An issue of the Society’s newsletter, transcribed from the original. Download as PDF.
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Page 1
[Transcribed from the original 8-page issue. Paragraphs are reflowed from the original setting; spelling, punctuation and wording follow the original, including its own inconsistencies. Editorial notes appear in [square brackets]. [The masthead prints the volume as XLIVIII, which is not a valid Roman numeral; the sequence gives Vol XLVIII No. 1.]]
CANADIAN LEATHERCRAFT
VOLUME XLIVIII NO. 1 — FALL 1998 — 0045-5121
2. C.S.C.L. "QUILT" Drawing MADELEINE MITCHELL 3. C.S.C.L. MEMBER'S LEATHER "QUILT" MADELEINE MITCHELL 4. C.S.C.L. LEATHER "QUILT" ALLAN FOSS 5. C.S.C.L. 49TH ANNUAL MEETING 1999 ALLAN FOSS 5. LONDON NEWS FOOTNOTES DOROTHY McPHERSON 6. & 7. LEATHERCRAFT AND THE MILLENIUM BILL WHITTINGHAM 8. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE BILL WHITTINGHAM
1999 ANNUAL NEWS — APRIL 16-17-18
All material published in Canadian Leathercraft is the property of THE CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE LEATHERCRAFT and may not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the Society
President: Bill Whittingham 42 Robinhood Rd. Islington Ont. M9A 2W8 1st Vice-Pres: Nancy Durham RR #4 Princeton Ont. N0J 1V0 2nd Vice-Pres: Jack Meharg 36 Bailey Cres. Scarborough Ont. M1G 2P3 Treasurer: David Windeyer #507 95 Prince Arthur Ave Toronto Ont. M5R 3P6 Recording Sec: Kevin Armstrong 1377 Hurontario St. Mississauga Ont. L5G 3H5 Corrsp. Sec: David McPherson 574 Cayley Drive London Ont. N6H 3G8 Corrsp. Sec: Dorothy McPherson 574 Cayley Drive London Ont. N6H 3G8 Membership Madeleine Mitchell 17 Light St. Woodstock Ont. N4S 6G7 Editor: Kevin Armstrong 1377 Hurontario St. Mississauga Ont. L5G 3H5 Editor: Don Macleod 2165 Corsair Road Mississauga Ont. L5A 2L7
[David Windeyer has moved from 1202-23 Lascelles Blvd to #507, 95 Prince Arthur Ave.]
Page 2
[A full-page hand-drawn diagram of the C.S.C.L. leather quilt, laid out as a grid of squares with each contributor's name written by hand inside the square they made. It is Madeleine Mitchell's own drawing, reproduced as drawn rather than typeset — the editor's note on page 4 explains that it was deliberately not re-keyed. The handwriting does not resolve at 300 dpi and no attempt at a name-by-name transcription is made here; the squares whose makers were identified after the drawing was made are named in the editor's note on page 4.]
Page 3
C.S.C.L. Member's Leather "Quilt"
In 1990, Woodstock Branch of C.S.C.L. was pleased to host the 40th Annual Meeting. Members were asked to prepare a 6"x6" leather square that would become part of C.S.C.L.'s Leather "Quilt". The resulting quilt was proudly displayed in Woodstock in 1990.
Since that time, members have continued to contribute their unique leather squares. To date, the quilt consists of 50 squares. It's sad to note that some members who made a contribution to the quilt are no longer with us--
Fred Brown, Viola Harris, Edith Melchoir-Hawkins, Kay Cloughley, and Lea Love.
Perhaps, as we approach the millennium and the 50th Anniversary of C.S.C.L. (in the year 2000) members will again, prepare a square to add to our quilt. New members are encouraged to try a square--it must be 6"x 6" of any kind of leather--design, colour, cut, carve, tool, emboss, etc.--be creative!
All members are welcome to do a millennium square--What does the Year 2000 mean to you-- Express your thoughts in leather.
Squares can be prepared and added up to the date of the 2000 Annual--we'll be meeting in Woodstock again. If you wish, send your square to:--
Madeleine Mitchell 17 Light St Woodstock, Ont., N4S 6G7
On the facing page are the names on the squares that make up the C.S.C.L. "Quilt". Note -- there are a few she has not been able to identify--If you know who did them please let Madeleine Mitchell know.
