The Battle Ground Community Library was unusually loud as the sound of hammers echoed throughout the building.
Rather than construction, teens were engaged in the first leatherwork workshop hosted by MAK Leather Goods last week.
Yacolt business owner MacKenzie Krumhauer began the company two years ago. She learned to carve and stamp patterns on leather materials at age 12 from her neighbor and turned it into a career. Krumhauer said she was lucky to receive first-hand experience in leather making and wanted to share her knowledge with those interested.
“A lot of times, especially these days, with especially trades like that, there’s not a lot of opportunity for mentorship in that way. A lot of folks that I know had to teach themselves on YouTube or find the information themselves,” Krumhauer said.
During last week’s workshop, Krumhauer introduced “leather stamping” to teenagers who signed up from across Clark County. The process involves wetting and softening vegetable-tanned leather to imprint designs through metal stamps. The youth were thoroughly engaged in the process, using the opportunity to make special patterns.
Carolyn Curtain, 15, from Battle Ground used a cowhide hammer to stamp a fish pattern onto the material. Curtain found it relaxing to design patterns and may turn it into a hobby.
“If you have a lot of anger issues, it’s nice to hammer them out on the leather,” Curtain laughed. “Just make sure you’re careful.”
Krumhauer said the art of leather making could be a difficult process to begin. Battle Ground fifth grader Sigurd Meuser quickly made a beach pattern using an assortment of metal stamps. Meuser recommends the pattern-making process for those interested.
“It’s kind of relaxing. A little bit loud, but it’s fun because it really puts your mind to be creative,” Meuser said.
Reverie Cruz, a sixth grader from Yacolt, has worked with leather before and wants to turn it into a career. She took a creative approach by combining three separate stamps to create an eye pattern during the workshop. Kids who are interested in drawing or artwork will enjoy the process, Cruz said.
“And I think this would be like another fun way to make art. My friend really likes to draw… so I think she would like this. She could [carve] it on leather and make it last longer,” Cruz said.
Krumhauer plans to hosts more leather pattern-making workshops in the future. People can follow makleathergoods.com/events for more information about the workshops.
“I’m hoping I can at least open the door for people. For them to at least have a safe space to feel familiar with some of the tools and techniques, they can take that for themselves and start to discover where their true interests lie,” Krumhauer said.
