Artisan Work
During the Covid pandemic lockdowns, I returned to my interest in skills of making and illustrating. I developed my focus in a number of ways, often for fundraising concerns, including pyrography, leathercraft and most recently basket weaving. I may set up an onsite shop for baskets, but if you would be interested in ordering one or in the leathercraft work, please use the contact form.
Basketry
My baskets are hand-woven from English Willow. I have a particular love of mixing the colours of Buff Willow with the Black Maul, whic is actually a beautiful green, bark on willow that takes 5 days to soak. At the moment I concentrate on round and oval forms - shopping baskets, fruit and bread baskets, log and laundry baskets.
To enquire about an order, please use the Contact form below.
Leathercraft
I have worked on saddle-stitching repairs and leather conditioning for vintage items such as cases, telescope sleeves, bags and straps to moulding, stitching and decorating bushcraft knife sheafs. I have revived two leather A2 jackets and I also now make full-grain traditional belts, stitched and riveted, with brass buckles.
To enquire about an order, please use the contact form below.
Bushcraft Knife sheaf
Moulding, stitching and decorating a new sheaf to fit a beautiful Green River knife from the 1850s
Biker Wallet
I 've had one of these for 20 years that I bought from an artisan in Dinan, France. This is my take on it and the one here, I made for my son. Photos don't show that it also has a zipped section along the inner top and belt loops if that's preferred.
Full-grain traditional Belt
For me, a belt needs to be a friend in life and last a really long time - I have one that I bought from my favourite artisan in Dinan, France, 25 years ago and it still serves me every day. But I think the ones I'm making are better! They are full-grain italian leather and I also saddle-stitch and rivet them, with the belt loop held in place (my old one is just riveted and the belt loop is free, always dropping off). I made the first of mine for my wife and I think they rock!
A2 Jacket restorations 1 & 2
I've always admired old US airforce style flying jackets and love wearing them on my motorbike in the summer. This one though, needed to be a copy of Antine De Saint-Exupery's wartime jacket because I was playing him in a one-man adaptation of his book, Flight to Arras. When I performed this in Lille, I travelled in the jacket and was actually stopped at Charles De Gaule, by a relative of his because of the leather name badge, excited to ask if I was related! He was still thrilled that I had adapted the work. Sometime later, my daughter decided to live in it - she still does as a student - and the original lining finally gave up . Wth a deep breath, I embarked on a new lining for her, transferring original labels and putting her name on a little leather insert. I'm proud of the result and she covets it!
But I still needed one for me! I bought the second jacket as a replacement but it was in a terrible mildew stinking state (although the liner was good). With this one there were pocket repairs to do and a full reconditioning job on the leather. The result was better than I could have imagined and I love wearing it.
Telescope sheaf, binocular case & stool restorations
These were lockdown projects and I learned a lot from doing them.
1. The telescope, one of two that I've done, was gift for my brother Wayne, because I dropped his down the toilet as a kid and cracked the lens. Always felt horrible about that!
2. I love my old WW1 binoculars but the case stitching had perished, so I replaced all, made a new strap and reconditioned the leather.
3. The tooled tripod stool was something I bought years ago at a village fete and have used whilst camping. The corner stitches needed replacing and I tried to give this some decorative style - I was pleased with the result - it's a fabulous stool.
Pyrography
I had been wood carving decoratively since I was a student and really can't remember when I discovered pyrography, but I definitely developed it as an activity for young Scouts. I realised though that I could develop skill here and began producing Celtic knotwork and illustrative cheeseboards for presents and charity fundraising. My pyrography iron was very basic though - basically a soldering iron with a screw in point - and so I invested in something more sophisticated with a heat control dial and two irons plus varied wire points. The difference in control was a revelation and the first thing I produced was an ambitious wedding present with portraits of Sheldon and Candace Chadwick who are friends from the Fairground Showmen community - hence the style of the piece, which uses decoration from a vintage Chadwick family Waltzer!
