Stories From The Studio
The Journal is where we share the stories behind our craft: the slow, intentional processes that guide each piece; the partnerships with brands and hospitality teams; the materials we choose; and the small studio rituals that keep us grounded. It’s a space for making, for reflection, and for the quiet details that define Priestleys.
The Sycamore Lincoln- Lincolns hidden gem.
The Sycamore is the kind of place Lincoln is lucky to have. The interiors are full of characterful — bold colour, considered detail, the kind of décor that makes you feel like someone has thought carefully about how you will feel when you walk in. The food is excellent. We stayed longer than we needed to. That is always a good sign.
The brief from Jamie was to make menu covers that would work across the full day — café service in the morning, restaurant in the evening — without feeling like a compromise in either direction. Hard-wearing enough for daily use. Refined enough for the space.
Slate grey was the perfect choice. Muted against their palette, grounding rather than competing. Blind-debossed branding — no foil, just the impression pressed permanently into the leather. The kind of detail you notice when you hold it and perhaps not before.
Thirty-five A5 covers, every one made by hand here in Lincolnshire.
Seeing them in situ — on the tables, in the space they were made for — is always the moment a commission makes sense. These look like they have always been there. That is exactly what we were aiming for.
Jamie also owns several cafés and a bed and breakfast across the Lincoln area.
If you are ever in Lincoln, go to The Sycamore. Stay longer than you planned.
150 Notebooks — What a Large Commission Actually Looks Like
There is a commission on the bench at the moment that has taken over the studio completely.
One hundred and fifty leather notebooks. Every single one handmade — cut, punched, and finished by hand in our small studio in Lincolnshire. No machines beyond the tools we hold in our hands. No shortcuts. No production line.
We are in the middle of it right now, and it is the kind of work that gives you a very clear picture of what handmade actually means at scale.
The numbers
150 notebooks, Six hundred edges cut, Six hundred corners rounded. Each notebook cover has four corners, and each corner is punched individually using a hand tool — pressed firmly into the leather, rotated slightly, pressed again. It takes a few seconds per corner. Multiply that across a hundred and fifty covers and you begin to understand why bespoke leather goods cost what they cost and take as long as they take.
One hundred and fifty times we will cut, finish the edges, burnish the corners, and check the piece before setting it aside. One hundred and fifty times the same sequence of decisions — is the placement right, is the edge clean, — made by hand, by eye, by feel.
Why we work this way
We could find faster ways to do parts of this. We choose not to — not out of stubbornness, but because the quality lives in the process. Vegetable-tanned leather responds to the way it is handled. Neglect the edge finishing and the leather will wear unevenly over time, peeling back at the corners, losing its form. The person who eventually holds one of these notebooks will not know any of this. They will simply feel that it is right. That is the point.
Every bespoke leather commission we take on — whether it is a single personalised wallet or a run of notebooks like this one — is made to the same standard. There is no version of a Priestleys piece that leaves this studio unfinished.
What the studio looks like this week
leather everwhere!
We are making good progress.
If you are interested in a bespoke leather commission for your brand, business or event — we would love to hear about your brief. Email studio@priestleys.uk or visit our Business and Hospitality page.
Last week we visited one of our favourite tanneries…
It is one of my favourite things to do when starting a large commission. Not because it is glamorous — it isn't — but because it resets something. You arrive and you are immediately in the presence of raw material. The hides hang heavy and smell of the process that made them. The colour range is extraordinary — from pale, almost cream vegetable-tanned sides through to deep, oiled whisky shades that already look like something.
We choose by hand. We always do to ensure that the dyes and colours a consistent across all of the hides that we will using for that project. We also want to make sure that we can maximise the hides as much as possible, ensuring we minimise any wastage.
We came back with leather for the next few weeks of making. Some of it will become Father's Day pieces.
There is something grounding about a tannery visit. It reminds you that every piece we make started as something real, was handled carefully at every stage of its production, and will go on to be handled carefully for years to come.
That care is what Priestleys is about.
Field Magazine
We do not take press coverage lightly. Every feature feels like a small act of trust from an editor who believes in what we make — and this one, we will admit, felt particularly meaningful.
This month, Priestleys is featured in The Field — a magazine that has been in continuous print since 1853. That is not a typo. One hundred and seventy-three years of celebrating British countryside life, craftsmanship, and the things worth doing properly. To sit somewhere inside those pages, however briefly, is not something we expected when we started making leather goods at our dining table in Lincolnshire a few years ago.
The Field's readers are people who understand quality. Who choose things that last over things that are cheap. Who know the difference between something made and something manufactured. We like to think that is also who Priestleys is for.
We are grateful to the team at The Field for the feature, and quietly, genuinely proud.
