Neighborhood by the Falls – a Longfellow, Minneapolis leather collection

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies, this one all original design work.

A September study. Volume I-C.

This is a small leather collection for the stretch of Minneapolis that calls itself the Neighborhood by the Falls – Longfellow, where the Mississippi runs through its one true gorge. We walked it on paper and pressed what we found into luggage tags and leather journals, and let the rest of the shelf follow.

First, we took the neighborhood's own name for itself and set it around a falling curtain of water – NEIGHBORHOOD above the ledge, BY THE FALLS in the plunge pool below. On the tags it runs upright, the way water does.

Black-and-white die artwork for leather stamping showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Blueberry leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Gray sand leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

The black tag carries the falls in gold.

Black leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Next, we drew the Winchell Trail into the journal corner as it actually runs – the winding path from the sandy flats at 34th down to the maple woods at 44th, with the savanna oak standing at 36th and the river keeping pace along the edge. A map you can check against your own feet.

Black-and-white die artwork for leather stamping showing a schematic Winchell Trail design with street-numbered habitats, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Forest green leather leather journals showing a schematic Winchell Trail design with street-numbered habitats, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Caramel leather leather journals showing a schematic Winchell Trail design with street-numbered habitats, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Then the oak at 36th got the whole tray to itself – wide crooked limbs over prairie grass, the savanna that volunteers have been coaxing back for years, one seed collection at a time. It looks genuinely beautiful on the golden tan leather.

Black-and-white die artwork for leather stamping showing a spreading oak above prairie grass, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Arizona leather catchall trays showing a spreading oak above prairie grass, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

The gorge's bird count reached 195 species this January, and the indigo buntings are coming back to the restored slopes. So we perched one on a bending bluestem stem for the toiletry bag – ONE OF 195 – and pressed the indigo bird into navy leather.

Black-and-white die artwork for leather stamping showing a songbird on a grass stem with One of 195 lettering, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Blueberry leather dopp kits showing a songbird on a grass stem with One of 195 lettering, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

And finally, the daily walk – a dog mid-stride with a stick in its mouth, ringed by THE DAILY WALK and LONGFELLOW, for the pocket of whoever holds the leash. Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white die artwork for leather stamping showing a walking dog with a stick and Longfellow lettering, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Caramel leather keychains showing a walking dog with a stick and Longfellow lettering, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Forest green leather keychains showing a walking dog with a stick and Longfellow lettering, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

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 anything here made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

Black leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Blueberry leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.

Gray sand leather luggage tags showing a waterfall and the words Neighborhood by the Falls, from Neighborhood by the Falls in Longfellow, Minneapolis.