My leather journey (to England)

Puns aside I've started my leather journey in 2024 by ordering a couple of horse hides  from Italy and a set of various tools.

Or maybe it has started in 2012 when I've moved to Italy and jumped headfirst into avant-garde fashion, deadstock textile and French lace? (but this story is for another time)

Back in the day, I was browsing the leathercraft internets for courses, patterns and educational videos. I've learned something, I've crafted something. There's plenty of amazing craftsman to learn from. Nevertheless I was struggling to make sense why and how things should be made. I was overthinking, arguing, looking for shortcuts and my own techniques. Somehow I couldn't get it right...

Until I discovered videos by Nigel from Armitage Leather and it changed everything. For example instead of a quick tutorial on a saddle stitch Nigel has three 1-hour long videos on this single seam exploring it in depth. And I'm a kind of person that needs to understand exactly why I'm doing things the way that I do. When done right this level of detail is never boring, such details matter when you crave full awareness.

In the workshop

Now I have some skills and some understanding of what I'm doing with my craft. And before I go any further it's a good idea to adjust skills, habits and examine closer the growth points. It was the best time to go back to England, especially since the last time I've been here was 31 years ago.

Nigel's workshop is located in the Midlands on a farm close to Birmingham, just next to Burton upon Trent. Without a car it can be challenging to get there, but it's not too difficult, just spend a night in Burton and enjoy some famous local ales.

I've arrived at 9 AM to the countryside, almost got distracted by a herd of alpacas and a bunch of geese, but there was no time for socialising with locals.

We have jumped right in and started the course. 

I guess a lot of the same things you can learn in Nigel's Secrets from the Workshop or in youtube videos. Just in person you are getting an instant feedback and practice, a lot of things become more obvious and you can get quite some a-ha moments that you missed when studying by yourself.

To me it was important to review my techniques and have someone to talk to about my challenges in pattern making or struggles with difficult leathers. 

Oh, plus it's amazing to see all the tools you have never touched before, and try them out properly. Different pricking irons, knives, skiving and bevelling tools, etc.

What did I learn? Why should you?

Do you like lists? I like lists!

1. Improve your techniques and habits. Like in any craft it's very important to get the basics right. A lot of things can be much easier when you know what you are doing.
2. Get feedback, inspiration, advice. It's not often that you can talk in person to someone who is that knowledgable and skilful. Again this applies to any craft.
3. Get a list of questions that you want to discuss. What's bothering you? When I was preparing I wrote bunch of things down from some exact and detailed issues to wider topics.
4. Review your journey and plan your next steps. It's important to understand both: what's the most daring project you are willing to do, and what's the road to get there, what's your next step. To me it was bag making and patterns for complex bags with difficult shapes.

And what exactly...

We have spent most of the time working on simple techniques and templates and here are some key things that changed for me:

• Small improvements in stitching. I understand the thread sizes and tension better. Especially because of a different type of leather and using KS Blade irons in a different style from what I usually use.
• Working with cardboard templates and being extremely precise with them. Such details accumulate and change your approach. For example this way the measurements through stitch holes makes a lot of sense, so on the next step it would be easier to work with gussets and difficult shapes.
• Cutting and skiving. Getting the basics right takes time. I've found some shortcuts for myself with laser cutting and acrylic templates when I was studying by myself. And now I see a lot clearer the value of proper cutting techniques and tools.
• Pattern-making and evolution. I often jump ahead and struggle with very challenging projects. Here I could explore better all the steps I need to get through. How to make good gussets, darts, shapes, etc.
• Casual conversations and values. We have a bit different preferred aesthetic with Nigel, but a lot of values align a lot. Like the value of hand-stitching, functional forms, making things to last ages, etc. Each artisan has their own vision and set of skills, so it's easy to get lost in all possibilities and styles: from western beveling  to wet molding. It's important to have your own vision and self-reflection on why it is like this.
  

So if you are really into something, don't isolate yourself from the world. Go out and try to have a meaningful conversation, find someone who can give you more perspective on your skills.

Just one more thing

When talking to Nigel he told me something that I needed to accept. Making wallets as a  craft is a crazy idea, it takes a lot of effort and time to make the wallet right. With all the time you spend making a wallet it could be much better invested into making a bag.

I'm lucky that this is not a business a bet my life on (yet), so it's a luxury that I can spend all this time and effort doing the thing that I enjoy.

You can find all my wallets and purses here. Or dm me on Insta for a custom project. Especially if you want something from horse culatta leather.