Reviews

What a great day!

Fabulous one to one course with Nigel.

It was informative, interesting, relevant and fun.

It enabled me to pick up new skills and techniques rapidly.

Nigel is a great teacher with a well considered and thoughtful approach.

I can’t recommend highly enough.

Thank you, Nigel!

I recently attended Nigel’s 5-Day Bag Making Course, having previously completed his One-Day Pattern Making Course, and I can honestly say it was an outstanding experience.

The time spent learning alongside Nigel, Sam, and the rest of the group was incredibly enjoyable. Nigel’s teaching style is clear, direct, and highly effective. What you’re really getting is decades of experience distilled into a few intensive days—practical knowledge, hard-earned wisdom, and proven techniques all wrapped into one course.

What sets Nigel apart is not only that he teaches you the right way to do things, but that he explains why each method works. Understanding the reasoning behind the techniques gives you the confidence to apply them beyond the workshop and continue developing your skills independently.

The course is packed with valuable insights, tips, and techniques that extend far beyond bag making itself. There is a lot to take in, but the balance between practical exercises and theory makes the learning process both engaging and effective.

I came away with a far deeper understanding of bag construction, pattern making, and craftsmanship as a whole. It’s an excellent way to learn professional bag-making techniques quickly and correctly.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and will definitely be back for more. I think it’s time for a Bag Making Course Part 2, Nigel! Until then, the Box Stitching Course is next on my list.

Thank you, Nigel and Sam, for a fantastic learning experience.

The dust has settled after a 5 day bag making course at Armitage leather with Nigel, Sam and a fantastic group of now friends.

With out doubt it was one of the best five days learning I have ever had. Hands on work, expert guidance, tuition, and the collective collaboration of others in the learning experience.

If you are a beginner, or novice like me or an accomplished leather worker I would highly recommend spending some time with Nigel at his workshop for either a group course or a one -to- one.

His knowledge of the craft is extensive and together with his many years experience, makes the learning all encompassing.

We worked hard but also had a lot of fun, I made new friends and drank loads of coffee.

Myself and the rest of our group are planning to do another course in the near future.

Go for it you wont be disappointed.

As a first time student at Armitage leather I found that my expectations were exceeded in so many ways.

The warm welcome and hospitality from Sam and Nigel instantly made it feel as though I was visiting friends.

The content of the five day bag making course was intense from my perspective, and a huge amount was shared across so many rabbit holes of leather working which all had a relevance to understanding the bag making processes.

This was delivered by Nigel in a style of teaching that is absolutely on the money and I have to say that he is an inspiration with an infectious passion for the craft.

There is only one way to learn leather working and this now abundantly clear why as it is all explained in great detail. I could easily see my own skills improving as the week progressed.

With a group of fantastic students who were all like-minded, keen and all round a great bunch of people to share the experience with.

The course could have easily continued and this is the only downside; it wasn’t long enough! I’m hooked and can’t wait to return. Did I mention the unlimited coffee tasted great too?

Now I am going to put into practice all the new skills learned this week.

Thank you so much for this opportunity. Nigel and Sam, you are both amazing!

I have had an excellent week learning about bag making. Nigel and Sam are both warm and welcoming and the week has gone very quickly and has been hugely enjoyable.

Nigels depth of knowledge about all aspects of leather work is extraordinary and he goes into even the most simple processes in forensic detail so we understand exactly what we are doing and why.

I feel confident the standard of my work will improve enormously with the knowledge I have gained this week.

Thats what I came for, well worth my time and money.

I went on Nigel’s template making course. First, Nigel and Sam made us feel welcome and comfortable. The workshop is stunning, orderly and clean. I don’t know how they keep the dust out!

Nigel’s delivery is relaxed, full of information and knowledge and he is patient. I learned so much detail. My work will definitely improve.

If you are serious about upping your skills, don’t hesitate, you WILL get value for money. You can’t put a price on the knowledge and experience that Nigel is happy to share and teach.

Highly recommended.

I had a fantastic time learning about template making from Nigel. I wished there had been more hours in the day!

I had quite high expectations before I arrived but they were exceeded in spades!

Clear explanations and patience on Nigel’s part meant that I was able to follow and understand everything he was teaching.

Overall, I had a fantastic day and was bouncing all the way home to Scotland, just itching to get stuck in to making my own templates!

Thanks you to both Nigel and Sam for an awesome day and for imparting a little bit of your knowledge!

A week of awesome learning, work and talking all things leather. Having done boxes before ( a few) I came with a goal, that was a hexagon box, cue lots of discussion and maths, followed by lots of template making and then cutting leather and stitching. results where fantastic and a definite first in a fully stitched hex box. It wont be the last I do.

If you are serious about learning leatherworking, this is the place to go. Nigel offers tips from the very basics to advanced and beyond. All learning is presented in an easy to understand fashion and yet no detail is omitted. Quit sitting on the fence. Subscribe now!

I had the most interesting and educational two days with Nigel in his workshop on a 121 course this week. All I can say is I have re booked to go back next month! Do not waste time trying every course out there, if you are serious and want to learn, pay the money and head to Yoxhall, I only wish I had found him at the beginning of my journey. You are welcome! Also, really good coffee ……

I can honestly say that spending the week with Nigel was the most informative and rewarding thing I have done for a long time. I arrived on the Monday morning having no experience of leatherwork and left on Friday with a completed sporran and all the knowledge to begin my journey in leatherwork. I found Nigel’s teaching style to be the perfect balance of information, guidance and, most importantly fun! He didn’t just show me what to do, he explained why we were doing it, and I feel that added a layer of depth that makes such a difference when trying to learn something. I would say that If you are considering tuition in leatherwork (whatever stage you are at) then this is the place to go. I travelled from the North of Scotland to train here and it was worth every mile, and penny! I now have the basic skills and knowledge to allow me to develop my craft and improve as someone who works with leather. Not to mention the motivation and drive to keep me on track. Thanks Nigel and Sam for a great week!

Template making was something I seriously lacked knowledge and skill in. What this course did in effect was to give me a reset in the leather working/ thinking process. From the outset, some initial basic logical thinking suddenly opened up a flurry of ideas I wanted to try having learnt how to put them onto a piece of card accurately. I highly recommend a visit to Armitage Leather HQ where you will be warmly welcomed by Nigel and Sam. I look forward to a return visit in the near future to continue improving my leather craft knowledge.

Had such a great day with Nigel & Sam Saturday 21st,really nice group of people on the course,lots of new tips and unknown to me technical info.Will be making plans for next course ,courses

All the best guys hope to see you soon.

Fantastic day yesterday with Nigel and Sam on the 1 day pattern making workshop. Incredible leather workshop, very welcoming and relaxed environment and the log burner was a nice treat on a miserable rainy day! Full on day with a LOT of information passed onto us (now I just need to write up and make sense of my notes and the aspect ratio formulas!). I would also say that these courses are very keenly priced and very good value for money in light of the environment you are in and being on the receiving end of Nigel’s superb teaching skills. If you’ve seen the YouTube vids, I strongly recommend a day or more in person at the Armitage Leather workshop. Many thanks.

It was a great one day course in template making, some super advice and experience shared by Nigel. A great combination of technical and practical exercises. Just when you think you know, Nigel springs a better way and helps set a solid foundation your skills. Go with an open mind, there is a lot to learn. I loved the day and look forward to the next course !! Thankyou Nigel and Adam.