• WELCOME TO DIAMOND AWL LEATHER WORKSHOP

    We offer one day, two day and three day courses, plus one-to-one leatherwork tuition in a unique workshop environment. Learn traditional techniques, from leather bag making to small leather goods.

  • LEARN TRADITIONAL LEATHER SKILLS

    Learn traditional leathermaking techniques, including design and planning, marking and cutting out, hand stitching, edging and rivet setting.

  • EXPERT & FRIENDLY TUITION

    Learn in a relaxed and friendly workshop environment under expert guidance.

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We are pleased to have resumed our leather courses. We are keeping the courses small with a maximum of three people, which ensures we can take all necessary precautions to ensure safety and compliance with government guidelines.

Diamond Awl Workshop presents practical leather courses.   All tuition is based around traditional leatherwork skills and you will learn all you need to know about making premium leather goods, from wallets to leather bags.    Our leather courses take place in an authentic leather workshop, conveniently situated in Saddleworth, within easy reach of Manchester and Leeds.

One-to-one leatherwork tuition

If you’d like to develop your leatherwork skills on a one-to-one basis then our one-to-one leatherwork tuition could be just right for you.  The day/s will be tailored to your individual needs and take place in our authentic leather workshop which allows plenty space for social distancing. You will learn in a friendly relaxed and professional environment with all leather and tools provided.

If you’d like to find out more please fill in the form here

Diamond Awl Leather Workshop

Our ONE DAY LEATHER COURSES focus on making premium small leather goods, such as wallets, notebook holders, card holders and passport holders. The course is designed to teach you all the core basics of traditional leatherwork, including marking and cutting out leather, preparing the leather for hand stitching, saddle stitching by hand, skiving, bevelling and burnishing.

At the end of the day you will have made your very own small leather good, using high quality vegetable tanned leather. No prior experience of leatherwork is necessary.

Click Here to book now

Diamond Awl Leather Course | Two Day Course

On our TWO DAY LEATHER BAG MAKING COURSE you will have the choice of making either a messenger bag, tote bag or postal bag. No prior leatherwork experience is needed as you will learn all the core leatherwork skills as on the one day course, plus additional techniques that are relevant to the more complex process of leather bag making.

You will leave the course having made your very own bag using high quality vegetable tanned leather and metal fixings.

Click Here to book now

Diamnd Awl Leather Workshop

Introducing our new 3 DAY BACK PACK COURSE for those who are looking for a more complex and in-depth project. Learn how to make a stunning leather back pack in high quality vegetable tan leather. You will be taken through the bag making process from start to finish, using traditional skills and hand stitching. This course is suitable for beginners or those who already have leatherwork skills. 

You will leave the course having made your very own bag. The course price includes leather, fixings, use of tools, lunch and coffee/tea.

Click Here to book now

Leather Course Gift Voucher

Our one day and two day gift vouchers make an ideal present. Following purchase, your voucher will be emailed to you as a PDF and personalised with the name of the recipient.

The recipient can then use our online booking system to choose a date and simply enter their unique code provided on the voucher, at the payment page.

Click Here to purchase

Diamond Awl Leather Workshop

Here at Diamond Awl Leather Workshop  sharing our passion for teaching and leatherwork is our raison d’etre, so it was a real pleasure to be interviewed by www.craftcourses.com. I hope it gives a bit more insight into my own methods and practice and my leatherwork journey.

