About my journey

I think we all have a key moment in life where we ask yourself the question 'what would living in my best life look like?' and actually have a really clear answer. That was me. On the wrong side of 45 I finally knew the answer - making handmade leather boots. Which was great and exciting but I a. knew nothing about leather except that I have always loved it (anyone else spend time drawing suede suit designs in the 80's?) and b. knew nothing about making boots (except I prefer boots to shoes even in summer). So being the lifelong learner I am I set about educating myself.
 

Now I'm sure we have all had the exciting experience of slippery slope of learning via YouTube - I have previously taught myself to crochet and knit lace via in in the past so it was a no brainer for me. Only I didn't realise how wonderfully diverse the world of leather was! Needless to say, while diving down into the metaphorical rabbit hole my expectation of what type of boots I wanted to make became very specific - handmade boot from start to finish (I am fascinated by the process of making a personalised shoe last) with handcarved leather. So I now knew what I needed to learn and off I went.
 

A few years down and I have to admit I haven't gotten to the boot part and perhaps I never will. Because I  am totally hooked on designing and handcarving leather and turning it into all handmade leather goods.  I love the design process - turning a client's idea into a tangible design that becomes a leather product that represents them or the person it was made for. I love picking out the leather for each project and have been know  to spend ages in the shop running my hand over various pieces til I find the right one. I love the production process - cutting out each piece by hand, assembling and finishing it all. And I love the delight (and slight nervousness if I'm honest) of watching or hearing about the first time the client saw the finished product.