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Do you need to bring anything?

• Just bring yourself.
• Wear old clothes and proper shoes that cover your toes as we will be working with tools.
• If you feel the cold it may be worth bringing an extra layer or two.

Price: Glove Making £360 (Materials included)

Class Dates (Saturday, Sunday):
October: 24, 25, 26

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Class Dates
October: 18, 19
November: 15, 16

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 17:00

See Missenden School of Creative Arts’ Website for prices and to register:

https://www.missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk/summerschool_2025.php

Join to a three-days course and learn how to saddle stitch (hand stitch) a small leather bag and meet fellow enthusiasts.
Saddle stitch is a traditional way of hand-sewing leather. Executed properly it is beautiful to see. During this course, you will saddle stitch and make a simple small, and unlined cross-body bag, similar to the one in the photo. The bag will be small to enable us to complete most of it within two days. The course is aimed at beginners and those with more experience are also welcome.
During the course, you will learn some simple leatherwork techniques that can easily be applied to other projects. Don’t panic if saddle stitch does not agree with you – other stitches are available.
We introduce you to leather and to the saddle stitch technique. You will have the opportunity to practice saddle stitch before starting your project.

• The types of leather available and the tanning process
• What to look for when purchasing leather
• The anatomy of a bag and basic design principles.
• Handmade versus the high street.
• How to create simple patterns for bags, considering the thickness of the leather.
• How to prepare your leather for hand sewing
• How to transfer your design.
• How to cut your leather and check your pattern.
• How to insert your hardware (poppers, eyelets, and buckles)
• How to finish your design after your stitching is completed.
• You will receive a set of course notes to accompany the course.

There will be a choice of designs available. We will have time to make some small adjustments to the pattern, mostly in terms of the hardware choices, as the focus of the two days is stitching and making the bag. There won’t be time to design and make your own bag on this course.
The materials are included in the course fee. By the end of the weekend, you will leave with your finished bag, knowing how you can apply your new knowledge to your designs in the future.

Do you need to bring anything?

• Just bring yourself.
• Wear old clothes and proper shoes that cover your toes as we will be working with tools.
• If you feel the cold it may be worth bringing an extra layer or two.

Price: £360 (Materials included) – Deposit: £100

Class Dates (Saturday, Sunday):
September: 27, 28

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Have you ever wanted a pair of soft leather gloves that fitted your hands in your favourite colour? There is nothing quite like experiencing the feel of a pair of bespoke gloves on your hands, knowing that you made them? Do you want to learn the techniques to make them for someone else and see their reaction as they put the gloves on? Do you want to meet fellow enthusiasts?
This is a four day course to show you the techniques of drafting a glove pattern to fit your hands and constructing an unlined pair of gloves. We will look at the following areas:

• Gloving leathers – types, styles and suppliers
• Glove anatomy and pattern pieces.
• Linings – will be discussed, though the gloves on this course are unlined.
• How to measure your hands.
• Drafting and adapting your pattern.
• Transferring the design to leather and cutting out your pattern pieces.
• Hand sewing techniques. The gloves will be hand stitched and you will be able to sample the stitches beforehand to see which one you prefer.
• Construction techniques – how to put everything together without the fingers stretching or twisting.
• Adding points.
• Adding decoration – how and when to add decoration (we won’t have time on the course).

You will also receive a set of course notes.
We will cover all areas of construction so you know how to assemble and finish the gloves at home. Depending on your stitching speed you may find you don’t complete everything in class.

The course is aimed at beginners and those with more experience are welcome. We will be drafting a pattern to fit your hands. You will leave with the knowledge of how to sew and finish your gloves, equipped to make more in the future. Please note we may not have enough time to finish both gloves in the four days – you will have stitched nearly everything for one hand that you will repeat for the second hand.
Elizabeth will supply the leather and equipment for the day. These are all included in the price of the course. This includes the leather for a mock-up glove and the posh leather for your gloves, needles, and threads. We will be using lamb nappa for your gloves.
Do you need to bring anything?

Just bring yourself.
Wear old clothes and proper shoes that cover your toes as we will be working with tools.
If you feel the cold it may be worth bringing an extra layer or two.

Note: the course does not include the surface decoration included in the photos

Price: £360 (Materials included) – Deposit: £100

Class Dates (Friday, Saturday, Sunday):
October: 24, 25, 26

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

This two-day course is aimed at beginners, introducing them to basic leather work techniques and skills which they can then apply to a choice of small projects which can be made over the two days, including belts, keyrings, and card wallets.

During the course we will cover

• Tanning, leather, and uses.

• Equipment and suppliers.

• Choosing leather for your projects.

• Using hardware – poppers, buckles, and rivets.

• Introducing basic pattern making, marking leather, and cutting leather.

• Finishing processes including creasing, bevelling, burnishing, and dying.

• Aftercare and cleaning.

All the tools and materials you will need for the course are supplied by the teacher. You will also receive a set of course notes, including equipment lists and suppliers, to help you continue your leatherworking journey at home. In class, we will cover the essential items you will need to create your leather working tool kit. Please be warned that leather working can be addictive.

