Our Domestika Leatherworking course!
If you haven't heard. We spent a week at the end of September 2022 filming a leather working course in Madrid, Spain. We feel so fortunate for this opportunity because we love teaching others about leather craft and take any chance we can get to share our knowledge. When they first reached out to us we weren't quite sure this was real. It sounded too good to be true. After some back and forth emails, checking out their website, and talking to another former Domestika teacher; we were on board.
We loved the feel of their website and the quality of the filming was amazing. One thing that has held us back from creating our own online class was the shear scale of what it takes to produce a high quality course. We aren't expert producers, film makers, editors, lighting masters, set designers or sound technicians. The amount of time and effort to become proficient in all of these specific skills would certainly have held us back.
While we will keep learning how to make better videos we weren't in the place to be able to do this on our own. Enter, Domestika. To say that we enjoyed making this course is an understatement. Everyone we met made us feel comfortable and was more than willing to help. It reminded us of what it was like when we were back in Art School. Being around all these creative minds was invigorating and as makers that spend a lot of time in our basement, made us feel like we weren't alone in our creative pursuits.
It was clear that everyone was passionate about putting together an amazing course. They also cared deeply about each other. Our hope in putting this course together was to continue to inspire people into leather craft and make it just a little bit easier to get started as well as some tips for those who've been at it for a while. This course offers a downloadable pdf of the bag we make but we encourage you to consider how to change the design so you can personalize it. The pattern is just a starting point. If you always hoped we would offer nickel hardware, if you want a more square top flap, or if you have a favorite bag strap you want to attach instead, this is your chance to make it a one of a kind bag. We hope that once you complete the Moonrise Bag you'll be dreaming of your next design and what you can do next.
I wouldn't necessarily say this is a novice course. If you have worked in leather before this should be a good challenge. That being said there are ambitious beginners out there that will be able to make a killer bag; and you have to start somewhere.
Lastly, one of the cool things about this course is that throughout your journey there are additional resources (including where to get all the tools, leather, hardware we use) along with suggested readings, a suggested podcast, and a community forum where we will answer questions related to the bag and leather craft. You can also share your progress and see what other crafters are up to. As you know community is a huge reason we are here. It's what we love about our craft. We're all here to lift each other up and help others improve their skill set.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and enjoy some behind the scenes pictures of our week of filming.
We would also like to thank the crew we were lucky enough to work with and everyone that worked behind the scenes to make this happen. From set design to post production to the course launch support, thank you. A special shout out to Marta, Jesùs and Marcello for making filming a fantastic experience hopefully one day our paths will cross again.
