The Function of Fringe

In fashion Fringe comes and goes.
On a jacket or a bag, sometimes adorned with beads, it brings to mind images of hippies or frontier folk and Native Americans. Since people have been wearing leather, leather has been wearing fringe. The reason is more than decorative, it's elemental; fringe wicks water. It will pull moisture away from the wearer and facilitate drying.

In modern times this has become less critical. Most of us, if caught in a downpour, will open an umbrella or dash for shelter. Most of us would go to great lengths to protect our leather from getting wet enough to require wicking.

Personal preference is the determining factor now -- my preference is fringe and lots of it! The fuller and more flowing, the better!

Process Leads to Product

One of the questions I hear most often is, "How long did it take to make that?"


Not an easy question to answer. Every project has its own demands, and each is a creation unto itself. I rarely work a piece from start to finish in one burst; there are waiting periods for drying at different stages along the way, and I usually have several pieces going at the same time. Work on one while another is drying... First is drawing and cutting.

Next I add texture.
















Then it is carved in...

Final steps are painting by hand for brilliant color, then several different steps of finishing products to enhance detail and add protection and background color.
The whole process took many hours, but I think it was worth every minute!