A number of images of Theresa's Leather Sewing Course
A number of images of Theresa's Leather Sewing Course
a display of a range of hand made hand stitched leather items including trousers, shirts and tops
Show showing a leather cord sewn double seam on white leather
Close up shot of white leather being sewn with sinew.
close up shot of pattern making, marked up pattern fabric and pins
a leather vest top with bust detailing in a sky blue with leather shorts just showing
Side shot of a pair of well loved fat tanned leather shorts with a black stripe up the side.
a hand made leather skirt with a shell and bone belt, lots of tassel details and a leather top showing just above.
Oak leaf Detail on a hand made leather tank top

Leather Pattern & Sewing with Dr Theresa Emmerich Kamper

Price range: £86.00 through £430.00

Join Dr Theresa Emmerich Kamper on this 4-day Leather Pattering and Sewing course, in South London. She will teach you how to pattern and tailor bespoke, custom leather clothing to your own unique design. You will learn a variety of stitches for sewing fat-tanned leather and create your own unique pattern.

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Working with the world renowned leather crafter Dr Theresa Emmerich Kamper, this course will cover all you need to know to begin patterning and making your own well-fitted leather garments.

Pattern and Tailor Your Own Custom Leather Garments: This intensive course is meticulously designed to equip you with the knowledge and hands-on skills required to pattern, tailor, and finish bespoke (custom-made) leather clothing, all based on your own unique design concepts.

Course Dates: Thursday 28th January – Sunday 31st January 2027

Course timings: 10 am – ± 5.00pm

Cost: £430 – Deposit: £83 (Non refundable) Full Payment due 10 weeks before course starts.

Course Numbers: Maximum of 10.

N.B. This course needs a minimum of 6 people to run. We will inform participants by the end of October if we have not reached these numbers & a full refund, including deposits will be given.

Included:
Four days of expert tuition.
All course materials (except leather skins).
Indoor Heated Venue, with fridge and microwave.
Tea & Coffee.
Hosting by Lizzy Maskey of Pippin & Gile.

Not Included:
Off-site Accommodation
Food
Cost of Leather Skins
Parking Fees

See tabs above for more detailed information. 

Buying for someone else? We can send out a gift certificate for this course. Because this course is so unique the voucher will be for a specific course and therefore come with the same refund terms as the course. As for a gift voucher you’ll receive a PDF voucher by email to print at home or forward to the lucky recipient — a simple, sustainable way to give the gift of skill and connection. Or you can upgrade to our gift pack, including a card, a bookmark and a voucher for a more tactile gifting experience.

More about the course:

The course will begin with an overview of the possibilities when tailoring and designing leather clothing. You will have the opportunity to view an extensive collection of sample garments for inspiration and ideas. We will discuss the options and uses for different types of leather in various clothing and utilitarian items.

You will learn a variety of stitches used for sewing fat tanned leather, as well as which stitch is best used for which type of seam or part of the garment. Each person will create a stitch card to become familiar with the various stitches and sewing with leather lace.

Of course, the most critical step for making well-fitted clothing is good tailoring! This course will help you overcome the challenges typically associated with sewing with leather for the first time. We promise you will leave the course with a garment that fits!

It is often difficult to visualise a 2-dimensional pattern fitting a 3-dimensional body. Theresa will guide you through this process to help you create a pattern that is uniquely yours.

After covering how to lay out the pattern on the leather, the next step will be covered. This is crucial to do correctly so the garment maintains its original shape throughout washing and wearing.

You will work with lovely soft, oil-tanned chamois skins, which, while commercially produced, are the closest equivalent to hand-tanned brain-tan/buckskin.

The sewing will be done with either leather lace/or artificial sinew.

The course aim is to have everyone’s garment at least halfway finished by the end of the course. How far you progress on your item will significantly depend on what you choose to sew, the complexity of the stitching you select, and how quickly you sew.

Although you might not be able to complete a full garment in 4 days, by the end of this course, you will have acquired the skills and confidence to complete the garment on your own, as well as produce future functional works of art.