During the next year, we'll remind you to prepare your "quilt" square through the Bulletin.
Don't be left out-----do your square now! Members you heard the challenge, so lets all start, think of a design and produce a square or two for the "quilt".
[The surname is printed Melchoir-Hawkins; the 1994–96 batch records the death of Edith Melchior-Hawkins on 31 July 1995. The quilt count has risen from 44 in Summer 1996 to 50 here.]
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Editor's Note;-- Because of all the work that Madeleine put into this project in the past and now, I did not want to feed the quilt data into the Computer, it reproduces fine in its own right, as she drew it. I have also made some inquires re the bottom row of unknowns.
About the piece marked G.E.R. up near the top, I had a "hunch", and I called Gladys Riddell, and talked to her (Gladys Ethel Riddell) so that ended one mystery. I had a good chat with Glady (88 On Dec.18, 1998), and also with her daughter, Glenda King. Gladys said she might even try another square and have it ready for the annual. Now that's real dedication!
I passed on the query to Al Foss, because someone thought the squares at bottom came from Toronto. The square marked "T.L.C." (Toronto Leather Club) was by Ron Van Der Wees. The square marked "Deer, Bear, Oak Leaves", was by Bruce White. The square marked "Burgundy Border Design", was by Itsuko Yasui. The square marked "Dolphins", was by Al Foss himself. It was Al's idea -- he took squares down to their meeting and handed them out, these squares are the result. The Brown Stamped design is the only one he has not been able to identify, as yet. Maybe the creator will come forward and identify himself or herself when they read this, we hope so, that would make it 100% for 2000.
C.S.C.L. LEATHER "QUILT"
BY AL FOSS
While doodling with a diagram of the quilt trying to figure out who did a couple of the newer entries from Toronto Branch, I became curious who had and who has not contributed at this point. Some of the contributors are now doing their leatherwork up above or perhaps in warmer climates. We should all try to supply a six inch square of leather to the cause--carved, COLOURED, modeled, stamped or whatever for posterity.
Reviewing the latest membership list, the following surnames (you know who you are) are not represented and we would be very pleased to have you there.
Starting with the Life Members------
Dengler McLean Muma Potter Roebuck
Atkinson Angelstad Beboning Broumbley Bumby Clements Cook Crawford Earl Fare Goguen Girling Gross Grove Harrington Heacock Kehoe Kemp Lindsay Magura Marcoux McTavish Meharg Monteith Montgomery Moyer Pickering Reading Rushton Scruton Silcox Sim (M.) Spencer Van Horne Wilkinson Williams Wilson Yates Zinck Zdura
One of our sustaining members is already included in the above but another, Tandycrafts, Barrie, should be there too, isn't that right Kevin?
The keeper of the quilt is Madeleine Mitchell of Woodstock, so get your square to her before our anniversary in the year 2000 and you will be remembered in perpetuity. (I had to look that word up)
Al Foss Toronto Leather Club, Pres.
[The list is set in two alphabetical runs across six columns, and is transcribed in that arrangement.]
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C.S.C.L. ANNUAL MEETING 1999
The 1999 Annual meeting is scheduled for April 16-17-18, 1999 at the Best Western Beacon Harbourside Resort, Jordan, Ontario.
A block of rooms on the meeting room floor are held for reservation until March 23, 1999, at $59.00 per night for single or double occupancy. Triple and quad occupants are an additional $10.00 per person. Reservations can be made by dialing 1-888-823-2266 (toll free).
Full refunds are available for cancellations 48 hours prior to Annual. Less than 48 hours will be subject to one night's accommodation. Check in time is 3:00 P.M.
Rooms reserved after March 23rd will be subject to availability at regular rack rate.
The full agenda will be published later, but on Friday April 16th, registration will be open from 4 P.M. onwards and set-up in the Grandview Room will be from 4 to 8 P.M.
All meals will be on your own with exception of the Saturday Night Banquet.
The Hotel has been beautifully refurbished including the swimming pool, dining facilities and our meeting room. It is very nice. A Toronto Ferry docks right at the hotel, on a scheduled basis.
