Getting My Saddle Bag On

 A while ago I was looking around for a chap to design the new logo for New Utility. 

The very talented artist, James Nunn, is a friend of the family and I've always loved his work. We got chatting and somehow ended up talking about saddle bags.

James had always hankered after some since loosing an old set that he'd picked up in New York in the 90's. Thus this conversation became my second commission for him.

I'm a biker anyway so had already been looking at patterns I could adapt to my bike. James needed a set that was big enough to hold his sketch pad, assorted bits and bobs and fit easily over his shoulder too.

I found the perfect pattern from Tandy Leather in the US. Well, I say perfect.. I switched out all that American leather lacing in favour of a traditional saddle stitch to hold it all together and added some grommet tabs so the bags could be more easily tied to a bike.

James supplied a chocolate brown chrome tanned leather. It was a bit too soft in temper so I sourced some pig skin suede to line it with. This stiffens the leather and in my view really lifts the bags aesthetically.

Doing this was immensely time consuming, but the result was so worth it. More importantly, James was thrilled with the result, saying,

"The quality is beyond wonderful - beautiful detailing and stitching. It fits perfectly on my shoulder and my bike. Will definitely be ordering more."

I really enjoy working on special commissions; it gives me the opportunity to try something that I perhaps would not have considered making. Doing that always pushes you as a maker, encouraging you to have a go at new techniques or evolve a design.

Is there something you've always yearned for but haven't seen in the high street? Be it a particular type of wallet or a bag, do get in touch.

And please do check out James's work: jamesnunn.co.uk

An Exercise in Stitching - What I Learnt Making a Cricket Ball Wallet

 One of my first private commissions was something a little different to the stuff I usually make.

A friend of the family, artist James Nunn is a huge cricket fan and had always wanted a cricket ball inspired wallet.

I spent a few diverting hours researching cricket ball stitching and was almost immediately sucked down a rabbit hole reading up on the lost art of handmade cricket balls. The industry died out in the UK many years ago. Almost all modern balls are made in Pakistan - though still hand sewn whilst the ball is held in a spherical vice to raise the seam.

I then set about looking at different wallet designs. You'd think a wallet is just a wallet, right? Well, there are a myriad of different design options.

Once I'd decided on a couple of different patterns,  a bi-fold and a tri-fold, the next step is a test build. This is the wallet you see below - made from a bag of scrap panels I picked up from Artisan Leather. The soft creased leather was beautiful, and the wallet looked even better on the inside lined with soft pig-skin - an extra piece of finishing that I thought suited the wallet.

The test make

 

Pig skin suede lined cash slot adds an extra level of finishing

The main aim was to practice the cricket ball stitch and experiment with thread size and stitches per inch - I ended up buying an old cricket ball to study the stitching.

As nice as the test build was, I ended up gong for the longer tri-fold design for James's wallet; I really wanted to show off that stitching. I also changed leather, appropriately enough to a Wickett & Craig burgundy harness. The shine on this leather is just beautiful, it replicates the shine of a ball perfectly. I sourced two panels from the fantastic Beamhouse Leather - if you're looking for high quality panels of leather that are hard to get in the UK Jared is your man.

Leatherwork can be unforgiving sometimes. It's not like textiles, where a stitching line can be undone and re-sewn - each hole is hammered in with a stitching chisel and there's no going back. You have to be careful not to go wrong or scratch the leather.. harness leather is not cheap. So, my morale dipped a bit when I did exactly the latter on the outer shell that I'd just spent ages marking out seven parallel lines on with wing dividers and chiselling.

All the stitch lines..

Once I'd had a word with myself things went smoothly. Saddle stitching is actually pretty straightforward, the trick is consistency of movement, repeating the same exact action over and over again. Once you develop the muscle memory you can work pretty quickly.

I do have a heavy duty sewing machine but I choose to work by hand with leather, the results are just so satisfying. It's as much about the process of making and the necessary research as it is about the finished article. That is one of the reasons I enjoy commissions so much.

Best of all I got to hand the wallet over to James in person over a cold pint in pub in Bath (pre Lockdown 2.)

If you'd like something commissioned do get in touch. If you're a cricket fan the first wallet I made is available here.

Check out James's amazing artwork here.

Jungle Heritage: The Pike Brothers 1952 Lowkinawa Boot

The 1952 Pike Brothers Lowkinawa Boots have their origin in the jungles of South East Asia.

