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[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].]
CANADIAN LEATHERCRAFT
VOLUME XLVIII NO. 4 — SUMMER 1999 — 0045-5121
2. An Open Letter from TANDY Doug Black, President Tandycraft Ltd. 3. Weston Trophy Articles this year 1999 Carol McLean F.C.S.C.L. 4. C.S.C.L. RIBBON PRESENTATIONS Ruth Haig F.C.S.C.L. 5. MEMBERS NEWS Dorothy McPherson 6. The 1999 Annual Don Macleod 7. The little Key Basket Don Macleod 8. A Letter from Silva Fox Silva Fox
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
A WORD FROM OUR HOST FOR THE 1999 ANNUAL — THANKS
Our 49th annual shindig is over and I want to thank everyone who took a part in it for their help in making it a success as I believe it was. Toronto Guild was the responsible party but several outside members loaned a very respectable helping hand.
Phyllis McHale rescued me at the registration desk even when I called her Della. Joyce without complaint and Jack handled the draws like the professionals they are [handling money and turning a profit]. Those who donated the larger items in the special draws certainly contributed.
Don helped by not taking all the prizes home this year. Bill kept the business end moving smoothly. Dave at my side during the banquet prompted me on items I forgot. I guess age is a factor. When my better half Jean, the critic, commented on the excellent meal we enjoyed I knew we had made it. Thank you all.
Al Foss
P.S. All that and we made a profit too!
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[A reproduction of a letter on Tandycrafts Ltd. letterhead. The letterhead reads in part: LEATHER COMPANY — GENERAL OFFICES — 32 BAYFIELD ST., BARRIE, ONT. — TEL. 705-728-2481 — FAX 705-728-2196 — MAILING ADDRESS P.O. BOX 13000, L4M 4W4. Several characters of the address block are illegible in the scan and are reproduced only where they resolve.]
April 23, 1999
To All C.S.C.L. Members:
The rumour mills have run rampant since Tandycrafts Inc. of U.S.A. announced the closure of all the retail stores and manufacturing facilities in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Why? There are many opinions, but basically, when it is a public company, and revenues decline, a board of directors must make decisions to correct this kind of a situation. Tandy, USA, does plan to continue their warehousing, wholesale, direct mail-order and Internet business from the Head Office and Warehouse location in Ft. Worth, Texas.
What about Canada? The Canadian operation, since 1991, was purchased by long-time Canadian employees and operates separately from the US under a licensing and royalty agreement. We continue to operate 9 retail/wholesale locations as well as our Head Office and Warehouse facility in Barrie, Ontario Canada which services our stores and dealers across Canada.
I value the support and loyalty of C.S.C.L. guild members, and our thousands of customers nationwide. We are committed to providing quality products and excellent service to all of our customers.
We welcome comments and suggestions from guild members about our products and services.
Sincerely, TANDYCRAFTS LTD. Doug Black, President
DB:mm
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"Weston Trophy Articles this Year 1999"
General comments on articles for 1999 Annual General Meeting — By Carol McLean F.C.S.C.L.
We were so pleased with the quality of articles submitted for Weston Trophy judging this year. Our job was difficult but very interesting. It was a pleasure to examine these pieces and see the creative spirit flourishing in beautifully crafted leather pieces. Your dedication to the craft is to be commended.
Woodstock
Morocco Hand Bag - nice design, pleasing pattern, excellent lacing. Tray - Great design, nice finish, edges could have been finished a bit more. Box - A well fitted lid, colour good, inlay well done, back seam just a little stick. Picture Frame - Corners nicely done, closes well, cut out ovals not symmetrical.
Mississauga
Mask - very well done project, lovely colour, nicely sculptured. Key Basket - Unique design, ambitious piece, good colour, bottom is not level, sole leather would have improved the bottom. Riding Crop - Excellent braiding, a very functional utility item. Zippered Case - Excellent colouring, unique article, zipper placement excellent - out of this world.
Hamilton
Desk Pad - 3d effectively done, Morocco leather not over worked. Bottell - nice design, but not symmetrical, very difficult article. Oval Box - Ambitious project, interior space is very small in proportion to the box size. Knife Sheath - nicely carved, saddle stitching excellent, pleasing article, inner welt holds knife secure, very functional item.
Toronto
Chess Set - another ambitious endeavor, the chess pieces are quaint, a good sturdy board. Pins - not really major enough for a trophy competition submission article. The craft person should be encouraged to expand her horizons for the future competition pieces, perhaps in a larger piece of work. Pencil Box - opening too small for a number of pencils, perhaps countersunk stones should be mounted solidly, stacking a bit uneven. Bridle - Braiding different and very effective, several techniques used and very effectively, nicely finished.
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C.S.C.L. RIBBON PRESENTATION AT 1999 ANNUAL
PREPARED BY RUTH HAIG F.C.S.C.L.
