Crafting leather accessories may seem intimidating, but Ah Moon's shop in Central is one of the few DIY workshops in Hong Kong catering to children keen to create their own unique designs. My 11-year-old, Francesca, recently road tested their introductory two-hour workshop, where she made a simple leather wallet with a zip.
The process, led by an experienced instructor (lessons are in English or Cantonese), started with deciding what to make from a selection varying from a small key holder to a wallet.
Although the workshop offers a wide range of leathers, the introductory DIY class comes with a convenient pre-cut pack of leather in a variety of colours. Once the basic techniques are learned, however, the studio offers many other options, including some custom-designed patterns.
The instructor showed her the safest and most effective way of wielding the hammer.
After that, the special technique of sewing leather seams was demonstrated. Although it initially proved a little difficult to pierce the leather in some places, Francesca soon mastered the two-needle process joining the edges with a bright, multicoloured waxed thread.