Leather and Lace

There's an old song (1981) by Don Henley and Stevie Nicks titled "Leather and Lace". Part of the female lyrics say, "Give to me your leather, take from me my lace." A poignant way to state intimate relationships. My 44 year marriage to my beautiful wife Linda echoes those lyrics, and there are many love stories I can tell from my leather craft and the things I've made.

The first comes from a question Linda asked me on our first date. She invited me over to help her load shotgun shells. At the time she was practicing her skeet shooting and needed an extra pair of hands. She'd borrowed the loading equipment from a friend and needed to get all the shells loaded in one evening. She was shooting every day at that time so we loaded a lot of shells that night.

As we were loading powder and shot into each shell, crimping and pressing the top of the shell, the air in the room filled with the smell of gunpowder. I made some favorable comment about the smell. Linda turned to me and asked, "What's your favorite smell?"

Without hesitation I said "Saddle soap on leather." An amused look crossed her face when she asked, "Oh? Why is that?" So I explained that growing up in Western Kansas and spending time on my grandfather's farm usually meant cleaning leather -- saddles, bridles, reins, chaps, boots and so on. And I also used saddle soap on my baseball glove, but that's another story.

So she said, "Can you make me something from leather?" That started a beautiful, long relationship. I gave her my best leatherwork. And in turn she gave me her lace. (Turns out she was very good at needlepoint, counted cross stitch, and seamstress. Many of her pieces I have framed and hanging around the house.)

The picture in the lead to this article shows you one of Linda's very favorite things. Made from tanned doeskin this leather pocket was originally designed for her first cell phone. Due to technological advances, today's phones no longer fit into the pocket. But, being resourceful, Linda found an alternative use. She kept her Bose controller inside, and used it every day.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture but the leather I used has softened over the years. And now has a well-worn patina. One of the beautiful aspects of leather work to me is the durability. I never expected this little holder to last this long. Eventually the leather strings will wear out I suppose. With continued daily use, you might see the outside wear thin in spots. But this little holder still embodies my love for and devotion to my beautiful wife.

Let me tell you a little bit about how this pocket was made. I'm not the most detailed person, typically. To be precise with my leather work, I have to take special care with planning the piece, measurements, cutting, and stitching. Starting with a big piece of leather I picked up from a local pow wow vendor (a full side, natural yellow coloring from curing and tanning the hide).

Measuring involved taking a tape measure and wrapping it around the cell phone. As usual I did this twice to make sure I had the total width needed. Basically I cut out a piece of the leather with my special Fiskars scissors then folded it in half to make the pocket. This explains why you only see stitching on three sides. The natural crease from folding the leather over made the fourth side complete, no sewing or stitching needed.

And I decided to stitch around the top of the pocket opening in order to protect the edges from continued use. If I hadn't hand-sewed across the top, I would folded the edges down and glued them in place. But I wanted this little pocket to be special.

In case you don't know, doeskin is very soft and has an almost spongy feel. So every time Linda picked up her phone, or pulled it out of her purse, her hands and fingers were reminded of my adoration. I brought her the best leather I could find, crafted into this little pocket that she loved so much.

When her cell phone got too big for this first pocket, I made her a larger one. But none of the later versions compared to the feel of this first one. I was humbled by her grace in finding an alternative use. Little did I know how much she valued this simple gift. When she started using it for her Bose controller, I asked her about it. It was then I learned how much she liked it -- the feel of the leather, the softness in her hand, and its practical use in protecting something like a remote control.

Now this leather pocket sits on a shelf in the bedroom. Holding a remote stereo controller until its needed again. She used it daily. And it will be there forever. At least in my memories, and in my love stories. Simple. Leather.

Sadly I have to tell you my sweet Linda passed away last March (2021). But I still have her lace -- her words and her appreciation of my simple talents. I have not yet made any leather gifts since her passing. But perhaps I will. There are so many stories and love songs that go into each one.