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Charlee and Kael Workman (from left) practice hammering letter stamps onto a leather sample before advancing to stamping their first names on a belt during the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
Hammers were banging at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center Tuesday, July 12, while young kids combined creativity and energy into learning new leather crafting skills.
Scotts Bluff County’s 4-H Extension Office held a leather workshop led by Jack Whittier, professor emeritus of the University of Nebraska, with the help of Stephanie Connelly, 4-H assistant.
“I think it’s good to get interested in a hobby at a young age,” Whittier said. “This is also a good way for me to be supportive of 4-H, which is a good program that I like to support.”
Whittier began the workshop by showing the kids many of the leather crafts he has created — a large purse, belt and wallet, to name a few.
Jack Whittier, Professor Emeritus of University of Nebraska, explains the many different leather crafting tools he uses to a group of kids in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
“The purse for my wife is probably the biggest and most intricate piece that I have made,” Whittier said. “At one point, I used to do a lot of belts. Belts were a big thing with the person’s name spelled on them.”
He passed around samples of different types of leather and explained that different animals and different leather treatments are what makes the pieces unique. Next, the group learned several techniques for crafting patterns and designs onto leather projects. The kids were given leather samples, a sponge to keep the samples damp and freedom to try out a few of the methods.
Cooper McCabe works on making crisp lines on his strip of practice leather before moving on to working on a leather belt in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
Hunter Creech, a 4-H’er learning leather crafting skills from Whittier, was on hand to help pass tools around, find missing letters and offer some of his own tips.
“I got interested in it when I got a leather kit about a year ago,” Creech said. “Right now, I am working on a project that I have started for the fair, a wallet.”
After gauging the energy level of the group of kids, Whittier laid out letters of the alphabet, leather stamping tools and mallets to allow for hands-on creativity. Connelly was able to size-up each participant with a leather belt that was taken home at the end of the workshop.
James Gridley attaches a letter to a leather stamp for Tucker Scanlan, 5, while the group is listening to Jack Whittier explain how to center their names on a leather belt.
“This type of class is a good alternative to TV screens and video games,” James Gridley said. “They get to learn a skill, use their hands and exercise their brains while being creative.”
He said it can be difficult to find hands-on learning opportunities for young kids in the area.
“I find there are a lot of programs and activities in the community for older kids but there’s just not very many for this age group,” he said. “We try to stay very involved in community activities and support these kinds of things. I’m happy, thankful that this program is here today.”
A group of kids had the opportunity to stamp their names on leather belts in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12. Pictured: (back row, from left) Beckham Wilson, Cooper McCabe, Kael Workman, Asher Wilson, Breyer McCabe; (front row, from left) Andrew, Charlee Workman, Tucker Scanlan.
After the mallets quieted and all belts were properly sized, Whittier held up several leather sheets with defects and prompted the kids to guess what scenarios could have caused them. This started the questions flying among the group as they finished the workshop by watching a video to tie everything learned together.
Whittier told the kids that he had been crafting leather for 54 years.
Kael Workman hammers a letter stamp on the leather belt he could take home during the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
“To be able to do quality leather work, it takes time, practice and patience.”
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Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.
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Charlee and Kael Workman (from left) practice hammering letter stamps onto a leather sample before advancing to stamping their first names on a belt during the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
Jack Whittier, Professor Emeritus of University of Nebraska, explains the many different leather crafting tools he uses to a group of kids in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
Cooper McCabe works on making crisp lines on his strip of practice leather before moving on to working on a leather belt in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
James Gridley attaches a letter to a leather stamp for Tucker Scanlan, 5, while the group is listening to Jack Whittier explain how to center their names on a leather belt.
A group of kids had the opportunity to stamp their names on leather belts in the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12. Pictured: (back row, from left) Beckham Wilson, Cooper McCabe, Kael Workman, Asher Wilson, Breyer McCabe; (front row, from left) Andrew, Charlee Workman, Tucker Scanlan.
Kael Workman hammers a letter stamp on the leather belt he could take home during the 4-H Leather Workshop on July 12.
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