21 & 28 May 2026
Free Community Leathercraft Project — Mansfield Pentecostal Church
The desire to develop a deeper knowledge of leatherworking, while also holding workshops in my local area, has been something I have wanted to pursue for some time.
I would love to create a community where people who are interested in working with leather can come together, learn, make things and share their enthusiasm for the craft. I know it is very early days, but my focus and commitment to this idea remains resolute.
Early Days — A Leathercraft Taster
For the first session on 21 May, I offered eight free places. Participants could choose to make either a small pouch, purse or minimalist wallet, while being introduced to the traditional saddle stitch.
To make the most of the time available during the session, I prepared the leather pieces in advance — cutting, punching and even dyeing them beforehand, so that the participants could concentrate on learning and making.
Unfortunately, five people cancelled and only three were able to attend.
I was very disappointed. I had put a great deal of effort into securing a venue at the church and preparing all the tools, materials and leather for the session.
Because of the very low response, I decided to cancel the second session that had been planned for 28 May.
At the time, I was honestly quite disheartened. I had hoped this would be the beginning of something I could build within my local community, and I had put a lot of preparation into making the sessions possible.
But the three people who did come gave me something more valuable than I had expected: a chance to learn what it is really like to teach leathercraft to complete beginners.
It made me realise that teaching a craft is very different from making something yourself.
You have to slow down, explain things differently, anticipate where someone might struggle and, most importantly, make people feel that they can do it.
It was a very small beginning, and certainly not the beginning I had imagined.
But it was still a beginning.
And the experience made me want to explore community leathercraft much further. 
