. Studio Location: My studio is located in Wellington House, Pollard Street, Manchester. It's a 2 minute walk from Holt Town on the Ashton Metrolink line. Teaching Style: In every course, you will learn the actual skills needed to start or progress your own leathercraft journey. Classes are small so I can provide the guidance needed for everyone. We’ll start with the raw materials and go through every step I would go through myself to get to a final item.
What's included in the price?
All the tools and materials required will of course be provided as will be the hardware for the final strap
Duration
7 hours
Cancellation policy
Medium - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 4 weeks before the course starts
Maker
I started my leather craft journey almost 15 years ago. At the time I was working for a famous luxury retail company. This brand is known mostly for their apparel which was, for the most part, of a very high standard. Their handbags and small leather goods on the other hand were mediocre. Over the years I’ve handled leather goods from pretty much all the well known luxury houses and have found them lacking almost across the board. Materials, craftsmanship and customer experience have all been declining while their prices increase. They promise luxury but deliver only the veneer of it to a clientele who lack discernment. While small and mostly unknown, there does still exist a tradition of leather craft. There are a few different camps in this leather craft world. My particular style follows the French tradition which emphasises precision and fine detail. We’re very much in the minority but our pieces are in high demand. I am entirely self-taught and have spent years honing my craft through a lot of trial and error. I use hand tools almost exclusively, saddle stitching everything by hand. In a past life, I worked as an English teacher abroad for 5 years. I learned a lot about how best to break down complexities of a subject and pass them on to students
Suitable for
- Adults
- Public transport
- Suitable for beginners
- Intermediate level
FAQs
It's quite difficult to find the materials I use in the UK (or even the EU for that matter). As such, I do also sell all the materials and tools myself. I'll get into this at the end of course
I do indeed have the equipment for monogramming. If this is something you would like to have, leave me a note when you make your booking
At the moment, unfortunately not. My studio is not on the ground floor of the building. Wellington House is an old mill building, while it does have a service lift, it is old and frequently out of order. This is not ideal and I am actively looking into other options for a studio that would solve this issue.
There will be a 1 hour break for lunch. I do not provide food however. There is a wonderful Sicilian street food vendor called Marleo in Pollard Yard next to my studio which is amazing
The building my studio is located in (Wellington House) does not, unfortunately, have it's own secure parking. While there is on road parking outside, this is very limited and fills up quickly. There is a pay and display car park a 5 min walk down the road which is more reliable for space availability. Metrolink is probably a better option however. Holt Town is just a 3 min walk from my studio.
