——August 17-18——Hand-Sewn Leather Mini-Tote with Beth Dow

Related Courses/Events: Textile Courses

Dates: Saturday-Sunday, August 17-18, 2024 9am-5pm

Description: In this two-day class students will make a small tote out of beautiful vegetable tanned leather, learning foundational skills of leatherwork such as sewing with the traditional two-needle saddle stitch, wet molding, hardware application, and basic surface design. This durable natural material will gradually develop a rich honey patina, growing even more beautiful as it lives its life with you. We will also discuss how to design for strength and utility, how to select hides, and how to care for your leather. No prior sewing experience is necessary, but students must have steady hands and good dexterity for hand sewing, and be strong enough to hit hand tools with a mallet.

Please bring hearing protection, but no tools are necessary because you will be able to borrow the instructor’s during the course.

Workshop Fee: $250. A materials fee of $125 is payable directly to the instructor during class.

BETH DOW is a visual artist and leatherworker from Minneapolis, where she uses traditional hand-sewn saddle making processes and natural vegetable tanned cowhide to make bags and accessories that will last a lifetime. She has taught leatherwork at the Penland School of Crafts and North House Folk School, and she also teaches photography and leatherwork at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. Her photographs have been exhibited around the world and are in several museum collections.

WEBSITE www.fieldworkgoods.com