Your Host Toronto Branch Al Foss, Pres.
P.S. Please examine the last issue of the newsletter for awards available to exhibits at the Annual and get started early to compete. Any individual branch could consider a once only award for a project for the Annual not now covered. Just advise the editor of our newsletter for inclusion in the next issue which would still leave time for completion.
MORE NEXT BULLETIN
LONDON NEWS FOOTNOTES
DOROTHY McPHERSON
WESTERN ONTARIO FAIR
In September two London Members-at-Large Marion Kehoe and David McPherson demonstrated leather crafting at the Western Fair, and Dorothy McPherson also demonstrated her leathercrafted jewellery and other creations in the London Free Press Building.
Since moving to London, McPherson's have been volunteer demonstrators at Fanshawe Pioneer Village---- Dorothy quilting in the newly opened Millinery Shop and David demonstrating Leathercrafting in the Harness Shop. Marion Keyhole, also a Member-at-Large has also been demonstrating leathercrafting at the Harness Shop for the past few years.
[The same person is named Marion Kehoe in the first paragraph and Marion Keyhole in the second.]
Page 6
LEATHERCRAFT AND THE MILLENIUM
Over this past summer, I made a mistake which has greatly impacted my leathercraft production. I bought a computer. This was a decision I have been wrestling with for a number of years, and had until that time resisted the urge to launch myself into cyber space. Being involved in an age-old craft, such as I am, it seemed appropriate for me to scoff at computers, and continue to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Although I do have a few dents in my forehead from banging it on my desk, I have been pleasantly surprised that these infernal electronic paperweights do actually have their uses.
About 6 weeks ago, I decided to get hooked up to the Internet through my cable provider, and the world of leather has opened before my very eyes. Having unlimited access to the Internet is both a boon and the bane of my existence. In the first three days I was "connected" to the world, I spent at least 50 hours surfing the Net, making contact with people all around the globe. My shoulders ached, my head listed curiously to one side, my posterior was numb and I had a curious little pain running down my right arm, but in the end, it was all worth it. I am now talking to leathercrafters in Western Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
The other great thing about the Internet is visiting websites, and I would like to share with you, some of the information I have collected. I know not all of you have computers, but you may have family or friends who can print information for you, so I would like to list and review some of the sites I have stumbled upon in the middle of the night.
I will list the company name for you and the URL (stands for Uniform Resource Locator) which is basically the address where you can find the information. For those of you unfamiliar with the Internet, all you need to do is select a search engine, like "Infoseek" for example, type in the URL, EXACTLY as I have typed it, press enter, and the computer does the rest of the search for you. So here goes. There is no particular order at all.
Leathercrafter's Corner — http://www.tiac.net/users/hollyoak/lthcraft.htm
This site has some excellent information on parchment making, boots and shoes, cuir bouilli, leather tooling and medieval stitching. It also lists resource books for saddlery, bottels and blackjacks, bookbinding and knife sheaths. This site is still under construction, and I have noticed that over the past few weeks, new information is gradually being added.
The International Internet Leathercrafter's Guild — http://www.iilg.org/
The main feature of this site is a gallery of works by leather artisans around the world, most notably Silva Fox in the United States, and Peter Main from Australia. It also has information about trade shows in the United States, a Hall of Fame where they put a shine on Al Stohlman's halo, the most complete listing of Doodle Pages I have ever seen, and a listing of links that can take you to other leather related websites.
Sod Hoppers Footwear & Ethical Jewellery — http://www.sodhoppers.com/moccasin.htm
The designs and colour combinations of these moccasins will knock your socks off!!! I have never seen anything like this in my days of doing leather work. Some of the work is very intricately appliqued using several types of leather. Truly a joy to behold.
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Angel Masks and Fantasy Art — http://www.angel-mask.com
These masks can either be hung on the wall, displayed on a bust, or worn on the face and some of them are quite spectacular. They are obviously moulded over a form, but there is another technique that has been utilized as well to give them a very dramatic flare. Quite worth your while to have a look at these.
