Traditional & contemporary craft courses in north Wales
handmade by you in
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wernog wood
An introduction to the fundamentals of leatherworking
See course details, dates, costs, tutors & stories from students below
Mike Reid runs Handcrafted Leather, a small award winning business with a worldwide customer base. On this two day fundamentals course you will learn the names and purposes of many tools, how to sew the traditional saddle stitch, layout a pattern for marking and cutting, prepare edges for finishing, dye and treat leather to give greater longevity to the items you create.
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Mike will talk about different types of leather showing with samples and their main applications, thread, tools, hardware and more. He will give you a brief presentation on the history of leather and its production and tradition here in the UK.
You will leave with a couple of items either finished or to work on from home. These will be decided before the course starts to prepare materials & templates beforehand. You can make a clutch purse or a man's wallet with press stud closure, a belt with brass hardware and rivets or a lined A5 notebook cover.
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2024 dates yet to be confirmed
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To see tutor Mike Reid at work, watch our short film made by ITV Wales - Coast & Country here
£300 - Tuition fees
plus approx £30 for materials
depending on what you choose to make
Tea, coffee and simple lunch included in your course price
We also offer accommodation & evening meals
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Click here to see what we offer
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This course is aimed at adults, aged 18yrs + and is suitable for beginners to those with experience
Mike Reid owns and runs Handcrafted Leather, a small, award winning, professionally run leathercraft business with a worldwide customer base. Mike is largely self taught with a brief mentorship in Ruthin. He began his trade by buying old leather jackets & restitching them into new things, using simply a nail as an awl & a sharpened fork as a pricking iron to make even stitching holes.
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Seven years into his journey now, bespoke artwork on leather is the mainstay of the business. From belts, wallets, hip flasks and luggage tags to custom motorcycle seats, plaques and murals, the enthusiasm for this craft grows with every new piece.
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Working mostly to commission with customers from California to New Zealand & everywhere in between, Mike is looking forward to hosting classes with the hope of enthusing others to pick up the awl and thread, to create and to support British owned suppliers that help to keep this rewarding & fascinating craft alive.
Stories from our students
A really detailed and well planned introduction to leatherworking. It was a wonderfully relaxing but tiring experience. We were all totally engrossed in what we were doing under Mike's gentle guidance and encouragement. He was a great teacher and we all left with items we could be proud of - Nigel
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I did the leather crafting course a few weeks ago and it was absolutely brilliant. I learnt so much, the teacher was great and so were the rest of the fellow students. I also have a lovely little clutch bag to show for it.
My boyfriend and I pitched a tent for the couple of night we were there and were absolutely delighted with the wonderful location and facilities. Not to forget a massive shoutout to the amazing hosts Claire and Rob who were absolutely delightful and made us feel so at home! Absolutely loved the homemade pizzas!
Since I have been I haven’t stopped recommending Wernog Wood to all of my friends (along with any stranger I meet in the pub ) - Alexandra
The course was very informative and the tutor, Mike Reid was very engaging. It was great to be shown so many different techniques and encouraged to get hands on with the tools and material. Mike has a wealth of knowledge and is very passionate about his subject. I liked that it was a small group too so I had the 1:1 time I needed when I was struggling. The location was perfect and Claire and Rob were brilliant hosts. I am looking forward to spending more time in Wernog Wood. - Sarah
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Upcoming Dates
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or
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