Click Here to find out more

TESTIMONIALS

A big thank you to Jason and Louise for a fantastic two day leather bag course. The course was a Christmas present from my husband. I had never done any leather bag making before and I found the course brilliant and I got to take away with me a beautiful leather bag which I will treasure. Jason has so much knowledge and experience and made the experience both fun and rewarding. He is very inspirational when he talks about his journey to starting his business. The atmosphere in the workshop was very relaxed and the music was fab. Lunch provided was superb too. Jason and Louise were so patient and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. I can’t recommend this course enough and I hope to come back and do another course soon. Please please think about doing a course to make a clutch bag!
Helen
“I attended this course in March 2020 and cannot praise it highly enough. I’m a dressmaker as a hobby and am always striving to learn something new.
Jason is very passionate about what he does and shares his knowledge so well. You work at your own pace and individual instruction is given.
Our time with him was fascinating, we learned so much about leather as well as how to make our bags. I am so critical now when i look at leather goods in the shops.
Thank you Jason for opening my eyes and giving me a whole new skill to expore.”
Lisa
“A fantastic 2 days. I attended the course with my Father and we both enjoyed it immensely and have been telling everyone about it. We both love the bags we have made and have had loads of compliments. Neither of us really knew what to expect and Jason and Louise did everything to make our experience a great one. I would encourage anyone to give this a try and be really impressed with what they will help you to achieve. I certainly was and now I just need to decide on the next project…”
Robyn
“Thanks to you both for an amazing time over the last two days. I learnt so much about your craft and also even more about myself. Life changing might sound a bit strong, but yes I do think that those two days, the beautiful messenger bag you helped me make, and those skills are something that will remain with me.”
Joseph
“I attended this course in March 2020 and cannot praise it highly enough. I’m a dressmaker as a hobby and am always striving to learn something new.
Jason is very passionate about what he does and shares his knowledge so well. You work at your own pace and individual instruction is given.
Our time with him was fascinating, we learned so much about leather as well as how to make our bags. I am so critical now when i look at leather goods in the shops.
Thank you Jason for opening my eyes and giving me a whole new skill to explore.”
Lisa
“Oh what a fabulous day. I learned so much and produced a really high quality, professional looking item in just one day. Jason explained everything really clearly and was very patient. I am definitely going to book the two day course next. It was really worthwhile to learn this new skill and it’s associated techniques. Thank you so much. See you again soon. “
Michelle
“Don’t hesitate to book! I feel like I’ve really learned a skill having done this course and I’ve got a great, professional-looking bag out of it too! I’m glad I did the 2 day course as well because I feel my hand-stitching improved a lot on the 2nd day. As others have said, Jason is a natural teacher and you really feel his passion for his craft.”
Jennifer
“The 2 day course exceeded my expectations in all areas. A beautiful, inspiring work space, a choice of projects, a choice of leathers, a fabulous teacher all combined to ensure I left with a host of new skills, a new hobby, and a messenger bag that I am exceptionally proud of, and which looks highly professional. I’ve already had compliments about it, no one can believe I made it (myself included!) and I know that it will still look as good in years to come. I have no hesitation in recommending, and I’m already planning on attending the tote bag course. Thank you Jason, this is the best craft course experience I’ve had. See you again soon I hope.”
Claire
“E X C E L L E N T !!! I was there for 4 days and I had an amazing time. Far above the expectation. I left with 3 beautiful leather items and plenty of knowledges about leathers, tools, techniques, … From the first moment you can realize how passionated is Jason about his job and how much he enjoys sharing his knowledge. He was really patient and helpful, and he even answered me a thousand questions I had. It’s a hands-on workshop where you get to learn and to do the entire process by yourself, with Jason’s help. I don’t like courses where you only sit and watch, definitely Jason’s course is far from that.
I really enjoy it and I would highly recommend it without hesitation to anyone who is interested in leather and handcrafts.”
Mar

Fancy a change for your company away day? – why not try a one day leather course for your team. Our leather courses take place in an authentic leather workshop, conveniently situated in Saddleworth, within easy reach of Manchester and Leeds.

If you have something in mind, please email me.

Diamond Awl Leather Bag Gallery

Some Diamond Awl Leather Workshop students show their finished leather products from our one day, two day & three day leather courses.  Join us and learn to make a small leather good or a leather bag from start to finish, using traditional leatherwork skills.

Diamond Awl Leather Workshop

Affordable option for a ready to use Large Manual Clicker Press. Helps you to work with no noise and minimal pressure to press or punch small leather goods. Easy to use and sits nicely on a work surface.

Click Here to find out more.

