First Water – a leather collection from the farm country of Jerome, Idaho and the Magic Valley

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.

A September study – Volume I-A.

First Water – a small collection from the farm country around Jerome, Idaho, where canal water turned dry volcanic ground into the Magic Valley. Five stamps on the story of that water and the work behind it.

First, we took the valley's oldest line – dry land turned to farmland "as if by magic" once the canals ran – and drew the moment: sagebrush on one side of a headgate, planted rows on the other. AS IF BY MAGIC runs the length of the tag.

Black die artwork for the First Water AS IF BY MAGIC leather luggage tag stamp, drawn from Jerome, Idaho farm country

Three tags – forest green for the crop, caramel for the turned soil. The black tag carries the words in gold.

Forest green leather luggage tag with the First Water AS IF BY MAGIC farm-row stamp from Jerome, Idaho

Caramel leather luggage tag with the First Water AS IF BY MAGIC farm-row stamp from Jerome, Idaho

Black leather luggage tag with the First Water AS IF BY MAGIC farm-row design stamped in gold

Next, the keychains. The key that opened this valley was a headgate wheel, so we set the wheel on the fob with FIRST WATER around it – for the day the canal first ran, and for the old word for the finest grade of anything.

Black die artwork for the First Water headgate-wheel leather keychain stamp inspired by Jerome, Idaho irrigation

Looks great when stamped onto the leather – one fob in navy for the water, one in golden tan for the land it reached.

Blueberry leather keychain with the First Water irrigation headgate stamp from the Jerome, Idaho study

Arizona tan leather keychain with the First Water irrigation headgate stamp from the Jerome, Idaho study

Then the journals. Jerome builds from what the ground gives, so we drew the long dairy barn – lava-rock walls, silo at its shoulder – and set it in the corner of the cover with JEROME beneath. A farm runs on what gets written down.

Black die artwork of a Jerome, Idaho lava-rock barn and silo for the First Water leather journal stamp

One journal in warm stone gray, one in deep espresso brown.

Country gray leather journal stamped with the First Water lava-rock barn design from Jerome, Idaho

Dark espresso leather journal stamped with the First Water lava-rock barn design from Jerome, Idaho

For the toiletry bags, UP BEFORE THE SUN – a half-risen sun over furrowed ground, pressed into the lower corner. Anyone who has milked a herd knows the hour.

Black die artwork for the First Water UP BEFORE THE SUN leather toiletry bag stamp from Jerome farm country

One bag in honeyed russet, one in dark espresso – the sunrise, and the hour before it.

Honeyed russet leather toiletry bag with the First Water UP BEFORE THE SUN farm-field stamp

Dark espresso leather toiletry bag with the First Water UP BEFORE THE SUN farm-field stamp

And finally, the tray – the valley as the water sees it. Pivot circles and field squares stitch into one quilt around the words MAGIC VALLEY, pressed wide across the golden tan tray.

Black die artwork of irrigated field parcels for the First Water MAGIC VALLEY leather tray stamp

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Arizona tan leather catchall tray stamped with the First Water MAGIC VALLEY irrigated-field design

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.