Craftsman Salon MISSISSAUGA Gary Anthony Cook Riding Crop Black Braided Ladies Belt * * Bill Whittingham Christmas Mask * * 1 1/4" Braided Belt * * Red Candy Jar * Don Macleod Key Basket * Sylva Fox Wolf Card Holder Case * * Fish Fly Case * * Puppy Quilt Square * * Lois Macpherson Bracelet * * HAMILTON Peter Grove Oval Box - Stacked Natural * * Oval Box - stacked Maroon * * Medieval Mask * * Ruth Haig Desk Pad * Red Morocco Wallet * Change Purse * Karla Van Horne Knife Sheath * * Braided Hat Band * Sean Dalgetty Bottell 3 Legged Stool * Mini Saddle * Scabbard * * WOODSTOCK Nancy Durham Round Inlay Box * * Moccasins * 1 1/2 Brown Tone Belt * * Leaf Tray * Beula Reynolds Leaf Tray * Ring Binder * Madeliene Mitchell Double Oval Picture Frame * Christmas Flower Pin * Loreen Manuel Black Morocco Purse * Natural Molded Bag * TORONTO Dave Bint Bridle * Betty Burkholder Flowers - Jewellery * Ron Van der Veen Squirrel * Pen Stand * Jack Meharg Chess Set and Board * Bottell * David Windeyer Valhalla Ship Map Holder Case NORLAND Hilda Chenyowith Beaded Moccasins Mantilla Indian Head Horse Picture Carved MEMBERS AT LARGE Dorothy McPherson Twin Dolls * David McPherson Cornucopia *
[Several names are printed in forms that differ from the rest of the run: Sylva Fox (elsewhere Silva), Madeliene Mitchell, Hilda Chenyowith (elsewhere Chynoweth), Ron Van der Veen (elsewhere Ron Van Der Wees), Lois Macpherson. The individual ribbon marks are single characters in narrow columns and some do not recover; those that read cleanly are shown.]
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SPECIAL AWARDS
1. IRVA FORD AWARD — Best Molded Article — Mask of St. Nick — Bill Whittingham. Presented by Carol McLean.
2. ROBERT MUMA AWARD — for best colour work — zippered small case — Awarded to Sylva Fox. Presented by Bill Whittingham.
3. BEST IN SHOW — Cornucopia (Sculptured piece) — David McPherson. Presented by Bill Whittingham.
WESTON TROPHY MARKS
HAMILTON 79.69 % WOODSTOCK 79.04 % MISSISSAUGA 77.25 % TORONTO 70.29 %
Karla Van Horne's carved knife sheath was over 90%, the highest in the show.
MEMBERS NEWS
Woodstock C.S.C.L. Branch members Carol McLean and Beulah Reynolds are also members of the Oxford Quilter's Guild that has cohosted several exhibitions with C.S.C.L. at the old Etobicoke City Hall, now called the Etobicoke Civic Center, since the Metro amalgamation. Recently Carol and Beulah worked on the Oxford Quilter's Guild double size "LOG CABIN" quilt (peach and dark green) that the Oxford Quilter's Group donated to The Canadian Cancer Society's "THE QUILT, A CELEBRATION OF SURVIVORS", an exhibition that runs May to October at Stratford-Perth Museum, next to the Festival Theater.
Another C.S.C.L. member Dorothy McPherson designed and donated "THE STAR", a miniature wall quilt in satins (featuring an angel).
[Beulah Reynolds is printed twice here — a fourth form of the forename alongside Beula on page 4 of this same issue, Buela in Winter 1996 and Beula elsewhere.]
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THE 1999 ANNUAL FROM A MEMBERS POINT OF VIEW
by Don Macleod
It went well! Registration was carried out by Al Foss himself, he had all the tickets and goody bags as the members registered at his desk. To give him a relief at various times, Phyllis McHale, from Norland took over the registration desk. During this time the Club tables were being set up for the judging. All five clubs filled their table and set them up to be as attractive and presentable that they could. All tables were actually loaded. The variety of leather items was outstanding.
We bought our Supper in their dinning room on the main floor overlooking the harbour. A full scale replica of Christopher Columbus's "Santa Marie" is pulled up on the shore at the north side of the harbour. To think a ship like it actually crossed the Atlantic Ocean is really something. Its big but not that big to trust for a three month plus voyage into the unknown.
After supper Peter Gross put on a workshop with Stamping tools, it developed into a wild demo. Peter carried in a big box of stamping tools he brought with him from George Hurst in Texas. These were new tools that George Hurst had made in Japan on his recent trip. They worked beautifully, clean, sharp images. Pick up a tool and Peter demo'd what he could do with it, as a feature design, backgrounder, or build a feature article with it. It was after 10.00 p.m. when the demo broke up, a good evening was held by everyone.
The Fellows took over the meeting room and judged all the articles on the club tables, as we were in Peter's demo. One table was set up with the Weston Trophy entries that had been judged on April 1, at Bill Whittingham's home. We would learn the winners after the Annual Meeting on Saturday. We would learn the results of the table entries at the banquet Saturday night.
