Leather Care - A Sustainable Spinster Workshop
Mend Your Closet - Leather Care & Conditioning
Available to regional community spaces at a sliding scale of $175-$250 for a two hour program. All materials provided.
A beginner friendly introduction to caring for leather clothing items (belts, gloves, bags, jackets, and shoes). Participants will be introduced to the basic materials needed for leather care: (saddle soap, horsehair brush, leather conditioner, wax thread). When cared for correctly, leather items can last decades, however most Americans aren’t taught how to care for leather items in a way that keeps them from cracking and losing durability. The items needed for leather care are affordable, and the process easy to do at home. Please note that this workshop does include use of water and soap, dress accordingly.
Participants are invited to bring 2-3 clothing items from your own closet for repair. This workshop is specifically for “glove tanned leather” (the shiny leather) regularly used for handbags, belts, bracelets, sandals, and boots, we will not be covering how to care for fur or suede in this program. This is ONLY for 100% leather, the processes used to preserve leather cannot be used on “pleather” or other plastic-based substitutes.
SPACE NEEDS: Chairs for all participants, table that all participants can work on. This workshop does include water and soap, towels are provided, but space should be able to get a little messy. Water access is requested for this program. No chemicals or harsh solvents are used, so dirty brushes can be washed in the sink.
My original leather care teaching kit was purchased through a Sustainable Finger Lakes Neighborhood Mini-Grant awarded in the fall of 2024. I prioritize purchasing new leather care materials from small community-run businesses located across the US. Additional horse-hair brushes have been purchased secondhand from the Finger Lakes region. All towels and rags used in the workshop are sourced from old clothing, and are washed and re-used for future workshops.
Reconditioned Coach leather bag purchased at Salvation Army. Materials used: Water, yellow saddle soap, horsehair brush, Leather CPR, and Brasso
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Accessibility Notes: Open to ages 14-114. Presented in English. ADA accessible room. Requires manual dexterity, and ability to sit for 1 1/2 hours.
Workshops led by Zoë Van Nostrand a.k.a. @sustainablespinster (Instagram). Zoë is an amateur, somewhat self taught, hand sewer and textile artivist from Mecklenburg NY.She has been mending her clothes (and her loved ones) for over 20 years. She considers mending a radical act against fast fashion and the global impacts of the textile industry, and a message of respect and reciprocity to the textile workers around the globe who make our clothes.
Process image of partial reconditioning of leather shoes made by the Aurora Shoe Company. Materials used: Water, yellow saddle soap, horsehair brush, Salty Fish Leather Balm