TESTIMONIALS

“A truly unforgettable day with Jason in his wonderful workshop. Myself and my family learn’t everything we could ever wish to know about leather, tooling, dying and stitching in what was a day that flew by as we were having so much fun. The knowledge, patience and enthusiasm from Jason was inspiring and we’ll definitely be going back.”
Nathan
“Thanks to you both for an amazing time over the last two days. I learnt so much about your craft and also even more about myself. Life changing might sound a bit strong, but yes I do think that those two days, the beautiful messenger bag you helped me make, and those skills are something that will remain with me.”
Joseph
“I attended this course in March 2020 and cannot praise it highly enough. I’m a dressmaker as a hobby and am always striving to learn something new.
Jason is very passionate about what he does and shares his knowledge so well. You work at your own pace and individual instruction is given.
Our time with him was fascinating, we learned so much about leather as well as how to make our bags. I am so critical now when i look at leather goods in the shops.
Thank you Jason for opening my eyes and giving me a whole new skill to explore.”
Lisa
“Oh what a fabulous day. I learned so much and produced a really high quality, professional looking item in just one day. Jason explained everything really clearly and was very patient. I am definitely going to book the two day course next. It was really worthwhile to learn this new skill and it’s associated techniques. Thank you so much. See you again soon. “
Michelle
“What a fantastic way to spend a couple of days … Jason is a great teacher and has a wonderful outlook on life that he brings to the class. The course was a great mix of interesting background and theory, followed up with hands-on working. Jason explained things clearly and then allowed the students to get stuck in. He was always around to provide assistance where needed. A well paced course saw us creating well made items, that we were all proud to take away. I will definitely be staying in contact, and heading back for more learning with this great teacher.”
Steve
“This 2 day course was excellent. Jason was friendly, helpful, funny and a great teacher with plenty of patience. You get to choose everything from materials to design and I love my bag – just what I wanted. Hopefully be back in Sept for embossing/carving course.”
Diane
“Don’t hesitate to book! I feel like I’ve really learned a skill having done this course and I’ve got a great, professional-looking bag out of it too! I’m glad I did the 2 day course as well because I feel my hand-stitching improved a lot on the 2nd day. As others have said, Jason is a natural teacher and you really feel his passion for his craft.”
Jennifer
“The 2 day course exceeded my expectations in all areas. A beautiful, inspiring work space, a choice of projects, a choice of leathers, a fabulous teacher all combined to ensure I left with a host of new skills, a new hobby, and a messenger bag that I am exceptionally proud of, and which looks highly professional. I’ve already had compliments about it, no one can believe I made it (myself included!) and I know that it will still look as good in years to come. I have no hesitation in recommending, and I’m already planning on attending the tote bag course. Thank you Jason, this is the best craft course experience I’ve had. See you again soon I hope.”
Claire
“This is a fantastic introduction to leather. Jason is a brilliant teacher who puts his learners at ease and gives you all the support you need to produce your first pieces. I left the course having completed two items and feeling inspired to take my skills to the next level. The workshop is beautifully curated to provide an inspiring environment in which to work and learn. There’s a delicious lunch waiting for you at the flying teapot too 🙂 A fantastic, memorable day and great value for money.”
Annali
“A fantastic 2 days. I attended the course with my Father and we both enjoyed it immensely and have been telling everyone about it. We both love the bags we have made and have had loads of compliments. Neither of us really knew what to expect and Jason and Louise did everything to make our experience a great one. I would encourage anyone to give this a try and be really impressed with what they will help you to achieve. I certainly was and now I just need to decide on the next project…”
Robyn
“This is a fantastic course for everyone – even if you have no experience whatsoever, you will walk away after two days with a fabulous bag that will last you decades, feeling very proud of your work. Everything is explained and shown in a very clear and relaxed way, and Jason and Louise (fabulous people) will be on hand to answer whatever questions you have, and help you with whatever problem you have – with only four people on the course you really feel like you’re getting all the attention you need. Great atmosphere, great lunch, great learning experience, I wish I could attend on a monthly basis!”
Aggie
“E X C E L L E N T !!! I was there for 4 days and I had an amazing time. Far above the expectation. I left with 3 beautiful leather items and plenty of knowledges about leathers, tools, techniques, … From the first moment you can realize how passionated is Jason about his job and how much he enjoys sharing his knowledge. He was really patient and helpful, and he even answered me a thousand questions I had. It’s a hands-on workshop where you get to learn and to do the entire process by yourself, with Jason’s help. I don’t like courses where you only sit and watch, definitely Jason’s course is far from that.
I really enjoy it and I would highly recommend it without hesitation to anyone who is interested in leather and handcrafts.”
Mar
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop

Our leather courses take place in an authentic leather workshop, which provides a relaxed and inspirational learning environment. 

Our leather workshop accommodates small groups of between six and eight and we keep our course numbers small to ensure each of you receives the individual attention needed.

At Diamond Awl we use high quality leather and fixings, ensuring your leather good will last for years to come.

Diamond Awl Leather Workshop

Woodend Mill, near Saddleworth in Lancashire. Built in 1848, the mill was one of the last working cotton mills in the country and has now developed into a thriving cultural hub with over 30 artists based here including painters, photographers, sculptors, jewellers and musicians.

We are delighted to offer our courses in such an inspiring and authentic environment, that blends tradition with the learning of new skills.

Please click here to see our location.

ALL DIAMOND AWL LEATHER COURSES INCLUDE:

Diamond Awl Leather Workshop
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop
Diamond Awl Leather Workshop