Prerequisites: Basic sewing skills are required (not necessarily with leather), allowing you to focus on bespoke techniques rather than foundational stitching.

At the end of this exciting experience you will be taking home:

Your partially completed garment tailored to you perfectly. The skills and confidence to complete the garment on your own, as well as produce future, functional works of art.

Types of garments you could make

Due to the time frame of the course and the complexity of some clothing, we limit the kind of garments you can choose from.

The options for the type of clothing you can make are:

  • Skirt
  • Shorts
  • Tank top/Vest top
  • Short-Sleeved T-Shirt

Find out more about the leather you’ll need, the venue and more about Theresa using the tabs at the top of the page.

Garments & Leather

What will I be making?

Due to the time frame of the course and the complexity of some clothing, we have limited the kind of garments you can choose from.

The options for the type of clothing you can make are:

  • Skirt

  • Shorts

  • Tank top/Vest top

  • Short-Sleeved T-Shirt

To give you an idea of the skins needed for each garment type:

  • 2-3 for a sleeveless top

  • 4-5 for a short-sleeved shirt

  • 2-4 for shorts

  • 2-3 for a skirt (depending on length)

The Leather

The price of the leather is NOT included in the course price due to the variation in the number of skins needed for different garment types and sizes. The price of leather is approximately £25 per skin, and payable to Theresa during the course.

We kindly request that you provide your preferred garment choice in advance, along with your basic measurements. We will email you 8 weeks before the course to ask for this information.

  • The leather we purchase is commercially tanned, grain-off, oil-tanned sheepskin. 

 

  • You can, of course, bring and use your own leather, provided it is grain-off fat-tanned leather (such as buckskin/brain tan). 

 

  • We suggest that you bring your own fastenings (such as buttons), as they are a matter of personal preference. Pippin & Gile will have a range of vintage buttons available.

About Theresa Emmerich Kammper

I’m excited to be running this course – a bit about me:

 

I’m an avid practitioner of traditional living skills and various forms of primitive technology. My interest stemmed in part from growing up in the Rocky Mountains of the USA, where backpacking, hunting, and fishing are deeply ingrained in the culture. This passion led me to the academic field of Experimental Archaeology, where I earned a PhD from the University of Exeter in the UK.

My work has been featured in both documentaries and popular TV shows, including Alone Season 8 and Surviving the Stone Age. I’ve been tanning skins using traditional methods for over 30 years. Learning to tan was a natural offshoot of my desire to use as much of an animal as possible, and it had the added bonus of producing a beautiful end product.

In my instruction, I share a wide range of information—from the intricate details of skin morphology to helpful tips for dealing with the numerous and frustrating problems often encountered when first learning to taylor.

Venue & Logistics

The venue:

We have booked out an indoor co-working venue for the duration of the course. Tailoring in January lighting and heating seemed like a very sensible idea! Set right in the heart of a small town on the very southern most point of Greater London. The town offers a lovely mix of independent shops and cafes, easy access into London to enjoy the sights of an evening and just a 10 minute walk and you are in over 800 acres of open access Chalk Grassland, one of Britain’s rarest and most biodiverse habitats.

Getting here:

Public Transport: Coulsdon is very well served by two train stations both within easy walking distance of the venue and both providing direct trains from London Bridge, Victoria, St Pancreas, as well as Peterborough. A swap at Redhill will connect you to Gatwick, Brighton or Reading. There is also a vast bus networking connecting Coulsdon to the rest of South London.
 

Parking: There is limited on-site parking, but more long-term (all-day) parking is available nearby for a fee. Please note that we are inside the ULEZ zone. 

Accommodation: You will need to organise your own accommodation for this course. There are a wide number of b&b’s and hotels nearby. Hurst Farm offer a 10% discount to people who come on one of our courses.

Catering: This course is self-catered. We will provide tea and coffee. There is a small kitchenette with microwave, fridge etc., for storing your lunch. As well as some nice cafes and community gardens to enjoy the winter sunshine in.

Included: All course materials (except leather skins).

 

Not included: Off-site accommodation and food.

 

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