The Old Neighborhood × Leatherius Woodman – a Sacramento leather stamping study

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

An August study.

THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD – Volume III of our Sacramento series. Five new designs from the oldest streets of Sacramento, California, where the porches run deep and the elms meet over the road – each cut as a stamp and pressed into leather.

First, the shade. Sacramento has called itself the City of Trees since 1855, and summer here is lived under the canopy. We spread an elm over a sidewalk and set MADE IN THE SHADE in the cool band between the leaves and their dapple.

Black-and-white artwork for the Made in the Shade tree-canopy design in The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

It runs lengthwise along the luggage tags, in deep green and warm tan. The black tag carries the words in gold.

A finished luggage tags presentation stamped for The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

Next, the alley. The old blocks kept their carriage houses and back gates, and the back gate is still where the good finds arrive. We put COME AROUND BACK on a Victorian thumb latch – a stamp made for the ring that holds the back-door key.

Black-and-white artwork for the Come Around Back thumb-latch design in The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather – one keychain navy, one warm tan.

A finished keychains presentation stamped for The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

Then, for the toiletry bags, a porch lantern with one moth already on its way. LEAVE THE LIGHT ON is the promise that rides in the bottom of a travel kit; we pressed it into the corner of a true black bag over deep brown, the colors of a street after ten.

Black-and-white artwork for the Leave the Light On porch-lantern design in The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

A finished toiletry bags presentation stamped for The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

After that, the collector's first instinct. We drew a dovetailed corner eased apart so the fit shows, and wrote TURN IT OVER beneath it. On the golden tan catchall tray it waits under the pocket things you empty out and examine at night.

Black-and-white artwork for the Turn It Over dovetail design in The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

A finished catchall tray presentation stamped for The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

And finally, the one we mean the most. This city marks its surviving houses; we cut a survivor's mark of our own, Eastlake fans in the corners over one line that says STILL HERE. A journal for whatever has lasted and means to keep going.

Black-and-white artwork for the Still Here Eastlake design in The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

It turned out quietly beautiful – one journal deep wine, one pale warm greige.

A finished leather journal presentation stamped for The Old Neighborhood leather collection, Volume III of Sacramento, California.

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