US forces in WWII had problems with their issue footwear going rotten in the Pacific Island jungles, several attempts were made to produce a boot capable of surviving the climate, but none were particularly successful. So, soon after the War it was decided to properly develop and trial boots for hot and humid environments. 

This was the fist real attempt at a jungle boot.

Early advisors to Vietnam were often based out of Japan, and these particular boots were first tested in Okinawa, hence the original name: Okinawa Boots. 

The originals were exactly the same as the double buckle leather boots issued to American troops WWII, but with part of the upper in canvas. Good luck finding a pair though, they are as rare as rocking horse sh*t!

An original pair.

Luckily Pike Brothers stepped in and have made their own version: much shorter than the original, dispensing with the double buckle, they've named it the Lowkinawa. 

The upper boot is a mix of cowhide and canvas. Construction is a durable Goodyear welt with an outdoor sole.

It's a stylish and comfortable boot, the cowhide is beautiful and sturdy, however, the canvas ensures that the boot remains nice and light.

In short, it's a boot that wears it's military heritage proudly, but won't make you look as if you're about to retake the Solomon Islands single handed.

For those of us that wear boots year round the Lowkinawa is a great option for Spring & Summer. I can't wait to see how these break in.

Check them out here.

(Pix courtesy of Pike Brothers & Saunders Militaria.)

Your New Winter Jacket - Early Pattern WWII Tanker Jacket

I have a confession to make... I own too many jackets. The last thing I needed was another addition to my collection.

However, I'd be searching for a stylish alternative to the  ubiquitous N1 Deck jacket for a while. When I saw this one, I knew it had to be mine. The Tanker Jacket, in terms of look, cut and fit is the perfect option.

The Tanker Jacket, as the name would suggest, was issued to American armoured crews in WWII. Its  short boxy fit suited the tight confines of armoured operations.

The jacket went through some minor changes through its service, with early versions having large patch pockets and later ones (1942 onwards) sporting sash pockets (left). 

Original early versions are extremely rare and most reproductions concentrate on the later jackets, so tracking down first pattern jacket was a bit of a challenge.

Luckily WWII Impressions, an American company that specialise in accurate and high quality reproductions, were able to deliver. Don't just take my word for it - they produced the costumes for Fury.

This jacket will not make you look like Brad Pitt, however, it is very stylish.

For this uniform WWII Impressions had their own 100% wool melton custom woven and heather dyed to match originals. They used 100% cotton twill in the correct 8.2oz weight dyed using military spec dyes to match the earlier shade OD #3. The knit cuffs, collar, and waist band are made of 100% wool yarn dyed to the authentic shading. 

The zipper is a genuine durable Talon or Ideal bell shaped nickel/brass slider on nickel/brass teeth. To top this off they slapped an authentic wash-away US QM inspector tag inside bearing the size, their name and authentic contractor and spec information.

I've never seen an original jacket, so I'm not qualified to go on about how accurate a reproduction this one is, however it's clear that the attention to detail on this jacket is exemplary.

Simply put, it's beautifully made and timelessly stylish jacket. What more could a chap need?

Go ahead and order here.

(Pix courtesy of WWII Impressions.)

The Year Dot For Denim Jackets: Levi's Vintage Clothing 1880 Triple Pleat Blouse

LVC may be moving in a more contemporary direction with their recent collections, but this does not mean the label are forsaking their vintage roots.

The reintroduction of the 1880 Denim Blouse, the first denim jacket Levi's ever made, proves this.

This jacket is perfect as a mid layer

First released a few years ago, LVC also made canvas duck and indigo gingham versions for their 2012 Miners range. Great jackets, but it's good to see a raw denim type back in the fold.

The unearthed example in the LVC archive, upon which all reproductions are based, was exactly that - dug out from a Nevada mine.

The fit is not as boxy as the later 507 jacket, but still cut short to rest on the hips - accurate for the era, given that workmen would have all worn very high waisted trousers. If you want to tweak the fit further there's the cinch on the back.

Fabricated from loom state Cone Mills 10oz denim, this light weight reflects how the originals would have been worn - as mid layer blouse, probably with a heavier duck jacket over the top. 

Unusually the weft has been woven vertically. LVC are not quite sure why this was done historically, but think it was to help shrinkage occur only on the width.

The stand out detail for me is the triple pleating on the front. Aesthetically it looks fantastic, but again it's something that shows the jacket's DNA as a utility garment - the pleats allowed more freedom of movement for manual workers. Further reflecting this simplicity are the two copper riveted open patch pockets. 

