An issue of the Society’s newsletter, transcribed from the original.
(8 pages, 1.4 MB)
the full-resolution scan, 24 MB, for close research
Page 1 — NINTH INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF LEATHER CRAFTSMEN
Canadian Leathercraft
Volume XII No. 4 Summer, 1963
NINTH INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF LEATHER CRAFTSMEN Rochester, May
At any I.A.L.C. Friday evening is a busy time. Those members who like to do some shopping in a different city start arriving after lunch. Most of the rest arrive shortly before or after the dinner hour. After dinner registrations start and the room for displays is usually ready to be set up. All displays have to be in place before nine o'clock Saturday morning. At that time the judges who make the selection of articles for the Salon arrive and the room is closed to all others until their work is finished.
The Ninth I.A.L.C. at Rochester early in May was no exception. Shortly after dinner those responsible for setting up the displays were busy preparing the tables and arranging articles. With the C.S.C.L. exhibit that is a tremendous job, since all articles do not arrive at the same time and space has to be made for the articles of those who arrive late. Then too, every one is interested in seeing what other groups are doing, so after registering every one usually heads for the display room.
It is difficult to make other than general comments on the work. The quality does seem to improve year by year, and there are new projects and new ideas for old projects to be considered. Gone is the heavy bright colouring. There is a much more subtle use of colour in those leathers which have to be finished. There are more leathers being used which are already coloured and finished, leaving one free to concentrate on workmanship.
Gone too is the emphasis on all over western carving. There is still carving - lots of it, and some western carving too, but there is more restraint in its use and there seems to be developing a feeling of where and when to use it.
Other years there has been very little shown in clothing made of leather. It is still debatable whether this is "leathercraft"
All material published in "Canadian Leathercraft" is the property of the Canadian Society of Creative Leathercraft, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission of the Society. Editor of "Canadian Leathercraft" is Mrs. Margaret McFarlane, 45 Summerhill Gardens, Toronto 7, Ontario.
Authorized as Second-Class Mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.
Page 2 — TENTH INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF LEATHER CRAFTSMEN
or "sewing", using leather as a new material. The Flint display offered several ensembles of leather and the C.S.C.L. had a "Hat tree"
There was a new award this year - a Craftsmanship Ribbon for pieces which were outstanding in workmanship. This is not to be confused with the salon award. It was felt last year by the Salon Judges that there were several articles which were outstanding in their workmanship but which lacked that "Little extra something" to put them in the Salon class and that some recognition should be given to such pieces, and this is the Craftsmanship Ribbon. Over thirty ribbons were awarded. Every article was eligible. There were five judges and an article had to receive the approval of three judges before it could receive a ribbon. Everyone seemed to like this new Craftsmanship Ribbon but it will be at the discretion of each Local Arrangements Committee as to the continuance of this award. This judging was done "early" Saturday morning and - the results were not made known until after the Salon Judges were finished.
The C.S.C.L. display was quite impressive. It was large and very good. We are grateful to our American friends for their compliments on our excellent work, but we must beware of becoming smug and over-confident. We should have a large display, because we have as many members, maybe more, than all the American Guilds combined. We should have a good display because our progression from general member to Associate to Fellow member demands continual improvement in craftmanship and design. Our branches are the equivalent of each American Guild, but they do not work independently as Rochester, Buffalo, etc., do. Ours operate within the framework of the C.S.C.L. which has an executive meeting monthly to take care of matters pertaining to the whole membership, a quarterly bulletin which is sent to all members, an Annual Meeting for all members, and the opportunity to take part in Sales and Exhibitions.
by Nora Huyck F.C.S.C.L.
DEMONSTRATIONS
There were many interesting demonstrations and our Society had nine demonstrators. More time seems to be needed for setting up and taking down of demonstrations and it was suggested that demonstrations start on time whether anyone is there or not which means that latecomers will miss part of the demonstration but it would bring home to members that they should be punctual as the schedule has to be maintained.
TENTH INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF LEATHER CRAFTSMEN to be held in Toronto May 1-2-3, 1964
At the Advisory Board meeting in Rochester,Mrs. Jean Newton was elected General Chairman of our next Assembly. Jean is a past President of C.S.C.L. and is President of the Toronto Branch. This Tenth Assembly is in very capable hands, and we know the members of CSCL will be behind Jean one hundred per cent.
