Leather Work

All original designs; all crafted completely by hand.

It started in 2014 with shoes. I wanted barefoot style, minimalist footwear for my toddler and myself, but what was available for sale at that time was limited, weird looking, and expensive. So I did what I’ve always done: gathered some inexpensive materials and started messing around. From an initial couple pairs of slip-ons made from thrifted jeans, I moved on to scrap suede leather. A few years passed, I had two more kids, and I made several more pairs of shoes—a new design every time.

In 2023 I found myself in need of a black shoulder bag. I made one from some leather left over from my shoe-making period. It turned out okay, but of course it also started me dreaming up new bag designs. So each of the past few autumns I’ve designed a new bag (or four) and offered them for sale at a local small business bazaar. This work is still amateur in the world of fine leathercraft, but the materials are good, the products are durable, and it’s a lot of fun to see something I made serve my friends and family in their everyday lives.