A varied summer, looking forward to autumn markets

by | Aug 30, 2023 | Blog, Events | 0 comments

Marlborough vineyard with Wither Hills in the background. Poppy the fox terrier in front of vines, and customised burgundy bridle leather satchel on post.

I’ve been a bit quieter on social media the last few months.  A combination of reasons for this.  I have been quite busy working on projects in the workshop, and … it was summer.   I took a bit of time off, mainly around days spent at cricket grounds.  I would like to say I saw lots of games completed, but rain was more evident than sun.  So if you were at a cricket match and it got truncated or rained off I may have been in the crowd.  It would have been nice if it was as consistently sunny as the above photo of one of my bespoke satchels which now resides in Marlborough, New Zealand.

Using a cardboard template to design the layout of items to be debossed onto a passport wallet

Preparing to stamp up a Passport Wallet

In the workshop I have been busy with lots of projects, including the usual mix of repairs and bespoke orders for accessories.  I have completed repairs on a selection of chairs, a few bags have had new straps, and a first for me, remaking straps for a vintage GPO bicycle.  Other less usual repairs included a trunk handle, mirror straps, the leather hand grip on an antique lamp, and a filofax case.  It seems that not everyone organises their life on their phone, some still prefer old school and use pen and paper.

Bespoke accessories were the usual collection of watchstraps, belts, dog collars and leads, some extra long.  A couple of projects really stood out.

One of my favourites was making a batch of passport wallets for a family of five.  Each family member got a double passport, personalised in colour and with their initials debossed on them.  The photo shows the cardboard template that I used to ensure consistency in all the wallets.  The wallets were all lined with a complementary nappa to give them that real luxury feel.

Slip case for kindle e reader made from cricket ball leather, with hand stitching in the style of a cricket ball seam

Cricket Ball Kindle Case

 

My range of items in the out of spec Duke cricket ball leather was extended when one customer requested that I make them a slip case for their kindle.  You won’t be surprised to learn it was made as a present for a cricket fan.

I have also been collaborating on a couple of art projects, which took me back into the world of saddlery, but unfortunately I can’t give details at this stage.

There are still a couple more cricket matches on my radar, so I’ve got my waterproofs and rug ready.  My focus in the workshop is to complete a few repair jobs I have in, and then it is prepping for the Autumn market season.  My schedule hasn’t been fully confirmed yet, but I am pretty sure I will be found at the following events.

 

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