The Federation of Leather Guilds shows, 1970 and 1990

Drawn from two issues of the newsletter: the Autumn 1970 “Did You Know?” notice (page 12) and the Autumn 1990 and Spring 1990 issues (pages 1, 6–7 and 10).

1970: the Midwest show, and an invitation south

The earliest of these visits the archive holds is a single paragraph under “DID YOU KNOW?” in the Autumn 1970 newsletter: “On October 4 and 5 Helen and Harold Wheaton, Dorothy Stanton and Beula Reynolds attended the Midwest Federation of Leather Guilds Annual Show. There were nearly a hundred craftsman present from Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. The exhibits were fascinating, some original carving designs, quite a bit of western style carving and Flint has done a lot of work with suede.” All four travellers were Woodstock Branch members — Beula Reynolds was the branch's own President within the year, and Dorothy Stanton would be admitted an Associate of the C.S.C.L. in 1976, citing this kind of travel among her ten years in the craft. (Autumn 1970, p. 12.)

• 1970: four Woodstock Branch members — Helen and Harold Wheaton, Dorothy Stanton and Beula Reynolds — attended the Midwest Federation of Leather Guilds Annual Show, 4–5 October, drawing craftsmen from Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio
• 1990: five C.S.C.L. members — Betsy Rennie, Lillian Kay, Cliff McTavish, Lois MacPherson and Jack Meharg — attended the International Federation of Leather Guilds Annual Show at Indianapolis, Indiana, 11–15 October
• The 1990 show drew over 400 competition pieces from eleven countries — the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Holland, Mexico, Switzerland and Portugal
• Four C.S.C.L. members placed sixteen entries between them at Indianapolis — Cliff McTavish took Best of Category four times
• The two shows carry similar names twenty years apart, “Midwest” and “International” Federation of Leather Guilds; nothing in either report says whether one grew out of the other, and this page does not assume it

“Sunday afternoon was taken up with demonstrations, the main one being by Darrell ‘Hawk’ Hawkins of Ogden, Utah. We left with instructions from the Buckeye Leathercrafters to invite anyone interested to attend their annual September 25/26, 1971 at Dayton, Ohio.” Neither Hawkins nor the Buckeye Leathercrafters are C.S.C.L. members; they are named here only because the newsletter named them. (Autumn 1970, p. 12.)

1990: the International Federation of Leather Guilds Annual Show, Indianapolis

Twenty years later the newsletter reports a show with a similar name and a much larger reach. The Spring 1990 issue gave members notice: “Several members of the C.S.C.L. are planning to attend this show, October 12, 13 and 14, at the Indianapolis Airport Hilton,” and named twelve visiting instructors leading the show's mini-workshops — Ava Ostrander, Robb Barr, Robert Beard, Rene Berends, Don Epperly, Kat Kuszak, Paul Burnett, Bill Charnley, Bill Gomer, Karla Van Horne, Montie Higgins and Malcolm Burbury, none of them C.S.C.L. members and none added to the register on that account. (Spring 1990, p. 10.)

The Autumn 1990 issue carried Lois MacPherson's report of the show as held, dated “October 11–15” rather than the 12–14 first announced. “This year's Federation show was again attended by several members of the C.S.C.L. Betsy Rennie, Cliff McTavish, Jack Meharg, and Lois MacPherson each took advantage of at least one of the preregistered 4-hour workshops held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (Lillian Kay slept in!)” — five members named in all, since Kay's own awards on the following page show she was there even if she missed the workshops. (Autumn 1990, p. 6.)

MacPherson's report describes a show run on a different pattern from the Society's own: “The Federation show differs from ours in that each guild sets up a ‘display-only’ exhibition booth. These show current and past work by guild members, but the pieces are not entered into competition… The competition pieces are in a closed, adjoining room, which is opened to the ballroom, after judging.” Competitors entered under Master, Open or Juniors & Beginners divisions, each entry tagged and handed to “guardians” of the closed room, and judged by teams of two or three with a scribe recording a written critique left with the piece. “There were over 400 pieces entered into competition this year,” with display and competition work from the United States, Canada, South Africa, Germany, Spain, Australia, Japan, Holland, Mexico, Switzerland and Portugal. (Autumn 1990, p. 6.)

What the C.S.C.L. brought home

“As usual, the work of the C.S.C.L. members came in for a great deal of admiration — and awards!” Four members placed across sixteen entries, Betsy Rennie and Lillian Kay competing in the Masters Division and Cliff McTavish and Lois MacPherson in the Open. (Autumn 1990, pp. 6–7.)

From Autumn 1970 p12 and Spring 1990 p10 and Autumn 1990 pp1, 6–7.