Using traditional carving tools and a wooden spoon learn to carve and print from your own wooden print block

A short woodblock printing course introducing students to carving wooden printing blocks. Although this is a very ancient way of producing prints it has largely fallen out of favour with the availability of new materials such as lino which are easier to cut and are much more stable. This course aims to teach students how to carve low relief images for printing, in various types of wood and how to creatively exploit the surface texture, grain and imperfections of the wood to develope those printed images.

1. Designing and cutting the first test block:

Prepare your wooden printing block, then draw up  your test design on paper before being shown how to transfer it to a prepared wood surface. Using a traditional lino/ block printing v tool you will be shown how to carve out your design to create black printed lines. Using the same v tool you will be shown how to create mid tone ‘colour’ using cross hatching techniques. Then using a shallow gouge you will be shown how to remove waste material to produce white areas on the finished print.

Outcomes:

• Preparing your timber
• learn to draw your design for printing.
• learn how to transfer your drawing from paper to timber
• learn how to use woodblock printing chisels and gouges
• learn about negative and positive printing, black and white.
• Experiment with grey and mid tone colour using cross hatching with a v tool.

2. Printing your block:

students will then be introduced to the ‘wooden spoon Barren’ and be shown how to prepare it for use on the printing paper. Using a hard rubber print roller and water based printing ink students will be shown how to roller ink onto a block. Students are then shown how a printing frame holds the block and how to lay printing paper over the block (registering). Students will print the image by using the spoon Barren to rub over the paper with an even firm pressure

Prints will then be lifted from the block.

Outcomes:

• Preparing a wooden spoon Barren for use.
• Preparing printing ink for the roller.
• Fixing the block in place in the printing frame.
• Fixing and registering the printing paper.
• Using the barren to make a print.

Program of work:

Day one: Drawing for prints: A drawing exercise to explain how prints work the drawing will be the subject of the first carving
Day two: Cutting your image into the wood: using the bench hook to hold the carving, using v tools and gouges
Day three: Registering paper and fixing printing block, inking and printing Artists proof and finished print
Day four: drawing your own print block experimenting with wood texture and grain developing your own print and working on own ideas

Class Dates:

Oct ( Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £250 (Deposit: £100)

Please note:  no refunds will be given if canceled 2 weeks or less before the class are scheduled to start.

Leather is one of the most amazing materials to work with.

Our Two-day introduction workshop is aimed at beginners interested in gaining a good basic understanding of the leather working skills & techniques used in making a variety of small leather goods.

Over the two days, you’ll be making 2 or 3 items, such a card holder, key-rings and a belt or a coin purse, (specific items can be chosen on the day.) These will show you the different skills and techniques required for leather working.

During the course,  you will cover the following:

• Different types of leathers and its uses
• Tanneries and suppliers
• Understanding the process of making leather goods
• Intro to pattern making.
• Cutting – Dying – Stitching and finishing the leather.
• Beveling – Creasing – Burnishing and other skills
• Leather after care
• General Q/A

You will be shown traditional methods and techniques which you will then use to make your own items and take them home. The skills and techniques learnt will help jump start your leather working journey, in addition to all tools and materials to use during the workshop along with course notes and information including recommended reading and a list of suppliers, with an opportunity to purchase a full beginners kit to take home with you (contain everything what need to get started, fixed cost of £100).

Class Dates (Saturday, Sunday):
October: 9, 10

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £165 + £35 Material cost

The best present for Christmas is a handmade item for your loved one and a new skill for yourself.

Leather is one of the most amazing materials to work with.

Our Two-day introduction workshop is aimed at beginners interested in gaining a good basic understanding of the leather working skills & techniques used in making a variety of small leather goods.

Over the two days, you’ll be making 2 or 3 items, such a card holder, key-rings and a belt or a coin purse, (specific items can be chosen on the day.) These will show you the different skills and techniques required for leather working.

During the course,  you will cover the following:

• Different types of leathers and its uses
• Tanneries and suppliers
• Understanding the process of making leather goods
• Intro to pattern making.
• Cutting – Dying – Stitching and finishing the leather.
• Beveling – Creasing – Burnishing and other skills
• Leather after care
• General Q/A

You will be shown traditional methods and techniques which you will then use to make your own items and take them home. The skills and techniques learnt will help jump start your leather working journey, in addition to all tools and materials to use during the workshop along with course notes and information including recommended reading and a list of suppliers, with an opportunity to purchase a full beginners kit to take home with you (contain everything what need to get started, fixed cost of £100).

Class Dates (Saturday, Sunday):
December: 4, 5

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £165 + £35 Material cost

Our Three-day intermediate workshop is geared towards those who have attended the beginners class or have some experience with fundamental understanding of basic techniques and looking to take their skills up a level. 

The class will begin by jumping straight in to create a selection of items with various different technical skill requirements such as watch straps, a small handbag or classic bifold wallet. Fundamentals will be expanded on, and more advanced techniques will be taught such as skiving leather, installing gussets and making raised leather elements for these items.

 You will be shown traditional methods and techniques which you will then use to make your own items and take them home.

 All tools and materials to use during the workshop will be supplied. 

You will have an option to purchase a full beginners kit to take home with you, along with some good quality leather and other supplies to get you started on your own (cost of £100).

Class Dates (Friday, Saturday, Sunday):
November: 19, 20, 21

Class Times: All classes start at 9:30 and end at 16:30

Price: £240 + £40 (materials)