5 days of running leatherwork courses

[Dreadhead]

Hi folks,

First up I'm not sure how relevant this is so no worries if Tony & mods need to move/delete this post.

I thought I would put a little insight into what I've been doing with Half-Goat Leatherwork. I'm just back from running two leatherwork courses back to back, 3 days teaching a satchel making course, and 2 days teaching a wallet making course to one of our members here.

I'm chuffed to bits with just how much it has brought out peoples creative side, and they have really surprised themselves at the level of skill they can put in to a craft. It's very rewarding passing skills on and helping people to develop a traditional skill

Some pictures from the 3 day satchel course, run at Resonate Arts House in Alloa.


HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 3 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 5 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 6 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 7 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 8 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 9 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 10 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 11 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 12 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 13 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 14 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoat Leatherwork Satchel Course with Resonate Together 15 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr



And a few pictures from the 2 day wallet course in my workshop

HalfGoatLeatherwork Wallet Course 1 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoatLeatherwork Wallet Course 2 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoatLeatherwork Wallet Course 3 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoatLeatherwork Wallet Course 4 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr

HalfGoatLeatherwork Wallet Course 5 by Hamish Odinson, on Flickr



Thanks for reading. Hamish

 

[dwardo]

Excellent stuff and learning from the best. Cant beat that.

 

[adestu]

Thamks again Hamish.
Had a great time.i would urge anyone thinking of doing one of Hamish's courses is to do it.we didnt believe it was possible but with excellent patient tuition the wallets are the result can be seen above.

 

[John Fenna]

Ach - 'taint fair ... their work already looks better than mine!
That has to be the mark of a great teacher
Mind you ... 5 mins showing them how to Saddle Stitch and the rest of the time sitting back and grinning as their little fingers are reduced to bloody pulp - it has to be fun....

Seriously - great results and happy clients - you must be doing something right!

 

[adestu]

Had to be done John. Lots of things to make now.the missus cant stop getting her wallet out.

 

[John Fenna]

Ach - 'taint fair ... their work already looks better than mine!
That has to be the mark of a great teacher
Mind you ... 5 mins showing them how to Saddle Stitch and the rest of the time sitting back and grinning as their little fingers are reduced to bloody pulp - it has to be fun.... only one person (or is it two) other than you seems to be wearing finger protectors...ouch!

Seriously - great results and happy clients - you must be doing something right!

 

[John Fenna]

not sure what happened there!

 

[adestu]

Not do i.it was me and the missus.
Wildcamped in the galloway forest for two nights then in to see Hamish

 

[John Fenna]

A sweet trip!

 

[adestu]

And now in Sussex for a bowmaking course with wayne.

 

[mountainm]

Great stuff Hamish - I've been approached and asked to teach tooling fossils and I find the prospect quite daunting - I make a lot of stuff up as I go along which I wouldn't be able to do with students. How did you prep for the class, did you do a dry run with volunteers?

M

 

[Hunkyfunkster]

That looks brilliant





Alex

 

[John Fenna]

And now in Sussex for a bowmaking course with wayne.

Lucky beggar!

 

[adestu]

And just popped into tamerack on the way down and quicks archery in Waterlooville

 

[Dreadhead]

Great stuff Hamish - I've been approached and asked to teach tooling fossils and I find the prospect quite daunting - I make a lot of stuff up as I go along which I wouldn't be able to do with students. How did you prep for the class, did you do a dry run with volunteers?

M

Hi Mike,

As leatherwork is my living, I'm happy to run classes on products I make day in, day out. I have made so many wallets, satchels, and sporrans that teaching them is actually second nature now. Whereas I wouldnt be fully comfortable running courses on making shoes or say gun cases as they are not my specialty. It's a case of taking people through my thought process, why I do things the way I do, and why I avoid various other techniques/tools etc. My courses are each designed not to only make one single product, but to teach people as much as possible so that they can take those skills away and adapt them to anything else.

In regards to doing dry runs, I don't bother as I'm teaching on a regular basis these days I like to just have a natural flow to things, I just don't post up many pictures or don't get the chance to take them as we are working. I often have people over to the workshop for a day course which helps me develop ways of teaching or demonstrating, or I'm hired to do between 1-3 days at other venues which are a lot more involved like the satchel course above.

The hardest thing I have found is having to amass extra sets of tools, and making sure you have enough stock to cover all avenues. I keep finding I'm teaching one thing, but somebody wants to learn something else and I haven't brought supplies to do it as it wasnt techically in the itenary. Now, I try and bring as much as I can so I can cover all bases to help people get as much out of the time they have paid for.

 

[Dreadhead]

Thamks again Hamish.
Had a great time.i would urge anyone thinking of doing one of Hamish's courses is to do it.we didnt believe it was possible but with excellent patient tuition the wallets are the result can be seen above.

Thanks for the kind words mate, it was a blast

 

[adestu]

At least you have a couple of needles left.

 

[Dreadhead]

At least you have a couple of needles left.

haha I've just ordered another 50 for the next upcoming wallet course in a fortnights time

 

[adestu]

I'll promise not to let angie come

 

[Dreadhead]

haha I think she has had enough of stitching for now!