leathercraft in australia

[leatheroo]

I live in a city of approx 300,000 people and this week is our annual Royal Show. Lots of exhibits, rides, events etc. There is a large area set aside for crafts of all types. This year myself and my daughter (leathercat) have entered the leathercraft sections and painting section. On thursday we took our pieces to the show ground.

I found the leathercraft section and found the member to sign in my work. She opened the page and there was my name and only one other name!! I was sure there would be many entries but apparently not. Over in the junior section, there was no leather section but only "Other Craft", so Casey left her braided bracelet there.

In the state i live in, Victoria, we have no leathercraft guild. I know there is a guild in NSW and Queensland. We have no Tandy stores in the entire country.

Good leather suppliers in the whole country can be counted on one hand.

I have looked for other leatherworkers who might be interested in starting a guild but couldn't find anyone interested.

I know australia has produced some very fine crafts people..hats off to Peter Main, the Leatherwood team and of course some fine whip makers, but i hate to think the craft is dying out. What can be done...the interest just doesnt seem to be there.

THANK YOU to LEATHERWORKER.NET....i know myself and other aussies rely heavily on LW to get our fix of leather talk.

I suppose i can count on getting first or second place at the show!!!!!!

[Surveyor]

Unfortunately, about the same direction as it's going in the states. Mississippi lost its only Tandy Store about 18 years ago. I've recently noticed that one of the few hobby stores to carry any leatherwork items has reduced its inventory. My father took leatherworking in his shop classes in high school, but by the time I went through it was no longer taught.

All is not lost though; one young man with the SCA ran a leatherworking exhibit at this year's CelticFest. My Cub Scouts always enjoy the leatherwork we do and several of the Boy Scouts in the troop I am Committee Chairman have earned their Leatherworking Merit Badges. I was told last night at the troop meeting our upcoming Akela Cub campout will have a station where the boys make leather neckerchef slides.

And like you said, we are very lucky to have LW.net as a gathering place. Anyway, I didn't mean to hijack your thread; and goodluck at the Royal Show.

[TomSwede]

I think we have aired this before Caroline but it's about the same in Sweden. Not one guild and prolly no competitions at all I can enter. My supplier is the only one in Sweden and they try to carry as much as possible from Tandy but still I miss alot of the stuff that is preferred here wich is a problem because I learn most my stuff here and then this aquired information can't be carried out. Sealers and top finishes is such a thing.

But you're dam lucky to have that roo lace at extremely low cost compared to Sweden as a small comfort for you.

One of the good things I see with LW is that us leatherworkers unite and getting skills up, clash our heads together and talk pricing and how to bring ourselves out on the market. I see a little tendency with a growing group of people who is fed up with products that are cheaper and have a shorter lifetime than the carton box it came in.

Another thing I've been thinking about is the prices on our perhaps biggest "enemy" plastic will hold up in future. Plastic is an oil based product so should getting higher if not the re-cycling can manage to keep it down.

If we fight to survive as a team and open peoples eyes a bit more to our products by getting more craftsmen/women putting stuff out and work collectively to keep prices at a level where it is interesting for us to make products for the market maybe we can get back on track again?

I think our stuff is just as cool as tattoos and that group has grown into a market where the competition is hard today. They also stand very united and keep a keen eye to each others work and to keep a somewhat uniform price all over the globe. Getting a tattoo in Thailand off course is cheaper than to get it in Sweden but if you look to what the money is worth you soon realize that the Thai tattooer is walking away with the big profit.

My ordinary job is to operate the steam drying section of a papermachine. We pump out volumes up to 1000 tons (that's 14000 trees) of carton board per day 24/7. The stuff we sell to China comes back if there is slightest little problem with it. I tiny dot in the print of a carton box is making them see red. Putting dangerous chemicals in the milk they put in the box seem to be a smaller problem!

This hasn't much to do with the rest I was writing about but is just a little reflection over the importance of the mentioned package versus what is inside of it, especially in Asia.

We keep fighting for the love of our art, you're no longer halfway around the globe Caroline, just a mouseclick away (but surely this is a poorer way of socialising, wish I could, wish I could say -next round's on me, once in a while!

to all of us!

Tom

[Tina]

My ordinary job is to operate the steam drying section of a papermachine. We pump out volumes up to 1000 tons (that's 14000 trees) of carton board per day 24/7. The stuff we sell to China comes back if there is slightest little problem with it. I tiny dot in the print of a carton box is making them see red. Putting dangerous chemicals in the milk they put in the box seem to be a smaller problem!

Lillebror...Are you making the paper rolls to the milk boxes in Sweden too???

[CitizenKate]

I think one possible way to promote leather work/art/craft (choose your favorite connotation), is to start teaching others. I live in a town of only about 50,000, and there are tons of opportunities to share my favorite addiction with others. Boy/girl scouts, 4-H, the local "free university", holding demonstration exhibits at the county fair... You don't have to be an expert, just share what you know.

