Traditional Saddle Stitching with Armitage Leather

I had the privilege of spending a day with Nigel Armitage being shown the wonders of working with leather. What a fantastic experience. Without exception, professional in every way and an excellent teacher able to guide you patiently through each step of the course. As a complete novice at the beginning of the day, I am now inspired with great enthusiasm and excitement at the prospect of being able to work with leather to a standard I never believed possible. Thank you Nigel indeed for sharing your incredible talents, time, and coffee so generously !

I took a 4 day introduction to leather work course, as I was an absolute beginner and wanted to see if I liked leather work as a way to relax away from my day job. I chose Nigel, as I wanted to learn the correct more traditional techniques, and after looking on YouTube etc, thought he was the best person to learn from. I wasn't wrong. Nigel is patient, witty and an extremely gifted teacher, putting you at ease straight away and making the days fly by. The instruction is thoroughly explained, with lots of tool options to try - especially useful if you are left handed like myself.
The course far exceeded my expectations, so I am now looking to purchase some tools and get practising before a return visit for the next set of instructions. As people have said previously, it is also the knowledge that you can get in touch after the course has finished which is extremely important. Thank you for making for the days richly enjoyable and I left with a beautiful wallet and pouch.

Had an excellent introduction to leather craft. Nigel is a very skilled instructor who guides you through every step of the process enabling you to leave with confidence to go on and ecpand on the ideas.
Will be doing more courses to progress.

Having just completed a three day course with Nigel I can not recommend him enough. Nigel is a Master of his craft but puts you at ease straight away. On starting my course I was a complete novice and now feel confident to build on this excellent instruction and go on to improve. Over the three days we explored saddle stitching, pattern making, tool selection, leather and material selection & using the tools correctly. As Nigel explains, these are all essential building blocks to producing your finished article. Using Nigel’s fantastic online videos I feel I now have the ability to progress well. The level of instruction is superb from a gifted instructor. “Not too Shabby” at all .

Having completed a day under Nigel’s tutelage, what can I say but Nigel is a rare man. A master craftsmen who is passionate about his craft and has an incredible ability to pass on his years of experience in such a manner that you don’t feel like you are being taught, but the amount of information you absorb and the practical experience you gain is outstanding.
An excellent course and I have no doubt I will be booking another.

Took Nigel's exceptional course on Saddle Stitching. Made such great progress in speed and quality of my stitching. Have a stronger understanding of the process, the extent of the various tools and thread choices, and what results are possible with so many variables. Could not be more pleased. I left the class very motivated to do hand stitching. I'm certain the sewing machines in my studio are going to feel my absence.

So very thrilled with my stitching improvement after completing the 3 day Stitching course!

I had a great day with an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and entertaining instructor. Nigel showed me a number of techniques to improve my saddle stitching, using both the traditional method and the double pricking approach. He built my confidence and made sure I understood the why as well as the how. His explanations of how to cut leather, how to create a right angle and how to design a tool roll were clear and easy to understand. He refined my tools and they are so much easier to use now. Ultimately, he had me feeling confident whilst a long way out of my comfort zone. If you want to learn something about leather working, he is a fantastic teacher. I cannot recommend him highly enough. I will be going back for more instruction.

This is my second course with Nigel Armitage covering various techniques in leather craft. Namely box stitching, knife sheath templating, rolled edging and piping. A lot to get though in three days. Nigel planned and delivered an excellent instructional package in all of these tasks, allowing me to gain knowledge and heighten my skill level. Giving me the confidence to tackle these projects. He is a credit to his chosen profession and has a obvious passion not only for leather craft, by delivering an excellent standard of instruction at a level gear to the individual under instruction. I would highly recommend anyone interested in this craft to get in touch with him and discuss there needs, as he is only to happy to spent time on the phone, ensuring you get an understanding of your requirements. Thank you Nigel.

I booked a one day custom course with Nigel to put me on the right track to make a tote bag for my wife. I am a complete beginner and it is an ambitious project. Nigel was extremely helpful before the course, pointing me at the right leather to use and the tools to buy. I think there a 2 things that make a good teacher. The first is excellent subject matter knowledge and skill, and the second is the ability to convey that skill and knowledge in a constructive fashion. Nigel scores 10/10 on both counts. On top of that he is damn fine fellow to spend the day with. Post course support via email has been a life saver too. Worth every penny. thanks Nigel

I went Nigel's studio for 'wallet making'course for one day , I knew nothing about the leather work and wasn't sure if i could make anything...but surprise : ) I came home with beautiful card wallet!
Leather craft man with over 30 years of experience will teach you depend of your level of skills.
Choose your course where they teach you from start to end of project.
I'm glad that i made right choice to choose Nigel's studio to learn leather work, hoping to go back to learn more very soon!

I came over to the UK and arranged a one day training course with Nigel, mainly focused on saddle stitching but also other leatherwork techniques too. I learned most of my skills from Nigel via his youtube channel, but this training was fantastic and worth every penny. His knowledge is vastly superior and if you have the chance to learn from him you will not be disappointed. The day was well structured, and Nigel addressed all of the items I wanted to cover, and he look at my tools and improved them too. I felt like it moved my ability on to a much higher level and I was very happy with the outcome. I'm sure it won't be my last visit.

Nigel Armitage is a true master of leather craft. He has infinite knowledge to share on the subject, & his passion for teaching is apparent. It is one thing to know a subject, & a whole other thing to teach it to someone. He is hands down the best, most intuitive instructor I have ever met.
Learning to saddle stitch and make it applicable to several projects, has changed my life! Super grateful to have learned from him.

I recently spent a week with Nigel and day one involved Saddle Stitching. My previous stitching technique was horrid and after a very short period of time due to Nigel's instruction, my stitching took on a much better look. Nigel's ability to instruct is in a league all it's own! He is patient and an exemplary teacher. While most of us are in the leather industry through passion, Nigel makes learning a true pleasure.

I had a one day basic introduction to leather crafting lesson with Nigel. It was given to me as a gift, and I wasn't sure how it would go! Well, I surprised myself! It seems I had a flair for stitching, and did very well indeed. The teaching was great, pitched at the right level for my skill. Nigel guided me through the process, watching me all the time, yet not hovering over me, worried I might do it wrong or hurt myself with the tools.
The tools were awesome, and did most of the job for me. The workshop is busy and interesting, so many wonderful pieces of leather work to look at, and the overall smell of leather intoxicating.
I came away from the day very confident that I could do it again, and with a deep respect for a wonderful craft and gifted craftsman. Not to mention the shakes from too much caffeine!
Thanks Nigel, awesome lesson.

A man with a wealth of knowledge that loves to teach. I have learnt so much from Nigel & his passion for excellence in this field is second to none.
A true professional & master of leather craft.