Running Stitch – a South Wedge leather collection
From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies.
An August study.
The South Wedge runs beside the Genesee just south of downtown Rochester, and it still makes things by hand. Running Stitch is a small leather collection cut for that habit – luggage tags and journals among the pieces below.
First, we sewed the Genesee. The river's meander becomes one long hand stitch with the needle still threaded at its head – a running stitch for water that runs.
Pressed lengthwise along the luggage tags – navy and pale sea-blue for the water, warm tan for the bank.
Next, the neighborhood itself. The Wedge became a wedge-shaped pincushion, pins set in at working angles – a place things stick, and hold.
On keychains in poppy red, the old tomato-pincushion red, with navy alongside.
And on the golden tan catchall tray, since a catchall is where the pins and buttons land anyway.
Then the lilac. Highland Park keeps a creamy-white variety that carries the city's own name, Rochester – we embroidered ours, every floret a knot of four thread loops, one loop to a petal.
It looks genuinely beautiful pressed blind into the toiletry bags – warm tan over chestnut.
And finally, Fiber Night. A full moon wound like a ball of yarn, one strand left loose for whoever picks it up, and every star a cross-stitch.
On the wrap journals in navy and dusty lavender – for whatever gets made after dark.
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 any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.