Kept in Use – a leather collection of kitchen and workbench mottoes

Volume I-C – a September study.

Kept in Use is a small collection for people whose best kitchen tool is wooden, and gets oiled when the finish goes dry. Four short mottoes, each one earned by something a real tool does in a real hand.

First, we drew a herb stem through the one hole that fits it. The leaves stay on the near side, the bare stem comes out clean, and PULL THROUGH is simply what the tool asks of you.

Black-and-white die artwork of an herb stem drawn through a stripping hole beside PULL THROUGH for the Kept in Use leather collection, Volume I-C.

It looks genuinely beautiful pressed into the leather.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-stamped with an herb stem, stripping hole, and PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with an herb stem, stripping hole, and PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.

A country-gray leather luggage tag blind-stamped with an herb stem, stripping hole, and PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.

Next, the judgment that begins every salvage job. We drew the sawn end of a log, rings and one honest drying check, ran a tape measure across the grain, and stamped the verdict above: STILL GOOD. Someone measured first and decided the wood was worth the work.

Black-and-white die artwork of measured end grain beside STILL GOOD for the Kept in Use leather collection, Volume I-C.

On the golden tan tray it lands right where the pocket things do.

An Arizona-tan leather catchall tray blind-stamped with measured end grain and STILL GOOD from the Kept in Use collection.

Then, the highest compliment a handmade thing ever receives. We drew a wooden spoon with a slender neck and a rim worn soft on one side, the way a favorite always wears, and set USED DAILY beside it.

Black-and-white die artwork of a worn wooden spoon beside USED DAILY for the Kept in Use leather collection, Volume I-C.

The toiletry bags stack honeyed russet over chestnut – the one kit that honestly earns the words. In the corner of a journal, in deep espresso or pale greige, it reads like a quiet promise about the pages.

Honeyed-russet and chestnut leather toiletry bags blind-stamped with a spoon and USED DAILY from the Kept in Use collection.

A dark-espresso leather journal blind-stamped with a wooden spoon and USED DAILY from the Kept in Use collection.

A gray-sand leather journal blind-stamped with a wooden spoon and USED DAILY from the Kept in Use collection.

And finally, one for the keys. A blade rests mid-stroke on its sharpening stone, and KEEP AN EDGE stands over it – encouragement that means something because the stone is right there under the steel.

Black-and-white die artwork of a blade on a sharpening stone beneath KEEP AN EDGE for the Kept in Use leather collection, Volume I-C.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A black leather keychain blind-stamped with a blade, sharpening stone, and KEEP AN EDGE from the Kept in Use collection.

A Sicilian-brown leather keychain blind-stamped with a blade, sharpening stone, and KEEP AN EDGE from the Kept in Use collection.

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.

P.S.

An alternate caramel leather luggage tag blind-stamped with PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.

An alternate forest-green leather luggage tag blind-stamped with PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.

An alternate country-gray leather luggage tag blind-stamped with PULL THROUGH from the Kept in Use collection.