The Open Rows – a leather stamping study from Middletown, Rhode Island

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies. This volume carries original designs of our own.

A September study – Volume I-A.

The Open Rows – a small collection drawn from the picking fields and stone walls of Middletown, Rhode Island, and stamped into leather.

First, the flag. When a row is ready for picking, a small flag goes in at its head – that is the whole announcement. We let it carry the luggage tags: furrows running long to the horizon, one flag planted, and above it all, THE ROWS ARE OPEN. The die runs lengthwise along the tag.

Black-and-white die artwork shows a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN for leather accessories in The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather.

A golden tan leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A deep green leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A warm red leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

Next, we lettered PICK A GOOD DAY over a single strawberry and gave it to the keychains – one in warm red for June's strawberries, one in navy for July's blueberries.

Black-and-white die artwork shows a strawberry beneath PICK A GOOD DAY for leather accessories in The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A warm red leather keychain is stamped with a strawberry beneath PICK A GOOD DAY, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A navy leather keychain is stamped with a strawberry beneath PICK A GOOD DAY, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

Then, A JARFUL OF JULY. Field flowers leave a picking row in a wide-mouth jar, so we crowded the blooms above the rim and lettered the month right across the glass. It presses into the lower corner of the journals – one deep green, one dusty lavender.

Black-and-white die artwork shows field flowers in a jar lettered A JARFUL OF JULY for leather accessories in The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A deep green leather journal is stamped with field flowers in a jar lettered A JARFUL OF JULY, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A dusty lavender leather journal is stamped with field flowers in a jar lettered A JARFUL OF JULY, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

Then, STONE BY STONE. The walls of this island came out of its fields, one lifted stone at a time, so the ground could grow something. We laid a short run of dry wall on the toiletry bags – warm gray as the stone, chestnut as the soil.

Black-and-white die artwork shows a fieldstone wall above STONE BY STONE for leather accessories in The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A warm gray leather toiletry bag is stamped with a fieldstone wall above STONE BY STONE, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A chestnut leather toiletry bag is stamped with a fieldstone wall above STONE BY STONE, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

And finally, the one we like the most. An eight-vane windmill has stood over Paradise Park. WIND ENOUGH – pressed deep in the center of the golden tan tray.

Black-and-white die artwork shows the eight-vane windmill above WIND ENOUGH for leather accessories in The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A golden tan leather catchall tray is stamped with the eight-vane windmill above WIND ENOUGH, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

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.

A golden tan leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A deep green leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.

A warm red leather luggage tag is stamped with a flag and planted rows beneath THE ROWS ARE OPEN, from The Open Rows collection of Middletown, Rhode Island.