LEATHER CRAFT AND SEWING SKILLS

LEARN PROFESSIONAL LEATHER CRAFT SKILLS, LEATHER SEWING AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

One teacher, four students

LEATHER CRAFT AND LEATHER SEWING TECHNIQUES: WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?

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, with an industrial machine 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 marking, cutting, gluing, reinforcing, skiving, debossing and more.

You will receive professional sewing training on industrial machines, you will learn the basic of saddle stitching 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 create a hand sewn simple leather item such as a purse or card holder to take home with you.

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

– 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.

– Learnt essential leather sewing techniques, troubleshoot common sewing problems and how manage challenges such as curves, multiple layers of leather, stretchy/rough/slippery surfaces and more.

– Learnt how to sew basic bag components such as simple zips, straps and gussets as well as reinforcing specific areas of a bag.

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

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT?

Below is a list of topics covered during the classes:

LEATHER, VEGAN LEATHER AND HAND TOOLS:

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

– Understanding the importance of choosing the right materials for your project and the right tools for your 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

MACHINE AND HAND SEWING:

– Industrial machines: differences and main features

– To choose the right sewing machine for a specific type of material or construction

– To operate a lock stitch walking foot machine

– To understand how to obtain the correct tension in your sewing

– To understand thread types and needle sizes

– To learn how to correctly sew leather and how this differs from sewing other materials

– To learn how to sew straight lines, curves and create parallel seams

– To produce a range of seams and seam finishes

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

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES:

– To cut, assemble and sew simple straps/handles

– 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 sew and finish a simple zip on leather

– To incorporate basic types of lining in your project

– To use various machine feet, tools and equipment in your sewing

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