Up the Potomac – an Alexandria leather stamping study

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

A September study. Volume I-C.

Up the Potomac is a small leather collection for Old Town Alexandria – the port that took its goods and its news off the river. Below, each design and the leather it lands on.

First, we drew a river sloop beating upstream under full sail, and set UP THE POTOMAC beneath her – in this town the good things have always come in by water.

The black-and-white art plate for leather stamping shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather. Three luggage tags follow, from navy to pale sea-blue.

The blueberry leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The sangria leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The turquoise leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

We pressed the same sloop small – on keychain fobs in chestnut and pale greige, and into the corner of a navy-over-chestnut toiletry kit.

The sicilian brown leather keychains shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The gray sand leather keychains shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The blueberry sicilian leather dopp kits shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

Next, the survey George Washington made of this shore in 1748, a year before Alexandria existed – the crescent bay redrawn line for line, ALEXANDRIA above and the date below. A journal works the same way: first the drawing, then the town.

The black-and-white art plate for leather stamping shows the historical shoreline survey design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather – once on warm tan, once on deep green.

The caramel leather leather journals shows the historical shoreline survey design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The forest green leather leather journals shows the historical shoreline survey design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

And finally, for the catchall tray – an anchor with a ring slipped over its fluke, and SAFE HARBOR beneath. The tray on the dresser is where rings ride out the night.

The black-and-white art plate for leather stamping shows the anchor and jewelry ring design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

It looks genuinely beautiful, pressed deep into golden tan.

The arizona leather catchall trays shows the anchor and jewelry ring design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

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.

P.S.

The blueberry leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The sangria leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The turquoise leather luggage tags shows the river sloop design from the Up the Potomac collection of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.