Page 3
[The ribbon lists on this page are two side-by-side columns — Salon Ribbons at the left, Craftsman Ribbons at the right, each grouped by guild with the number of ribbons at the far right. Read straight across instead of column by column, the two lists interleave line by line: Clara Cavanagh's five Salon ribbons weld to her one Craftsman ribbon and read as 2, Fred Brown appears in the Salon column he is not in, and the ditto marks lose the towns they stand for. They are set out below in the order the columns are meant to be read, with each ditto mark replaced by the town it stands for. The picture of the page above is the original, untouched. The page prints "Harvey Frick" where the 1962 bulletin printed "Harry Frick".]
SALON RIBBONS
CSCL - Clara Cavanagh (Barrie) 5
Eleanor Coutts (Barrie) 2
Sylvia Gerster (London) 1
Viola Harris (Toronto) 1
Anne Hook (Toronto) 1
Nora Huyck (Barrie) 2
Del Jacombs (Barrie) 1
Jessie Little (Toronto) 1
Lillian Neelands (Toronto) 2
Clarence Redman (Hamilton) 1
Dwayne Trew (Barrie) 1
Jessie Trew (Barrie) 1
Helen Wheaton (London) 1
Frontier
Huldy Gutekunst 1
Rhea Patterson 1
MLA - Harvey Frick 1
Eastern
Tony Genco 7
Flint
Eunice Wykes 1
Total 31
CRAFTSMAN RIBBONS
CSCL - Fred Brown (Toronto) 4
Clara Cavanagh (Barrie) 1
Irva Ford (Hamilton) 1
Alvin Haig (Hamilton) 1
Anne Hook (Toronto) 1
Nora Huyck (Barrie) 1
Isobel Mair (Hamilton) 1
Lillian Neelands (Tor.) 1
Elsie Tuck (Barrie) 1
Frontier
Huldy Gutekunst 2
Rhea Patterson 1
Flint
Dee Esler 1
Dee Esler )
Bee Marble ) 1
Mary Markle 1
Grace Noble 1
Bertha Vliet 1
Edith Swan 1
Eastern
Tony Genco 6
Total 27
FRED BROWN ELECTED CHAIRMAN I.A.L.C. ADVISORY BOARD
Our Bulletin has recorded the formation, meetings and demonstrations of the International Assemblies of Leather Craftsmen, but has not recorded an acknowledgment of the leadership behind it.
Dr. Ralph Larmour was the first Chairman of the Advisory Board and under his guidance a sound foundation was laid for the general course of the Assemblies; the frame work of a constitution and the establishment of the Salon.
In May, 1958 Lincoln B. Osborne of Rochester, N.Y. was elected Chairman. During his tenure, Fred Fischer of Buffalo drafted the Constitution and By-Laws and these were approved by the Advisory Board in May, 1959. An award for Craftsmanship was instituted this past year (1963).
Lincoln served the I.A.L.C. for five years, and so well that each year the Advisory Board turned a deaf ear to his preferred resignation. It was the feeling of the Board that, "He who loves it, does it best". But all good things must come to an end, so regretfully the Board accepted Linc's resignation in Rochester, May 3rd, 1963.
Page 4 — PRESIDENT'S SUMMARY OF JUNE EXECUTIVE MEETING
In his place, Fred Brown was elected Chairman of the Advisory Board of the International Assemblies of Leather Craftsmen, and with him, Mrs. Dorothy Muma as Secretary-Treasurer. We are glad to have Dorothy back in C.S.C.L. and her assistance to Fred in this responsible position will be invaluable.
We are very proud of Fred. He has served on the I.A.L.C. Advisory Board since its inception. He has been Chairman of the Membership Committee of I.A.L.C. and this year chaired the Committee which set up the Policy and Rules for Exhibits for the I.A.L.C. in accordance with the By-Laws. We extend all best wishes to Fred.
PRESIDENT'S SUMMARY OF JUNE EXECUTIVE MEETING
Seventeen members gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. Corbett, 10 Highland Ave., Barrie, Ont. on the evening of June 14th. The following is a short summary of some of the business discussed.
Committees appointed by the
Executive Council, and their members for 1963 - 64 are as follows:-
Editorial - Editor, Margaret McFarlane; Assistant Editors, Reta and Ralph Larmour.
Exhibitions - Chairman, Mrs. Clara Cavanagh; Assistant, Clarice
Packham. Members, Janis Zalitis, Norma Barry, Helen Wheaton and Alvin Haig.
Publicity & Public Relations - Chairman, Sadie Roebuck; Members -
Alvin Haig, Sylvia Gerster, Eleanor Coutts, Sherle Bottrill.
Membership - Chairman, Winnie Coombs; Members, Thelma Terry, Mrs. Nobbs.
Teaching Standards - Chairman, Bob Muma.
Canadian Handicrafts Guild Liaison - Anne Hook.
