Still Making – an Easthampton leather collection

An August study.

A small exhibition in leather for Easthampton, Massachusetts. We drew five stamps from the city's own story – a collection we call Still Making – and pressed them into leather goods, from luggage tags to journals.

First, the button. Easthampton's first large factory was a button works, so we cut a four hole button with its thread still crossed, ringed by EASTHAMPTON and 1809, the year it became a town. Here it is on a pair of keychains, pale greige and deep wine.

Gray-sand and sangria leather keychains stamped with an Easthampton button token, from the Still Making collection of Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Next, the pond. Broad Brook was dammed in 1847 to drive the mills, and locals call the water Nash Pond – or, for its shape, the Bottle. So we drew it as one, corked and lying on its side, still holding the brook. It sits at the center of the golden tan catchall tray, which holds the day's small things the same way.

An Arizona leather catchall tray stamped with the Nash Pond bottle design, from the Still Making collection of Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Then the old line. The railroad that hauled for the mills runs as the Manhan Rail Trail now, so on this stamp the rails head straight into the trees. We pressed it small in the corner of the toiletry bags, honeyed russet stacked over dark espresso.

Honeyed russet and dark espresso leather toiletry bags stamped with the Old Line rail-trail design, from the Still Making collection of Easthampton, Massachusetts.

After that, Mount Tom, the ridge on the city's eastern edge; every Easthampton sunrise climbs over it, so the sun on the stamp is halfway up. A trio of luggage tags carries it – deep green and warm tan side by side, and a third in true black. On the black tag the stamp goes down in gold. It looks genuinely beautiful.

Deep green, warm tan, and black leather luggage tags stamped with Mount Tom at sunrise, from the Still Making collection of Easthampton, Massachusetts.

And finally, the design that names the collection. A tall mill window with a thrown bowl on its sill – the windows that once lit looms and button lathes light studios now, and the city is still making. It sits in the lower corner of the journals, one black, one pale greige. Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black and pale greige leather journals stamped with an old mill window and bowl, from the Still Making collection of Easthampton, Massachusetts.

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.