LVC have had a bit more time to spend on this reissue and have tweaked the stitching slightly, but other than that the jacket is as close as they could get to the original.

Every now and again you see an item that turns your head - exactly what happened to me when I clapped eyes on the 1880 Blouse at Bread & Butter in 2014. If I could pick one denim jacket to have above all others it would be this one. For me that's the mark of an excellent repro.

Simply put, it's the best jacket in the LVC collection.

With the sad demise of Cone Mills quite what the future holds for the label is uncertain. Watch this space...

A Slice of Heaven in Copenhagen - The American Pie Company

Copenhagen is city spoilt for choice when in comes to quality konditories & bakeries, so much so that one almost gets cinnamon bun fatigue... tough times indeed! However, I recently discovered something a little different that revived my jaded tastebuds - The American Pie Company. I caught up with owner Grace Lovig to find out more.

A Family Affair

Grace makes all her own pies in the shop, from scratch. Every time I go in the shop she emerges smiling from the kitchen smiling through a cloud of flour. As  a baker Grace is clearly passionate about what she does. So, what inspired it all? 

"My great grandmother started a small resort called Wilson's Camp Prattville in Lake Almanor to feed and lodge the gold miners & loggers of the time. She was a fantastic cook. Her pies were pretty good too. My grandfather took over when she died and he just happened to have a wife who was an amazing pie maker. The restaurant part of the resort is still run by my grandmother Carol and the resort is run by my brother. People travel miles for a taste of her pies. I spent my summers there working in the kitchen. After college I did a small stint at CIA , California Culinary Academy, but most of my practical training was done at the Ritz Carlton Mauna Lani and Campton Place, San Francisco. I left the food industry after my daughter was born and ran a production company for 15 years. Last year and decided it was time to return to my true love - food."

A true love that inspired Grace to swap the sunny West Coast of America for chilly Copenhagen. 

"I met some exchange students at University of Oregon from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. I hooked up with them when I decided to come to Europe to travel. And every time I left I ended up missing it and returning. Met a Danish man, married, had a child, got a dog, bought a house in the suburbs, same ol, same ol, blah blah and then ditched the guy, kept the kid and the dog and moved back to the city!!!! Big changes, all of which included the birth of the American Pie Company."

A New Path in Life - The Bad Ass Baker

Grace has dreamed of opening a bricks & mortar pie shop since she wrote the cook book 'American Pie' with her business partner Erin. 

"The Danes loved our take on having fun cooking American sweets and pies. After running my own production company for too many years I felt i wanted to take a new path in my life. I knew I wanted to return to food, so I started putting the thoughts in motion, looking for kitchens and talking to people in the industry. I started creating the energy to make the dream come alive. I had no idea how it would unfold but i knew it would somehow."

 A meeting with one of Erin's clients, Dorte, a huge fan of Americana, gave them their next business partner and the stimulus to get the ball rolling. As Grace says,

"we both felt that the gods had just handed us the missing part of what now makes up the all woman triage of The American Pie Company. Erin Chapman has owned an advertising agency for many years here in CPH. She is known as the Pie Pusher. She handles all PR and Marketing and design. Dorte Pripp is our CEO. She is a business powerhouse. And me…. I am the pie lady otherwise known as the Bad Ass Baker."

Everything We Love In One Dish

So, what inspires Grace's recipes?

"Everything inspires me. Often I have dreams of what pies i am going to conjure up. More often than not I draw my inspiration from peoples desires. People desire, and I mean desire, chocolate and caramel and salt and fresh fruit and butter and sugar. Its never hard for me come up with a new combination or revisit some of our oldest and most loved American staples and add a Gracie twist to it. Thats the great thing about Pie. Its everything we love all in one pan."

On a recent visit I tested out Grace's Pecan & Bourbon Pie - a normal pecan tart is one of my favourite sweet treats, but add bourbon to a  deep pie? It was fantastic. The pastry was just right and the bourbon helped to take the edge off the sweetness.

As this is Denmark Grace also has a Cinnamon Breakfast Pie as a staple on the menu - a kind of familiar safety net for the wary Danish palate! The pie just melts as you eat it - all the best components of Danish & American baking rolled in to one dish.

Fear not if you don't have a sweet tooth - there are also savoury pies on the menu - the Chicken & Thyme is highly recommended.

Tempted to pay a visit? You should be. The shop is on Skindegade in the centre town. Find out more here.