The recommendations submitted by the Branches through their meeting held in the afternoon at WoodGreen Community Centre were fully discussed. Publicity re C.S.C.L. at the C.N.E. is to be handled by Sadie Roebuck and her committee. Branch competition is to be left completely open to all branch members, whether Fellows,
["Linc" is a nickname for Lincoln B. Osborne; the resignation is dated "May 3rd, 1963." The Membership Committee list closes with "Mrs. Nobbs."]
Page 5 — BRANCH NEWS
Associates or General Members. A list of demonstrators that might be available to go to Branch meetings was referred to Nora Huyck.
The Director of Girls and Women's Work at WoodGreen Community Centre asked CSCL for volunteer leathercraft teachers next fall at the Centre. This was referred to Toronto Branch.
Clara Cavanagh reported the leather articles sent for display at the New Brunswick Handicrafts Guild in June had been received in good condition. The date for the Christmas Sale at the Canadian Handicrafts Guild Shop in Toronto in November has not yet been given us by the Guild, due to alterations presently in progress at the Shop. However, Mrs. Cavanagh requests that all members' get busy with articles for this Sale. The dates are not to conflict with the Hamilton Handicraft Sale at I.O.D.E, Headquarters, Fonthill, on November 7-&-9.
Demonstrators are required at the C.N.E. Handicraft Guild Exhibit for the dates August 16-24. Anne Hook asked that each Branch President advise her of demonstrations and names of members willing to demonstrate and suggested. if possible, each Branch be responsible for two days.
Due to the lateness of the hour the appointment of Committees for the International I.A.L.C. 10th Assembly being held in Toronto next May was deferred to the next meeting.
BRANCH NEWS
Barrie: Barrie Branch entertained members of the Hamilton Branch on the afternoon of June 1st in the garden of the home of Barrie President, Mrs. May Corbett, Highland Avenue, Barrie. Harold Wilson of Hamilton, Past President of CSCL, demonstrated "plugged tooling". This type of work may be done on any kind of lightweight leather and presents a challenge to the leather craftsman and a pleasant diversion from the regular tooling.
Mrs. David Darbyshire gave an illustrated talk on design, correlating her talk with Harold's demonstration,thus tying in applied design to leathercraft. A buffet supper was served on picnic tables arranged on the patio and the weather cooperated beautifully making it a delightful meal. All in all a very enjoyable & informative day. London: The London Branch held their Annual Meeting at the home of Mrs. N.F. Schram, Hyde Park. Mrs. H.J. Wheaton was elected President; Mrs. F.P. Kehoe, Vice-President; Mrs. C. A. Gerster, Secretary and Mrs. N.F. Schram, Treasurer. A most interesting demonstration on the making and assembling of a writing case was given by Mrs. Harry Pearson.
At the recent International Assembly in Rochester, Mrs. H. J. Wheaton and Mrs. Gerster won blue ribbons in the Salon section and two gold ribbons each for good craftsmanship on other articles.
[The line ends with the typewriter’s own wide spacing and the sheet carries small marks in its margin. The words are the page’s own.]
Page 6 — EYEGLASS CASES
EYEGLASS CASES by Clarice Packham, F.C.S.C.L.
In this day and generation, nearly everyone wears glasses whether for improving the sight or to protect the eyes from the strong rays of the sun. In either instance, the glasses need the protection of a case from breakage or scratches when not in use.
The optician usually supplies a firm, sometimes heavy case, which is adequate, but clumsy in one's purse or pocket. A handmade case of light weight leather, 2½ or 3½ oz., cowhide or calf, decorated with initials, tooled or carved, or a small personal design is a pleasure to own and a joy to use. It can be one of several shapes, depending on the type of glasses for which it is intended.
A clip-on pair of sun glasses used over your everyday glasses could have a case open at one end, made of two pieces of leather the same size, approximately 6½" by 2¾", laced with the double cordova stitch about ¾ of the way around. 5/64" lace is used and 2½ yards are required, and should be ample for this style. This case needs a flexible piece of metal inside, 9" long and ¼" wide. If a longer or wider case is required, the slight necessary changes can easily be made.
A diagram beside this paragraph (Example 1) shows the case laced from point "a" at the top to point "b" at the bottom.
This style is in two pieces of cowhide, calf or embossed leather, 2½ oz. or 3½ oz. weight. The back covering the glasses is domed to the front piece to hold the glasses in the case. This does not have a metal insert, but it has proven satisfactory for the heavier type of glasses. 5/64" lace is used and 3 to 3½ yards of lace should be sufficient.
A diagram above this paragraph (Example 2) shows the case's dome, fold and snap, and a second cut piece, each labelled on the page.
