The Wheelwright's Line – leather studies of Raymond, Washington

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of stamping studies on real-world logos.

A September study. Volume I-D.

Raymond, Washington is the gateway town of the Willapa, and it keeps a whole hall of horse-drawn carriages a few steps from the river. We spent September pressing that rolling world into leather – a collection we call The Wheelwright's Line, with luggage tags and journals among the pieces.

First, the stagecoach. The old coaches hung their cabins on thick leather straps, and the rocking ride earned them a tender nickname – a cradle on wheels. We drew the coach in full profile, boot and lamp and all, and set A CRADLE ON WHEELS beneath it, a promise any piece of luggage would like to ride under.

The cradle on wheels die leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The black tag carries the coach in gold.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags black leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags sangria leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags caramel leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

Next, we built a wheel – twelve spokes around a compass-star hub, and around the rim the words the road signs use: GATEWAY TO THE WILLAPA, with RAYMOND WASHINGTON closing the circle. It went onto the keychain fobs, and at generous size across the catchall tray.

The gateway wheel die leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The black fob takes the wheel in gold, the way the coaches took their scrollwork.

The gateway wheel keychains black leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The gateway wheel keychains arizona leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The gateway wheel catchall trays arizona leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

Then, the coachman's sleigh, with its curled prow and its scrolled iron runners. COME WINTER WE GLIDE, it says – a good thing for a journal to believe in September. One journal wears the sleigh's own deep green, the other a pale snowfield greige.

The winter glide die leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

The winter glide leather journals forest green leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The winter glide leather journals gray sand leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

And finally, the oldest fact in town: Raymond began on stilts, its stores and wooden sidewalks standing over the tideflats. So the toiletry bag carries a small false-front store on pilings above the tide – RAYMOND on the sign board, A TOWN ON STILTS under the waves – pressed into warm tan over dark espresso, timber over timber shadow.

The town on stilts die leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The town on stilts dopp kits caramel dark espresso leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

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 these belong in Raymond and you'd like them made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags black alternate 01 leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags sangria alternate 01 leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.

The cradle on wheels luggage tags caramel alternate 01 leather study from The Wheelwright’s Line collection of Raymond, Washington.