STILL IN SERVICE - a Stowe, Vermont leather collection, Volume II

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

An August study. Volume II.

STILL IN SERVICE is a Stowe, Vermont leather collection about five things the town built long ago that are working still. First, the ticket. Travelers have paid their way up the Mount Mansfield Toll Road since the nineteenth century, so we made the luggage tag the ticket itself – GOOD FOR ONE PASSAGE, punched once at the gate.

The black and white ONE PASSAGE ticket die from the STILL IN SERVICE leather collection of Stowe, Vermont.

We pressed it into deep spruce green and warm caramel. The black tag carries the gold.

Three leather luggage tags stamped as Mount Mansfield toll tickets for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

Next, the keychains. Between the 1840s and the 1870s the town raised at least ten covered bridges, so we drew the river alone and struck ten bars across it where it was crossed – TEN CROSSINGS, on navy and on warm tan.

The black and white TEN CROSSINGS river die from the STILL IN SERVICE leather collection of Stowe, Vermont.

Two leather keychains stamped with ten river crossings for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

Then Barnes Camp, built in 1910 for winter logging crews and lent to Long Trail walkers each summer. We set its doorway on the toiletry bags with a single blaze glowing inside – WINTER CREW above, SUMMER WALKERS below – on honeyed russet over dark espresso.

The black and white Barnes Camp die from the STILL IN SERVICE leather collection of Stowe, Vermont.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

Two leather toiletry bags stamped with Barnes Camp for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

Then the stone. Stowe's first mill was raised at the falls of the Little River in 1796, and the village grew up around its work. We dressed the full millstone, furrows and square eye, and set it in the middle of the golden tan tray, where the day's small grain still gathers.

The black and white millstone die from the STILL IN SERVICE leather collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A leather catchall tray stamped with the 1796 millstone for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

And finally, the one we liked the most. The village steeple stands about 165 feet, held up from within by timber masts telescoping one out of the next. We cut the section open for the corner of the journals – RAISED IN TIMBER – because a page rises the same way, frame by frame. Pressed into deep green and pale greige.

The black and white timber steeple die from the STILL IN SERVICE leather collection of Stowe, Vermont.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Two leather journals stamped with the timber steeple section for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

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

P.S.

A black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with ONE PASSAGE for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A forest green leather luggage tag stamped with ONE PASSAGE for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A caramel leather luggage tag stamped with ONE PASSAGE for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A blueberry leather keychain stamped with TEN CROSSINGS for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A caramel leather keychain stamped with TEN CROSSINGS for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A forest green leather journal stamped with the Stowe timber steeple for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.

A gray sand leather journal stamped with the Stowe timber steeple for the STILL IN SERVICE collection of Stowe, Vermont.