Zone Nine – a Jennings, Louisiana leather collection

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of original leather design studies. Volume I-A.

A September study.

Jennings, Louisiana sits on Zone 9 ground, rice country along I-10 where the gardens barely rest. We spent September pressing that world into leather – luggage tags and garden journals among the pieces.

First, the hummingbird. Every September they pour down through South Louisiana toward the Gulf, and a garden with a zinnia still open becomes a filling station. We drew one mid-drink and set PASSING THROUGH beneath its wings – words a luggage tag was born to carry. The black tag carries the design in gold; forest green and pale sea-blue take the blind press.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering for the Zone Nine leather collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A black leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A forest green leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A pale sea-blue leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

Next, the gourd. Down here a birdhouse is a dried gourd hung from a line, a round door cut in its belly for the purple martins. We hung ours from its cord and gave it a little motel sign that reads VACANCY. Every spring the sign is briefly right.

It looks great pressed onto the fobs.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a gourd birdhouse with a Vacancy sign for the Zone Nine leather collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A golden tan leather keychain stamped with a gourd birdhouse with a Vacancy sign, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A dark espresso leather keychain stamped with a gourd birdhouse with a Vacancy sign, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

The same gourd sits low in the corner of the toiletry bags, golden tan over chestnut – on luggage, VACANCY reads its other way.

A golden tan and chestnut leather toiletry bags stamped with a gourd birdhouse with a Vacancy sign, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

Then, the journals. Gardeners hold one word as a quiet promise – PERENNIAL. We cut the old stalk to a stub and drew the new shoot coming up beside it, roots holding on below the line. A planting log belongs under that cover; it comes back every year too.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a new shoot, cut stalk and roots with Perennial lettering for the Zone Nine leather collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A forest green leather journal stamped with a new shoot, cut stalk and roots with Perennial lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A caramel leather journal stamped with a new shoot, cut stalk and roots with Perennial lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

And finally, the satsuma – the one we liked the most. In South Louisiana the early ones ripen from September, and every cool night after sweetens them. We cut one across into a wheel and ringed it with SWEET BY OCTOBER, pressed at generous size into the golden tan of the tray. Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

Black-and-white stamp artwork of a satsuma wheel with Sweet by October lettering for the Zone Nine leather collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A golden tan leather catchall tray stamped with a satsuma wheel with Sweet by October lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

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 something here belongs on your table, or in your town – say hello through our contact page.

P.S.

A black leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A forest green leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.

A pale sea-blue leather luggage tag stamped with a hummingbird feeding at a zinnia with Passing Through lettering, from the Zone Nine collection of Jennings, Louisiana.