It was a Saturday afternoon, so their workshop at Haji Lane was pretty packed when we were there. We were ushered to a spacious table and asked to pick out the colour of the leather that we would like for each item we'd be making.

There was quite a lot of waiting as there were other groups attending the same workshop as us. There were about three facilitators who would go around and guide the participants through the different stages. Since we were a group of two, we had to wait a little longer as bigger groups would require more time with the facilitators.

After picking out our colours, it was time to transfer the paper templates onto the leather before cutting the shape out using a ruler and a blade. I watch a lot of leather crafting videos and wouldn't have guessed that cutting leather was so challenging! The leather was thick, and it took a lot of strength to cut through it properly using the thin blade. I felt like I was having an arm workout.

After we cut out our leather, we were taught how to glue the leather and do saddle stitching. The stitching took the most time, but it was also fun! My boyfriend struggled a little with stitching due to his fat fingers, but he soon got the hang of it.

We were also taught how to add snaps to our accessories. This was another body workout because I needed to use my body strength to press onto this machine, which would seal the clasps in place.

Finally, we learned how to do edge finishing and burnishing. This last step is to ensure that the edges of the leather are smooth. Once this was done, we headed downstairs to deboss and hot-stamp cute patterns onto our accessories. I wish they had more patterns, as almost 99% of couples chose the same pattern: the corgi with the heart butt. Like, where's the uniqueness in that.

Still, it was fun getting to choose the patterns we wanted to be stamped on our items. I went for something a lil' different for my card sleeve, which was a cute onigiri.

My boyfriend and I had a lot of fun at Crafune's workshop, and he even told me that he'd like to come back and try making something different. Crafune also has other workshops where you can make cardholders, mini wallets, watch straps, pencil cases, and even tote bags. Of course, these workshops cost more, but the items you get to make are a lot cooler than just a coin pouch.

I would definitely return as I think the workshop is very valuable for money. Next time, I may choose to opt for a weekday workshop instead so that I'll have more one-on-one time with the instructors. As our workshop had a lot of people, the instructors breezed through a few steps with us and even missed out on the introduction part, where they were supposed to explain to us the different types of leather. When it's a busy day, it's challenging to get their attention as well. I also wasn't comfortable sitting quite close to other participants, especially the busybody aunties or manja couples that just make the experience a little ick. Maybe I'm just used to social distancing.

BRING SOCIAL DISTANCING BACK.

But anyway, the workshop was really fun, and I had a good time with Crafune. Can't wait to come back again!

Thanks for reading, and see you next post!