At the end of the month I was very proud to say I completed my level 2 saddle exam and working straight onto my level 3! The level 2 saddle is a pony saddle which I completed in 2020, but unfortunately due to COVID the exam was later than planned. I had to work hard remembering the process and points within making a saddle from scratch.
Well, May disappeared didn’t it! As I mentioned in my last blog post, at the end of April I was lucky enough to visit the Abbey England warehouse in Knutsford where I took away some stunning leather from the Sedgwick 1900 Collection. With this being possibly the nicest leather I have ever handled, I am approaching it with caution. Whenever I acquire a new leather, my first piece is always a small card holder.
Since my last blog I have been my usual busy self, still trying to find the work, life and horse balance, which so far has been successful. April started with some downtime on Easter holiday away from work which I spent with my daughter, Chloe and plenty of horse activities. I then returned to work for the week, knuckling down with my apprenticeship. Ceremonial rehearsals do not take place whilst everyone is away on holiday, so this is a perfect opportunity to work on my apprenticeship.
Since my last blog I have been able to visit the Abbey England warehouse in Knutsford, Cheshire. I spent some time researching and thinking about the tools and leather I wanted to purchase with my leather scholarship fund and was excited to visit the warehouse and explore everything.
I am a leather crafter, so generally the leather I have chosen to go for in the past has easily fit that bill – thin, maybe not too expensive so I could experiment, but still have a beautiful colouring and texture.
Hey everyone,
At work we have had the green light for some form of ceremonial duties to go ahead for the year. We have begun training for Royal Windsor Horse show at which we perform The Musical Drive. I have been asked to ride Number One position for B sub section.
It is excellent that Abbey England continues its annual tradition and grants two further awards for 2021! I do not know who the winners are yet but I'm certain that Abbey England's team will make a good choice. You will have an opportunity to read the winners' blogs about their experiences and adventures in the leather and saddlery industries. For me, writing this blog this year proved to be a very useful and restorative exercise. I will keep writing posts next year, but on my own website.
This time I want to share some information which might be useful for other leather makers and designers. Last week as part of the London Craft Week program, I visited Deptford Cockpitarts Studios. It is a memorable place for me. First of all, this is where I attended my first bag making course and realised it is to become my new profession. Then at some point last year I was invited for an interview with Cockpit Arts / Leathersellers' Award. It was a great opportunity. I was looking so much forward to it, but got so excited that mixed up the dates and failed to show up for the interview.
This month has been a turning point for a lot of business’. We are now returning to a ‘semi-normal’ version of what life used to be like. I cannot express how much I miss being in the workshop. This was up until I found my first job was a bespoke belt to make which required stitching around the entire length, my fingers which had become extremely soft during lockdown were not pleased with this shock of work!
I hope you're doing well. What can I write about today? I would really like to write about something else than what is outside our windows, but it's not working. No matter who you are, a craftsperson, an artist, a designer, a taxi driver, a teacher, whether you are an Italian, a Russian, or an English, we all feel stress, and concern about today, tomorrow, and the future.