Kate

[Davy]

Leathercraft in Australia , where is it going ? Unfortunately , its already gone , right down the poopa . I live near the 6th biggest city in our country , Newcastle , and there are no leather shops or leatherworkers advertising anywhere here that I know of . I've heard of a couple west of Lake Macquarie , but never met em . as for guilds , I sent a message to the NSW guild in Sydney on 11th Sep with phone numbers attached and still have'nt heard a word back from them . Maybe they're too busy , who knows . As for supplies , I used to be able to buy raven oil in 4 or 5 shades of green , now they dont even make any green raven oil at all . If it was'nt for Rod Stangers offer to fill me in on how he makes up dyes , I'd be stuffed . Anyway Leatheroo , I think we're stuck with what we have , maybe it's not too bad in one sense , at least we now have to be a bit more innovative , what do they say , necessity is the mother of invention . Like Tom said the world is a smaller place now , thanks to the internet . And at least we have the LW to keep in touch with our peers and exchange info . Since being here I've gotten more info about the local scene from yourself and others than I could have hoped to from any other source . Oops , forgot there are'nt any other sources . Long Live LW

Cheers Dave .

[TwinOaks]

Where is leatherworking in Australia going? The only way it can go- NORTH!

[Johanna]

Not to derail the thread, but did you see the two pieces Rod & Denise Stanger sent to the IFoLG show? Stunning, as usual. Rod understands and uses color to set his work apart.

Johanna

[TomSwede]

My ordinary job is to operate the steam drying section of a papermachine. We pump out volumes up to 1000 tons (that's 14000 trees) of carton board per day 24/7. The stuff we sell to China comes back if there is slightest little problem with it. I tiny dot in the print of a carton box is making them see red. Putting dangerous chemicals in the milk they put in the box seem to be a smaller problem!

Lillebror...Are you making the paper rolls to the milk boxes in Sweden too???

Nope, but we sell alot to Tetra pack and those small concentrated juice boxes is very likely to be from us if they are tetra pak, if you buy a box with Irish cream bottles the wrap paper that is printed on (the final outer layer) is from us (they have to get the exact right green colour, patented, so they only use our paper because we are so consistent in quality). We also sell to Combi block for juice containers and I think we still re the only one in the world to sell to both those.

We have more customers than any other in the business and run too many qualitys of paper to list. I don't follow up to much wich products it ends up in. Just the customer list and driving program is enough for me so I can tune the machine for each quality.

Not to derail the thread, but did you see the two pieces Rod & Denise Stanger sent to the IFoLG show? Stunning, as usual. Rod understands and uses color to set his work apart.

Johanna

Where is it, where is it?? I'm highly interested in seeing the work of someone who is great with that! Rod and Denise= Hellbent for leather??

Hard to remember all names, this site is growing I think.

Tom

[Johanna]

After you look at the Stangers' site, you'll be able to pick out their pieces from the gallery easily!

Johanna

http://www.leatherwood.com.au/

[Tina]

Where is it, where is it?? I'm highly interested in seeing the work of someone who is great with that! Rod and Denise= Hellbent for leather??

Hard to remember all names, this site is growing I think.

Tom

I touched them The big flat "bowl" even had super nice pattern at the bottom, the teapot a favvo:-)

Jag tor med 99% att jag varit och besökt "din pappersfabrik" När jag jobbade för Arla var vi upp mot Gävletrakten för tertapack hade en pappersfabrik där...Detta är sådär 15 år sedan:-)

[TomSwede]

After you look at the Stangers' site, you'll be able to pick out their pieces from the gallery easily!

Johanna

http://www.leatherwood.com.au/

Thanks Johanna!

Very great and intricate stuff!

Where is it, where is it?? I'm highly interested in seeing the work of someone who is great with that! Rod and Denise= Hellbent for leather??

Hard to remember all names, this site is growing I think.

Tom

I touched them The big flat "bowl" even had super nice pattern at the bottom, the teapot a favvo:-)

Jag tor med 99% att jag varit och besökt "din pappersfabrik" När jag jobbade för Arla var vi upp mot Gävletrakten för tertapack hade en pappersfabrik där...Detta är sådär 15 år sedan:-)

Oh you lucky you!

Det var nog mitt Korsnäs du besökte! Du skulle inte känna igen dig idag. Min pappmaskin, nr4 är helt ombyggd idag..tyvärr. Jag jobbade i rullmaskin då du var där.

Jag har nog besökt din gamla arbetsplats för 7-8 år sedan. Strax utanför Stockholm.

Lillebror

[MickWoolnough]

Hi there

there is a leathercraft guild in Shepparton "the Goulburn leathercraft assoc , inc.

A bloke by the name of Rob Felton who i met at dimensions in leather a few years ago is a member. Dont know if this is anywhere near you though.

By the way Rob if you read this i lost your new email add.

Mick

[Ian]

Interesting, as I was talking to a guy who has a leather shop about an hour north of here. He has been in the business 35+ years. He said that when he started in Greenwich Village, leather shops were as common as tattoo shops are now. (Actually this guy was married to the sister of the drummer for 'Big Brother and the Holding Company'.) Anyway, back in those days, the only imported leather was high quality garments and luggage from Europe. Everything else, from jackets to saddles to wrist bands were made here.

A friend of mine is a stained glass artist and makes incredible kalaidoscopes (sp?). He tells me that 2 of the stores that used to have his work, now sell similar items made in China. All the crafts are dying - furniture making, quilting, jewellry - even decoy carving - in favor of mass produced Asian copies.

But, on the plus side, I am just about the only person in a 50 mile radius who does what I do, so I'm able to keep pretty busy. On the down side, I have only met a half dozen other leathercrafters in my life, so there's not much chance to form a community.

As with many other aspects of today's life, it makes me grateful to be old. The kids born today will never know all the great things we had a chance to experience.

Edited October 15, 2008 by Ian