The Knot Garden, Volume I-A – a leather stamping collection for Oneida, New York

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

A September study – Volume I-A.

A small leather collection for Oneida, New York – five stamps drawn from thirty-three green acres and one long story, pressed into leather. We call it The Knot Garden.

First, the design that named the collection. Oneida has kept a geometric knot garden in trim for more than 150 years, so we braided two ribbons around a center bed and pressed the whole parterre into the base of a catchall tray.

It looks genuinely beautiful on the golden tan.

Black and white die artwork depicts an interlaced Victorian parterre with THE KNOT GARDEN and ONEIDA NEW YORK lettering for The Knot Garden leather collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather catchall tray stamped with an interlaced Victorian parterre with THE KNOT GARDEN and ONEIDA NEW YORK lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

Next, the trees. A tulip tree and a black walnut have stood on the South Lawn since around 1850, and both are New York state champions now. We grew a full crown between PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING, standing upright on the luggage tags – the slowest travelers in town.

The black tag carries the design in gold.

Black and white die artwork depicts a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering for The Knot Garden leather collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

Then, the spoon. Local memory holds that brides once mailed in coins for a real sample teaspoon before choosing their wedding pattern. We drew a plain teaspoon with ONEIDA running down the handle, where a maker sets its name, and stamped it on keychains in deep wine and in pale greige.

Black and white die artwork depicts a plain teaspoon with ONEIDA down its handle for The Knot Garden leather collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather keychain stamped with a plain teaspoon with ONEIDA down its handle from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather keychain stamped with a plain teaspoon with ONEIDA down its handle from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

Then, the summer house – a garden shelter raised out of branching wood, still standing among the trees. We drew it branch for branch, tiled roof and ball finial included, and set SIT AWHILE beneath, which is the only instruction a journal ever needs.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black and white die artwork depicts the rustic branch-built summer house with SIT AWHILE lettering for The Knot Garden leather collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather journal stamped with the rustic branch-built summer house with SIT AWHILE lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather journal stamped with the rustic branch-built summer house with SIT AWHILE lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

And finally, the tower. Its mansard cap and arched windows are the roofline this corner of New York knows by heart, so we cut a compact emblem of it over ONEIDA NEW YORK and pressed it small into the corner of the toiletry bags – honeyed russet over deep espresso.

Black and white die artwork depicts the Mansion House mansard tower with ONEIDA NEW YORK lettering for The Knot Garden leather collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather toiletry-bag stack stamped with the Mansion House mansard tower with ONEIDA NEW YORK lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

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.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.

A leather luggage tag stamped with a broadleaf champion tree with PLANTED 1850 and STILL GROWING lettering from The Knot Garden collection of Oneida, New York.