Leather Belt Making - Short Course

You'll learn how to cut a leather strap accurately and use decorative tooling, hand dyeing and finishing. You'll also understand about belt hardware and how it is fitted. Small class sizes and plenty of hands-on opportunities mean that most students come away with two belts and will have practised a variety of techniques with emphasis on hands-on application such as:

• cutting leather straps
• bevelling leather
• burnishing and creasing cut edges
• riveting
• skiving leather
• edge staining
• saddle stitch
• hand stitching
• machine sewing
• punching holes ready for buckles
• making and fitting keepers
• finishing and polishing

This leather belt making short course is hands-on, and advice and guidance is available throughout using a variety of teaching methods including demonstration, instructions, one-to-one tutorial guidance, group discussions and critiques.

By the end of the course, you'll have learnt:

• about different types of leathers and their different uses
• about various tools, materials and techniques
• how to cut and hole punch vegetable tanned leather
• how to hand stitch and machine sew leather
• how to personalise or pattern leather by stamping and carving
• how to apply professional edge finishing and polishing using leather dyes for edges and cover