North East Open Studios 2025 13th – 21st September Sign Up Here
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Croft Leather

Contact Details

Telephone

07912092680

Email

[email protected]

Social Media

Venue

Venue Address

Inveraven Church, Ballindalloch

Venue Postcode

AB37 9BA

What3Words

///winner.chaos.surveyed

Directions

Located halfway between Grantown and Aberlour on the A95. Signposted Inveraven Church and a brown tourist sign to Inveraven Pictish Stones. The church itself can be found a third of a mile at the end of the narrow single-track road.

Parking

Parking approx 200m from the church and Disable parking at the church

Venue Facilities

Commissions Accepted Credit Cards Accepted Demonstrations Groups Welcome Guide Dogs Welcome Parking Available Toilet Available Wheelchair / Disabled Access Wheelchair Parking Available

Opening dates & times

Sat13 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Sun14 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Mon15 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Tue16 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Wed17 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Thu18 Sep
Closed
Fri19 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Sat20 Sep
10:00 - 17:00
Sun21 Sep
10:00 - 17:00

Artist statement

My name is Gail and I am a self taught leather crafter. The leather is the inspiration for my work as each hide is individual with its own characteristics. This will be my first year at NEOS and I am really looking forward to exhibiting with my good friends Amanda Cairns of The Felted Hare and Amy Holden of Adventures with Landscapes

Extended Bio

Based in the heart of the Highlands of Scotland, Croft Leather creates unique, hand crafted leather goods. inspired by the hides themselves as each one is unique and holds its own imperfections. This enables me to turn the raw material into something functional and beautiful. Each piece is carefully hand stitched , blending traditional skills with modern style. My journey with leather started many years ago when I worked for a small company before I had a family. The company made dog training equipment for the MOD and the police, they also made the harnesses for Guide Dogs for the Blind. I worked in the office ordering leather and the hardware from suppliers in Walsall, and liaised with the outworkers who would hand stitch the leather leads, man-work arms, harnesses etc. I then started travel to Walsall to choose the leather from one of the tanneries and collect the fittings and the finished work the out workers had done. They would show me how they stitched the items, I was really interested but never had a go at doing it myself. Not until 30 years later when my daughter and her partner had memorable birthdays and I wanted to make them something special. I have always liked leather journals and so has my daughters partner, so I decided to make one for him as a surprise, I then made a weekend bag for my daughter and that’s how I got into making things from leather. A friend saw a bag I made for myself and asked me to make one for her. Then another friend said I should do farmers markets with the bags and journals I had made. It took a while for me to agree and once I did things have gone from strength to strength