Example 3 is cut in one piece with the back domed over' the front piece and is open at the sides allowing the ear frames to be
[The line ends with the typewriter’s own wide spacing and the sheet carries small marks in its margin. The words are the page’s own.]
Page 7 — CANADIAN HANDCRAFTS
out. This can be laced with 5/64" lace, similar to the two preceding cases.
Example 3.
Any of the three glasses cases shown, will make a splendid design for a beginner in leathercraft. They are also very suitable for gifts and can be made to match a purse whether of natural cowhide or embossed alligator or ostrich leather.
CANADIAN HANDCRAFTS
When you are touring Ontario this summer look for these interesting places.
AYLMER-ST. THOMAS - July 13 to Sept. 2. Pinecroft Handcraft Centre. About 1 mile off Hwy. 3 between Aylmer-St. Thomas, pottery, weaving leathercraft, wood carvings, paintings.
BURLINGTON - Ceramics and bubbled contoured glass. Corner Plains Rd. and Gallagher Ave, leading in from Q.E. to Hamilton. Anne Gallagher's Studio.
OTTAWA - The Snow Goose. New handicraft shop over-looking Confederation Square. Crafts from across Canada.
PAISLEY - Handcrafted copper trays and art objects. An interesting craft shop. S.E. of Southampton.
STRATFORD - June to September. Canadian Handicrafts at Festival Exhibition Hall.
TORONTO - Canadian Handicrafts Guild Shop, 77 Bloor St. W. Shop has been remodelled and stock increased.
Omission: In Volume 12 No. 3 Spring Bulletin, in the report of the Ontario Souvenir and Handcraft Competition and Exhibition, paragraph 3, it was stated that 14 members submitted articles when in fact there were 15 as Joan Carroll also submitted articles.
Page 8 — ONTARIO EXHIBITIONS - FAIRS
ONTARIO EXHIBITIONS - FAIRS
PETERBOROUGH - August 7-10, Peterborough Annual Exhibition.
TORONTO - August 16-September 2, C.N.E.
OTTAWA - August 23-31, Central Canada Exhibition.
BEAMSVILLE - September 5-7, Lincoln County Fall Fair.
ORILLIA - September 5-7, Annual Agricultural Fall Fair.
LONDON - September 6-14, Western Ontario Exhibition.
WELLAND - September 10-14, Welland County Fair.
KITCHENER - September 13-14, Gypsy Fair - Kitchener-Waterloo.
Art Galleries, 2-8 p.m.Friday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
KITCHENER - September 23-28, Kitchener-Waterloo JAYCEES Exhibition
and Fall Fair, Memorial Auditorium.
CALEDONIA - September 26-28, Haldimand County Caledonia Fair
OWEN SOUND - October 2-5, Agricultural Fall Fair.
There are many other Fall Fairs, and you will find these listed in the monthly Travel News of the Department of Travel and Publicity of the Province of Ontario.
C.S.C.L. Executive - 1963 - 1964
President: Viola E. Harris, 47 Snowdon Ave., Toronto 12, Ont.
Past President: Harold Wilson, 400 Charlton St.W., Hamilton, Ont.
Vice Presidents: Mrs. Nora Huyck, R.R. 2, Newmarket, Ont.
Fred W. Brown, 9 Nashland Ave.,Islington, Ont.
Treasurer: Cecil J. Roebuck, 22 Khedive St., Toronto 19, Ont.
Corresp. Sec'y.: Mrs. Sherle Bottrill, 107 Donald St., Barrie, Ont.
Recording Sec'y: Mrs. Lillian Neelands, R.R. 1, Mono Road Station,Ont.
Executive Council
| Miss B. Austin | Miss E. Henstridge | Mr. Robert Muma |
| Mrs. Clara Cavanagh | Mrs. Anne Hook | Miss Clarice Packham |
| Miss W. Coombs | Dr. or Mrs. Larmour | Mr. Clarence Redman |
| Mrs. Irva Ford | Mrs. Jessie Little | Mrs. Sadie Roebuck |
| Mrs. Sylvia Gerster | Mrs. Margaret McFarlane | Mr. Janis Zalitis |
Branch Presidents
Barrie: Mrs. May Corbett, 10 Highland Ave., Barrie, Ont. Hamilton: Mrs. Nina Wilson, 400 Charlton Ave.W.,Hamilton, Ont. London: Mrs. Helen Wheaton, 100 Grand Ave., London, Ont. Toronto: Mrs. Jean Newton, 614 Huron St., Toronto 5, Ont.
[The Executive Council prints as a 3-column, 5-row table; its last row is easy to fall out of the table into a separate paragraph. Set out here rejoined — nothing was missing, just misplaced.]