Medium Cell Phone Case

we've been doing a little selling through our Etsy shop which has been fun. it got me going on making a medium sized cell phone case so i did!! it will easily hold a cell phone that is 2" x 4" x 1/2" and is like some of the other sized ones i've been selling on Etsy. i put one of them here just for fun.

New Special Order

i can't believe a whole week has gone by since i've written anything. but the week got tied up with me spending a lot of time working on our website. then, on saturday, both my partner and i had sales on etsy. she sold a hand crocheted potholer and i sold a small leather cell phone case which i had to make since it had been sold out of our wayzata shop. i just shipped it off to new york, city earlier today and am posting a photo of it. it's 2" x 1" x 4 1/2" and i thought it was kind of pretty.

Excitement!!

yesterday, on sunday, my partner and i drove down to northfield, minnesota to a shop call SWAG. my partner showed the owners a selection of her handmade pincushions and handmade 'pincushion christmas ornaments'. they loved them and bought a dozen of each. it was very exciting for us to expand our business 'out' like that. i've put a couple of photos of her work here.

Special Order

i mentioned previously that i had received a special order and my first attempt came out too small. back to the drawing board and i finally got the inside measurements correct. to get the inside 3" x 1" x 7 1/4" i had to make the outside demension 5" wide!! who would have thought? anyway, i'm posting both of the colors that the customer requested just because i thought they were really pretty. also, like i said, working with leather is always fun and always a new experience.

All Purpose Leather Pouch

a little while ago i made up some small cell phone holders and posted them on our Etsy site. a week ago i had a 'convo' with a person who was interested in a larger cell phone holder so i made up some like the one in the pictures-back and front (2" x 1" x 7"). unfortunately it came out too small for her specifications so right now i am making a couple of larger ones. it just goes to show that working with leather is always a learning experience.

Tote Bag

the size of the tote bag i make is 16" x 12" x 6". i also reinforce the handles. it is truly made to last a lifetime. in fact, a tote bag i made in 1974 is being used today by my partner. pretty cool...

Tan Pouch Bag with Flap

i started making my 'pouch bags with a flap' a couple of months ago. i really like developing different styles of bags. these come in the same sizes as the original 'pouch bag'. this one is dyed 'range tan' and reminds me of the colors i used to use back in the early 70's.

Small Pouch Bags

this time around the first purses i started making were what i called 'pouch bags'. i make them in two sizes, 6" x 8" x 1 1/2" and 7" x 8" x 1 1/2". they have a simple pull through closure and the strap is anywhere from 42" to 50" long. what's been fun is to work with the variety of colors for dye that are available now that weren't available in the early 70's when i had my little shop/business. to the left is a small 'grape' pouch bag.

What it's all about...

i have started this blog to share my leather work. My partner and i own a small gift shop in wayzata, minnesota. we carry lots of local and regional artisan created work as well as items we both make. (visit http://www.manitobastitches.blogspot.com/ to see my partner's work.) it's funny but i started doing leather work when i was forced to take a 'shop' class in 7th grade many, many years ago. i loved it! my parents gave me a tandy's leather making set for christmas that year and i fell in love with the idea of making leather items by hand. some years later i even had a small leather shop/business in northern minnesota where i made and sold leather purses, tote bags, belts and just about anything else i could think of. it was a riot and i thought i'd be doing it for the rest of my life. but...things change and life move me in a different direction. now, however, it feels wonderful to be back doing something i loved doing so many years ago. i hope you enjoy looking at my work.