"I started making shoes a few years ago after taking a Scandinavian turn shoe class.  I love handmade items that last forever and get mended and go on and on and get better with age.  After the class I started experimenting, and I got a strong urge to make sandals. I looked for sandal makers all over North America and asked them for guidance.  I got some leads from one, what book to get and what kind of leather to use; many didn't even respond.  Then I found Davy and all of a sudden I had a long distance mentor and a tutorial!  I recently finished my first pair of LOTRs and I don't want to take them off.  Usually I am happy to come home and take off my shoes, but these are so comfortable!  I have since made a pair for a friend and I have another order that will be in exchange for a paper-making class.  The process of mastering these is ongoing, and I feel like I could learn something new with each pair I make."  

Daniel Montague-Rippner

Butcher by trade

Max Jones of Honey Bird Leathercraft
(not a protégé!)

“Perhaps every man comes to a point in his life when he looks around at what he has created for himself and is thus afforded an opportunity to really consider the authenticity of it all.  It seems we can so easily fall into roles and jobs that are not necessarily aligned with our true authentic selves.  This was revealed to me a couple of years ago and there was no denying the truth of it.

I accepted my fate, and the challenge of following my destiny. Playing the Fool card, I leapt off the proverbial cliff into the relative unknown of becoming a leatherworker. I have not looked back since then. It has been such a fulfilling journey.  And yes, it feels authentic; a true and inherent expression of who I am and what I “really” came here to do.

My love for the smell of leather, the sound it makes when being cut, the “ping” of a solid brass rivet being hammered upon an anvil, the energetic weight of a hand tool forged 135 years ago and the smiles on people’s faces who appreciate the quality they hold in their hands and wear on their feet, are a few of the ways that I measure the authenticity of it all.”

“My work is slow. Leather does not invite speed.”
The contemplative craft of Honey Bird Leathercraft

Max and his family live on the banks of the mighty Anatoki River
in the Golden Bay of New Zealand

maxjones@fastmail.com

Don Earl

My name is Don Earl of Don Earl Artisans in Southern California.  I have been involved with leatherworking for about three years and have dedicated almost all of my free time to this very rewarding endeavor.  This amounts to 25-30 hours per week or every waking hour that I am not working at my career job as a product design manager for one of the world’s most successful machine tool companies.   In my career job, I have managed hundreds of projects over the last 25 years and am responsible for millions of dollars of products.  When I step into my small leather shop however, I am only responsible for a few thousand dollars of products, none of which have made any real money for me and all of which have been a labor of love, sweat and tears.

Leatherworking is an amazingly challenging endeavor, trade or hobby, at any level to which one aspires. In its most basic form, satisfactory results are obtainable using just a few simple tools, and in its greatest form, highly trained artisans produce unbelievably beautiful personal items that hold great value and are a wonder to see.  Most of us, and likely those who may be reading this piece, create leather items somewhere in between.

Davy’s approach to sandalmaking is extraordinary.  He has a very small shop on South Pender Island near Victoria, BC, and uses only hand tools to produce his unique footwear for a dedicated group of patrons; he has been doing it this way for over 60 years.

My interest in leatherwork includes the integration of machinery into the building process. I especially enjoy using vintage equipment from the shoemaking and harness industry to make everyday items.  Early on I attempted to break into the equestrian world but quickly realized I did not have enough horse-sense to earn the respect of this highly particular group.  33I had kept the equipment and was able to use it to make Davy’s sandals!

I have made a few pairs of sandals for myself. There is no better way than to use what you make to identify how the design or construction might be improved, and to see how they feel and wear over time.  I enjoy the visceral experience of wearing handmade sandals.  Watching them slowly mold to my feet, becoming more a part of me with every step, until one day I no longer feel them, as the leather and cork compress, the straps conform to the complicated curves of my feet, and the color of the leather turns a rich golden tan.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

John Shepherd
Commenting soon

Moishe Pipic
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Annie Pacquette
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Begun July 2017