If you would like to find our work in the magazine, the current issue is on shelves and available at www.thefield.co.uk
Something New In The Works
We will been working on something exciting and new in the studio next week — more leather-wrapped hip flasks.
It sounds simple. It isn't.
Drafting patterns, wrapping vegetable-tanned leather around a curved surfaces, getting the edges to sit cleanly, the stitching to follow the form — it takes patience and more than a few attempts to get right. But when it works, it really works.
We're offering them in a range of sizes and our full colour range — tan, black, British racing green, post box red, and whisky oiled leather. Each one can be personalised with initials or a short phrase. They feel extraordinary in the hand. The leather will only get better with every occasion they're carried to.
They're available now on our Fathers Day page as part of The Considered Traveller edit — though honestly, they're not just a Father's Day gift. They're for anyone who appreciates something made properly.
We'll be sharing more of the making process on Instagram this week — come and watch how these come together.
A look at our latest commission for The Hare & Hounds, Fulbeck — simple, durable, handcrafted menus for a place that values good food and good company.
Country Life — The Bloom Roll
We were absolutely thrilled to have our Bloom Roll featured in last weeks Country Life Magazine. It means the world to us that such amazing national magazines are featuring independent brands like us, and highlight craftsmanship, British design and pieces made in England.
We are so very grateful to Country Life for taking an interest in our brand.
A recent commission for a boutique hotel and restaurant, crafted to bring warmth and refinement to their guest experience. These small moments capture the quiet rhythm of the making process — the sounds, the textures, and the care that shape each piece. Such wonderful project for a beautiful hotel.
Country Life — The Bloom Roll
A small update from the studio today: our Bloom Roll has been featured in Country Life. It’s a piece that reflects so much of what we care about — British craft, thoughtful design and making things that last longer than a season.
The Bloom Roll started as a simple idea: a way to carry and protect bouquets and long stems. Seeing it recognised by a publication with such a long heritage in British culture feels like a meaningful moment for us.
It’s always encouraging when a product designed for everyday use is appreciated for its practicality and the care that goes into making it. A quiet highlight in the middle of a busy week.
The Things Women Carry — Final Week in the Studio
We’re now in the last stretch of The Things Women Carry, our project supporting Smart Works Leeds — a charity that helps women back into employment by providing interview clothing, coaching and practical support. The bags we’ve been restoring will be part of the outfits they offer to clients preparing for interviews.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve worked through around forty bags, giving each one whatever it needed to be genuinely usable again. Some only needed a clean and condition; others required repairs, reshaping or new hardware. It’s been steady, practical work — the kind that just takes time and a bit of patience.
Next week, the full batch will be heading out to Smart Works Leeds, ready for their next chapter with the women who’ll carry them. It’s been a simple but worthwhile project, and we’re glad to be wrapping up the final pieces.
More to come once they’ve been delivered.
-
![A variety of handbags and purses in different colors and styles on a wooden table in a workshop or studio setting, with tools, books, and plants in the background.]()
The Things Women Carry
-
![Letter on green cutting mat, black leather bag, wooden shoe brush, black pen, and silver utility knife.]()
-
![A handwritten note titled "Best Caree Advice" on a wooden surface, with a beige handbag with embossed design and a chain strap positioned above the note, and part of a brown bag visible on the right.]()
-
![Workstation with a green cutting mat, a wire brush, leather straps, pens, and various tools on the desk in a workshop.]()
BBC Radio Lincolnshire — The Things Women Carry
A quick update: I joined BBC Radio Lincolnshire to talk about The Things Women Carry, our project supporting Smart Works Leeds. The conversation centred on why we’ve been restoring donated bags and how they’ll soon be used by women preparing for job interviews.
It was a chance to share the practical side of the project — the cleaning, repairing and making‑good — and why we believe the things we choose to carry should be made to last. Smart Works does important work helping women feel prepared and confident as they step into new opportunities, and it felt good to contribute in a small, hands‑on way.
The full batch of restored bags will be heading out next week. A simple project, but a meaningful one to be part of.
The English Olive Oil Co
A small project from the studio this week: a batch of hand‑cut leather hearts for an olive oil company to use in their gifting. They wanted something tactile and long‑lasting — a small detail that would stay with customers long after the bottle was finished.
Each heart was cut, shaped and finished in the studio using offcuts from our production, giving the leather a second life. A straightforward make, but a satisfying one, and a reminder that even the smallest pieces can carry meaning when they’re made to last.
A beautiful and rare brand here in the UK find out more here
Custom Made Jewellery Pouches
A few quiet moments working on a batch of jewellery pouches for Mark Lloyd. These little pieces come together through a simple rhythm — cutting, skiving, stitching, pressing — steady, hands‑on work. It was a real privilege to work on such a special project for such a talented jeweller, find out more here
Crafted for the Golf Course, a new project for a new and exciting venue that has officially opened! find out more here