Saturday saw the Annual meeting chaired by Bill Whittingham and recording secretary Kevin Armstrong to take all the proceedings in stone. The meeting went smoothly. Then finally the Weston Trophy winners were announced — Hamilton again won the coveted trophy. The articles are described and the marks attained by the teams are on another page, in this issue.
Before the meeting Joyce Scruton and Jack Meharg sold the Draw tickets. Joyce sold the tickets and collected the money and Jack (he with the longest arm span) measured out the tickets. An arms length for $5.00 or about 40 tickets.
After lunch we had 2 workshops. First Madeleine Mitchell doing a slip on book cover and showing how to measure to make a pattern so it would fit properly, and the order to stitch it together, so it wouldn't bunch up.
The second workshop by Bill Whittingham was a demo on spray dying using skiver. He crunched up the dry skiver, spayed a light coat of colour over it, hitting the highlights. He crunched the piece again and added another colour. He repeated the process about 5-6 times, each with a different colour of dye. The effect was outstanding, reminded me of the old fashioned Periwinkle dyed purse liner. Your colour combinations make completely different look to the pieces you use the skiver on.
[The demonstrator is named Peter Gross here; the man who supplies Tundra Leather and exhibits with Hamilton is Peter Grove on page 4 of this issue and Peter Groves in Summer 1996.]
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During the intervals, before the Demos and between them and after them, the draw tickets were pulled and announced by Jack Meharg. He kept saying I won too many last year in Norland (22), well I only won 8 this year. The Draw tables had great variety of articles to ponder over and choose from, and people took their time to pick their treasures.
Al Foss was Master of Ceremonies for the Banquet Evening. Art Cousins said Grace, then the staff brought in the food. I don't think anyone went away hungry. It was a family type meal served. The food was great — Wine-Red or White, Salad, Pasta, Roast Beef, Baked Potatoes, and all the trimmings. Desert was Cherry Cheesecake.
They announced the winners for the Special Draws after everyone settled in a fully relaxed mood. Then Al introduced our Guest Speaker, Mr. Konzelmann from his family Winery at Niagara-on-the-Lake. We had all enjoyed the wine at dinner and continued to savor the fruits of his labors while he spoke. He told how his family had come from Germany and established their site at Niagara where they found the soil could give them the best results and flavour from the soil. A very informative discussion followed with him answering questions from the floor.
After the banquet we disassembled our display tables and started to pack up.
Because nothing had been planned for Sunday, we all enjoyed a casual breakfast together and went our merry way home.
A very informative and worthwhile week-end. We now are looking forward to the 50th Anniversary Annual with Woodstock as our hosts next spring.
Don't forget to make your 6"x 6" square for the Quilt. Woodstock is counting on everyone to add to the quilt next year. If you've made a square before, add another. If you haven't made a square yet, make one or two.
And please put your name on each piece, so people in the future know who did them!
Bill Whittingham's column on Surfing the Net will return with the next issue, he's been a little busy with his job, his leather crafting and the Annual.
The Story behind the Little Key Basket
BY DON MACLEOD
On the television program "Antique Roadshow" I saw a lady carry in a little leather basket. She wasn't sure what it was, but the appraiser recognized it and said it was a key basket.
When a southern gentleman married and the couple returned from their honeymoon to their home (Mansion), the Lady was given the little basket filled with the keys for all the doors in the mansion. She had complete control of all the rooms.
I saw it for about 20 secs. on the T.V. show and compared it to the mans hand — it looked about a two quart size. I got the idea then and there, and started with a paper model to see how to make it, and get the angles correct. I then proceeded into a leather form as it developed. I had to change a few ideas but the basic idea stayed the same, and the size never changed.
I am still very proud of the finished product and the Salon ribbon I received for it.
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[A reproduction of a letter on Silva Fox's own letterhead, headed Silva Fox — MASTER ARTIST — Wildlife in Leather.]
May 1, 1999
The Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft Mr. William Whittingham, President 42 Robin Hood Road Toronto, Ontario M9A 2W8 Canada
Dear Mr. Whittingham, the Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft and the Council of Fellows:
It is with much pleasure that I accept the awards you have given my work. These mean a great deal to me because I have a deep respect for the tough standards of judging required by the Canadian Fellows.
I also accept with enthusiasm your very generous invitation to participate in the anniversary show of the year 2000. There is so much I hope to learn about the Canadian style of leather art and the judging system. In the U.S.A., as many of you may know, we place a greater emphasis on tool work and less on assembly. My personal belief is that to be called a Master you must be proficient in all areas. By working with you I hope to strengthen my assembly capacities and perhaps open some new creative doors inside my imagination. At the same time I have many things to share with you about American style leather carving and the Silva Fox methods of color use.
Thank you, Mr. Whittingham, for your continuing correspondence and the safe return of my work and the treasures.
Thank you all for the great honor you have paid me with your kind invitation. I am humbled by this gesture and look forward to meeting you all in the year 2000.
Sincerely, Silva Fox
P.O. Box 740, Mundelein, Illinois 60060 U.S.A.