Daphne of Canada — http://www.makersgallery.com/daphne/
Daphne Lingwood, as most of you know, is a past member of the CSCL, and this website is basically a collection of some of her flower jewellery, and free standing leather sculptures, along with a bio of Daphne herself.
The Leather Art Gallery — http://www.leatherartgallery.org/
This is another gallery of artisans work, but it is still under construction and much of what is already in place seems to come and go from day to day. There seems to be server problems with it at the moment, which I can only assume they are going to try to correct.
Silva Fox Artistry — http://www.inergy.com/FOXART/main.htm
This site is a real gem for anyone who enjoys carving. Silva Fox was the 1997 winner of the Al Stohlman Award, and one look at her work tells you why. Several of her hand sculpted leather pictures are depicted here with close-ups so you can truly appreciate the detail. She also has a page called "How's That Done?", where you can see stage by stage how some of the carving is done. There is also a profile of the artist section, and a list of her special awards. This is an absolute must see not only for the carving and the embossing of the pictures, but the bold way in which they are coloured as well. There are some leather related links to follow here as well.
So there you have it folks! This is the first installment of leathercraft Internet-style. I am hoping that this will be a semi-regular feature of the bulletin. I have other sites I can mention in the next bulletin, but if there are some of you already on the web and you have some leather sites bookmarked, please let me know about them. Or better yet, do a write-up like this and submit them to our editors Don and Kevin. They are always looking for new things to put in the bulletin, and would greatly appreciate anything you can give them.
For those of you that have e-mail access, I can now be reached at [email protected]
If there are others that need to contact me by fax, my fax number is 416-231-4913
Two more ways the CSCL is being hurled into the Millenium.........
Respectfully submitted, Bill Whittingham F.C.S.C.L.
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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. Now that the children are safely back in school, we can turn once again to furthering our knowledge in leather. There are several things I would like to touch on, and the following is an appeal for everyone to get involved to help us grow and prosper.
First of all, the executive is looking for suggestions from the general membership for CSCL sponsored workshops. Initially, the plan was to have two of these workshops per year, and we have fallen below that in the recent past. This is your opportunity to see and learn techniques, to help improve your own knowledge and skills. We are lucky that we do have talented artisans in our guild, and we should be utilizing these resources to it's fullest potential. It is too late to arrange a sponsored workshop before Christmas I think, but we should be able to have two in the spring, and this is an opportunity for your voice to be heard. Please help us out by making suggestions to your individual guild presidents, or to me personally. We need your input and guidance to make these events successful.
Second, somewhere in this bulletin, you will find the information concerning this year's annual. Al Foss is working very hard on the details, but I am sure that he would appreciate hearing from our members about any suggestions they may have concerning workshops and demonstrations offered at the annual. As some of you know, arranging the details for the annual is a big job, but there are some aspects that can be made easier with additional input. Arranging workshops and demos falls into this category. The annual is a fun, informative and hopefully productive event. Our chances of all of those things coming to fruition are greatly improved with your participation.
You will also notice that the annual is a little earlier this year, which means you need to start on your Weston Trophy, Associates, Fellows and table entries now, to ensure that they are ready for the earlier date. I myself in the past, have been guilty of waiting to the last minute, I willingly admit that. This year I vowed things would be different, and thus far, I have one completed piece, and a second started. I urge all of you to consider doing the same. The work is far more enjoyable, if you're not in a panic trying to complete it. Speaking as one of the judges, I'd love to see the guild tables groaning from the weight of entries you have produced. It makes the job of judging more enjoyable, when there is much to choose from, and it shows us that we are all headed in the right direction.
The final thing I want to touch base with you on, is the executive has already started talking about plans for Leather 2000. This is a very important event, because it is not only the millenium show, but it is also the 50th anniversary of the CSCL. We would like this to be a big splash, and we would like to see an abundance of work displayed for the general public. Those of you who had new pieces at the Norland Annual can enter those into Leather 2000, please don't forget that. Store them in tissue, remember where you put them, then buff them up a year from now and enter them. It doesn't get any simpler than that.
I look forward to your thoughts, suggestion, participation and entries. The lines of communication are wide open folks. Let's talk.
William H.G. Whittingham F.C.S.C.L. President C.S.C.L.