Neil Macgregor & Valerie Michael
Leatherworker
Tetbury, United Kingdom
Dialogue in leather
- Neil and Valerie make hand stitched leather bags, folios and trunks
- Their pieces are created exclusively from vegetable-tanned leather
- Valerie's bestselling leatherworking handbook has been in print since 1993
Neil MacGregor and Valerie Michael began leatherworking in the early 1970s with a piece of leather bought on a whim and no training. Today, they work from a studio in the Cotswolds, stitching everything by hand. The nature of their material is important and their decision to use vegetable-tanned leather was always deliberate. “It ages, moulds and develops character, but crucially, it is much less harmful to the environment than chrome-tanned leather,” Neil says. Their practice is influenced by historical objects and techniques. A local saddler showed Valerie a particular stitching technique, which she taught in turn to Neil. “This lineage of passing down skills has been inherited from the Saxon times at the very least,” Valerie says. Training is a key part of the duo's practice and many of their former students have set up their own leatherworking studios.
Discover their work
INTERVIEW
Neil: When we pick up the leather, our hands guide us in what to do. It is in the grain and the way the material moves. Some leathers will mould, some will stitch a certain way, some will not take water: the design must come from these natural qualities. We do not impose ideas on our materials, we look at its capabilities first.
Valerie: We work quietly. Over a cup of tea, we ask each other’s opinions. When we disagree, our friction is benevolent. We work at the same skill level and have developed our techniques together. If Neil broke his arm, I would like to feel I could do his work and he would do the same.
Neil: We were offered some Russia leather found underwater in the Plymouth Metta Catharina shipwreck. Made in the 18th century, vegetable dyed and cross-hatched on the surface, the leather was dressed with birch oil, which you can still smell. Even if you do not tell people the story, they feel it. It is a challenging leather, but a very beautiful one.
Valerie: Practice constantly. Do not just talk about the craft, do the work. Developing these skills takes time. Stay the course and be authentic. The story sells, but it has to be a real story.
Neil Macgregor & Valerie Michael
Leatherworker
Tetbury, United Kingdom
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+44 7901895277
LANGUAGES
English
Homo Faber Finds is a new service aiming to inspire admirers of craft to connect and collaborate with exceptional artisans.
We invite you to submit an enquiry here.
