Continuing Leatherworking classes are the follow-up to our Fundamentals course. You were introduced to the core skills of making leather goods; this next series of courses lets you explore the craft further and find what interests you. Choose your own adventure and find your creative path with the support of our leatherworking expertise.
Continuing Leatherworking is for people who want to further explore making leather goods, improve their new skills, and work up to making more advanced projects and complex builds. Like our introductory course, you can take Continuing Leatherworking at your own pace over a series of drop-in sessions. We created a progression of projects intended to round out your skills and widen your repertoire. Below is a summary of each project. You can take them sequentially or pick the projects that interest you most.
Project Options
Heirloom Belts and Straps
Ever wonder what goes into making a luxury leather belt? You’ll make a custom belt to take home for yourself or a loved one. Learn to install buckles and size your straps. Making a belt is fundamental to other projects like purse and backpack straps.
Topics and skills covered: Working with thicker leather, strap making, edge finishing, specialized hand-sewing, and specialized skiving.
Typical Duration: 3-4 sessions
Personalized Pet Collars and Leashes
We love our pets, so why not make their accessories more refined and more befitting of their size, looks, and personality? Make a custom pet collar and, optionally, a matching leash. You’ll learn more about working with thicker leather, installing buckles, and sizing straps. Collars are a great project that will lead to watch strap making.
Topics and skills covered: Working with thicker leather, strap making, edge finishing, specialized hand-sewing, and specialized skiving.
Typical Duration: 4-6 sessions
Elegant Card Cases and Wallets
Create a simple card case or wallet for business cards or your slim everyday carry. These projects prepare you for our longer wallet weekend intensive course.
Topics and skills covered: Skiving, hand-sewing, working with thin leather, wallets, and patternmaking.
Typical Duration: 5-8 sessions
More Projects Throughout the Year
We rotate new projects into the Continuing Leatherworking course. This includes trays, zippered pouches, small gusseted cases, sandals, and more. Dabble in a few or deep dive into one project and explore your personalized journey of making finer leather goods.
Dates & Locations
Drop-in sessions are THREE hours. You can choose one or more of the following dates:
- December 6th, Friday, 1 pm – 4 pm
- December 10th, Tuesday, 6 pm – 9 pm
- December 14th, Saturday, 9 am – 12 pm
- December 14th, Saturday, 1 pm – 4 pm
- December 20th, Friday, 1 pm – 4 pm
Take the course in our Berkeley studio on 5th Street, just south of the Fourth Street Shopping Area. It’s a 5-minute ride (Uber/Lyft) or a 30-minute walk from the nearby North Berkeley BART Station.
Join Continuing Leatherworking
$77 per session. Save by getting two or four at a time.
Couples: Select two or four sessions, and we’ll split the registrations between the two of you
If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to call or email us
1-415-800-2978
store@fineleatherworking.com.
We’re happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Project Should I Choose?
We recommend taking the project sequentially, as listed above. This helps you build on top of existing skills and undertake more complex projects without overwhelming you. If some of the projects don’t interest you though, feel free to skip around. You can always come back to one as your interests change. For example, you may not want to make belts and start with wallets instead. If you gain an interest in making bags with straps, you can come back to belts to build up your skills.
How long will it take me to finish a project?
This depends on the project’s difficulty, past experience, work speed, and desired quality level. All the projects in this intermediate course take at least two sessions. Making a card case helps you learn to make a zippered pouch, so it might take an additional session if you jump into the latter first.
Do I need to schedule all of my sessions at once?
No, take the sessions at the pace you want, though I recommend doing a few closer together to retain the knowledge better. Things come up, such as kids, life, vacation, etc. so feel free to sign up for sessions that fit your schedule.
I’m from out of town; can I do longer sessions?
Yes. We have double sessions, 9-12 and 1-5, scheduled on a single day so that you can maximize your visit.
I Want to Make a Project Not Listed Here
Some projects are easily adapted into our existing intermediate curriculum. For example, making a clutch purse instead of a small pouch. There is a small material fee for larger project variations.
We also offer one-on-one and custom small-group sessions for people who want a more tailored course. 1:1 sessions are a minimum of 2 hours for $250. Contact us to see if your project fits better as a one-on-one class and schedule a time.
About the Course Instructor
Sean Aquino has been making leather goods for over ten years. He runs the blog and website FineLeatherworking.com, the go-to resource for advanced tools, materials, and luxury leather craft inspiration since 2012.
A Centrally Located Studio With Easy Access
Our studio is located in West Berkeley, just south of the Fourth Street neighborhood. Berkeley is home to the University of California, the Gourmet Ghetto, many gardens, farmer’s markets, and a diverse collection of vibrant neighborhoods.
Our studio is centrally located in the Bay Area. It’s a 5-minute ride (Uber/Lyft) from the North Berkeley Bart and a 5-minute drive from the Marina Hilton. La Quinta is just an 8-minute walk away.
It’s a 10-minute walk to both the 4th Street and the San Pablo and University shopping and restaurant areas. And we’re just steps away from the closest restaurant, Tomate, and a short walk to the famous Viks and a great cafe.
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