Leathercraft News

The Cordwainer Shop describes private workshops at its Canterbury studio in which students make a custom pair of leather shoes alongside Molly Grant. The process covers pattern drafting, leather cutting, stitching uppers, and assembling soles. The shop identifies itself as a family-owned business preserving a shoemaking tradition established in the 1930s, and says Grant has taught the craft for more than 25 years.

The IFoLG competition page lists Open, Advanced, Master, Grand Master, Special Z, Youth Senior, and Youth Junior divisions. It states that the 2026 rules have been updated and that Open, Advanced, Master, and Grand Master now use the same categories and classes. The page also provides a 2026 competition entry form and says that all skill levels are welcome.

The National Endowment for the Arts profiles Cary Schwarz as a 2026 National Heritage Fellow and master saddlemaker based in Salmon, Idaho. The profile describes his original saddle designs, emphasis on fit, balance, durability, and restrained floral carving, as well as his use of pyrography and other decorative techniques. It also highlights his mentorship, workshops, instructional videos, role in founding the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, and work helping launch the Saddlemaker Summit.

The school’s summer 2026 sessions run from July 13 through August 14 at its 150 North Street facility in Boston. The program includes a bookbinding intensive covering non-adhesive structures, case bindings, sewing variations, paste paper, and marbled paper, led by bookbinder Colin Urbina with teaching assistant India Patel. Sessions cost $825, with tools and supplies provided, six to ten places per class, and full or partial scholarships available.

The supplied listing describes a beginner class scheduled for August 18, 2026, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at a stated price of $55. It says materials are included and that instruction covers cutting leather, stamping initials, setting rivets, staining, and choosing leather weights, thread, and needles. Web-search fallback did not return a verifiable result for the specific Boston Calendar page, so these details remain based on the supplied discovery context rather than independently confirmed page content.

The Craft Guild lists all-level and intermediate/advanced bookbinding classes that explore leather and knife use through several binding structures. Students can pursue independent projects with individual instructor supervision in small classes, while leather is not included in the stated $20 supply fee. Separate offerings cover restoration of antique books, protective boxes and chemises, and box making; the page links to a 2026 schedule.

Romero says he began as a self-taught hobbyist before studying at the Córdoba Arts & Crafts School and completing a leather design master’s degree associated with the Loewe Foundation, Madrid Polytechnic University, and the Leather Technology Center in Ubrique. The biography states that he moved to full-time leatherwork in 2003 and has combined making with educational demonstrations at leather events in Europe and the United States. It also presents Leather Artisan Lab as a shop built around tools and supplies tested in his workshop.

The exhibition surveys more than four decades of Jackson’s creative practice, including Sheridan-style leather carving, painting, and works that combine leather as both surface and structure. The museum describes Jackson as a fine artist and Western leather craftsman whose work has also been shaped by teaching, demonstrations, and exchanges with leather artists in Japan. The exhibition is scheduled through August 3, 2026, with an opening reception listed for March 12.

Seams Quirky listed a two-hour workshop on July 30, 2026, teaching participants to fold and stitch paper signatures and assemble them into a leather cover. Attendees could choose among leather colors and textures, and the listing states that no prior experience was required and supplies were provided. The $48 event was held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis and had 24 places, with the page showing 2 of 24 tickets available.

Buckleguy lists Carlos, a full-grain vegetable-tanned bovine leather made by Conceria La Perla Azzurra in Tuscany. Its hand-worked, softly abraded grain begins with a matte, dry feel and a lightly waxed finish; Buckleguy says the surface is designed to smooth, darken, and develop character with handling. The product page offers double shoulders in 3/3.5 oz and 4.5/5 oz weights and links to smaller panels.

Grassillini Creations’ Libations and Creations program takes place at the Leather Genie’s studio at 1007 Main Street in East Hartford, Connecticut. The page lists Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon sessions and describes guided instruction for participants making personalized leather projects. Supplies, light snacks, and wine are included, and the currently displayed projects include card cases and waist bags.

The $55 beginner workshop includes materials and instruction in cutting leather, stamping initials, and setting rivets. Participants can choose among several leather stain colors and receive guidance on leather weight, thread and needle sizing, templates, and other resources. The class is held at Craft Loft, 100 CambridgeSide Place, and requires attendees to be at least 12 years old.

Masoni, a Santa Croce sull’Arno tannery backed by LVMH’s Métiers d’Art division since 2019, has invested in Hashtag S.r.l., a Tuscan tannery founded in 2017 by Gianmarco Pinori and Lucio Verbeni. Hashtag specializes in premium suede splits and other leathers for footwear, leather goods, and apparel, and recently opened a production facility in Fucecchio. The transaction follows Masoni’s minority investment in Ulivieri & Nardi in 2022 and forms part of its strategy of industrial expansion and specialization.

The review, published in npj Heritage Science, surveys methods for identifying, monitoring, and protecting organic heritage materials including leather and parchment. It describes tools such as infrared and Raman spectroscopy, environmental sensing, and microbial analysis, while emphasizing that reliable assessment should combine complementary methods with minimal sampling. Proposed treatments include collagen-based nanomaterials, chitosan, plant-derived compounds, and other materials that should be compatible, removable, and stable over time.

The five-hour workshop is scheduled for September 13, 2026, at the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts in Jamaica Plain. Participants will learn to manipulate floating pigments into swirling and raked patterns and transfer them onto paper. Beginners and returning students are welcome; tuition is $175 plus a $30 materials fee.