10/09/2026 – Intro to Small Zipper Bags – John Amdall

Cost: $35

Skill level: Beginner +

Duration: 2 hours

Class Size: 20

Small Zipper Bags are especially useful for organizing small objects, travel items, and/or electrical accessories. Making small zipper bags is also the ideal leather project to learn how to sew leather and to install zippers. Once the leatherworker has mastered small zipper bags, larger projects use these same leather making skills. Actually making a small zipper bag requires many decisions including the zipper selection, the zipper installation, the leather selection, the bag construction, and whether to line the bag.

This will be a demonstration class with many finished bags to examine, each with a different variation on the zipper bag details. There will also be many samples of zipper bags partially finished to demonstrate the various leather working techniques required to make the zipper bag.

John Amdall is an engineer who pursued a sculptural contemporary woodworking hobby for over 50 years. In retirement, John has become an active instructor on a variety of topics including woodworking and upholstery. In recent years he has been focused on upholstery and leather working. He has taken a systematic, engineering approach to making leather bags and will share his learning journey through an exploration of the many options available to make a “simple” leather zipper bag.