Playing with Ink and Leather.

I've mentioned in passing bits about being an intern or playing with leather. Let's all keep the minds out of the gutter and I will explain more. I'm working with Jon, aka in previous entries on this blog as Jon Wye of Crafts n' Kisses and Adams Morgan Day. I did more than "finagle an invite to the workshop to check it out", I talked my way into becoming Jon's intern. Though he refers to it as his workshop, the art major in me wills it to be named a studio. So...his STUDIO is amazing. Not on account of being chic or spacious, but on account of the awesome equipment he has and has made. He's a craftsman meets artist, a combination that ends in beautiful pieces.

On my first day we spent some quality time in the studio with some leather. I learned to trim the belts and cut the holes for the rivets with a giant machine that can push down with 20 tons of pressure - kinda fun to have that kind of power at your thumbs. Then punch the belt holes with a machine with a wheel that spins and punches. Fear not, I collected the scraps from both of these steps to be made into more necklaces or other assorted goods.

Next we shaped the end of the belt and then painted on the black ink. No big impressive tools for this - just a little handheld device and some black ink.

As I was trimming and cutting the holes for the rivets, I punched out belt loops. So we took those pieces and thinned out the leather - looped and staples them. Then painted all of the edges. I think we did a couple hundred of these, but it was hard to keep count. Somehow I ended up with nearly no ink on my hands, yet gobs of it all over my pretty green suede shoes. You'd think my years of ruining clothes in Sampson and the flower-shop studio would have taught me to put on paint clothes whenever approaching a work space. But alas, one more lesson, hopefully learned this time.

Then we tackled the industrial sewing machine. This thing is a beast. It sews through leather like butter (I'm having strange flashbacks to that lady from Project Runway). Once I reigned in the beast, I was able to get a few tags sewn on. I'll need more practice on that one :(

Final step - punching the rivets in. It requires a strange technique of cuddling up with the machine in an attempt to push down with all of your weight and not slip off the petal. Again - poor shoe choice, fun machine.

I think we were into hour 7 by this point. I was getting pretty chilly and the call for last train was looming. So learnin time was done.

I am sad to say that I didn't document any of this - not a single bit. But Jon snapped one photo of me mid-belt-loop-stapling.

Like a kid in a toy shop, I just kept saying (mostly in my head, but a few moments of uncoolness came as the words were actually spoken) "this is so cool!" Promises of more photographs next time.