CIL Make It in Leather review

Proud Member of

International Federation of Leather Guilds

CIL Make It in Leather show
April 18-22, 2007
Indianapolis, Indiana

Review by Joe Holman

It’s with some difficulty that I sit down to write this review of the Spring 2007 leather show, which was hosted by Central Indiana Leathercrafters in Indianapolis. This difficulty comes from my not knowing where to begin to describe for you the absolutely wonderful experience the CIL put together for us. I guess I’ll start when we arrived at the hotel.

Check-in was a breeze, and the folks from the CIL had all our information organized for us. They had even made gift bags for us with a couple patterns, and some product samples. It was nice to have a bag to hold the collection of stuff I was sure to start. They also made us all name badges that listed our home guild, which was nice when meeting folks at the show.

There was a sizeable vendor room near the entrance. Tandy, George Hurst from Hidecrafter’s, Bob Beard, Charles Crenshaw, Paul Burnette, and Jim Cox from Moser Leather were all there with tons of good stuff for us to drool over. I had to operate within a low budget, but I managed to get some great deals on a few tools and a spool of kangaroo lace ($20US!!!).

When we arrived, the beginner class was going on in one of the demo rooms. Tandy Leather Factory was good enough to provide sets of basic tools to all the kids who took part, so they could “keep on toolin’” when they got home. The young folks who took the class made a change purse and learned the basic use of tools during the process. It was good to see so many young’ens taking the first steps on such a historic path.

Coming into the exhibit room, I couldn’t help but smile. There were more examples of fine workmanship gathered in that one place than this poor city boy has seen in some time. From beginners to masters, horse tack to wall hangings, there was something there which represented nearly all aspects of the craft and all skill levels. I was ecstatic to find that I had taken a second place with one of my holsters and a third place with a wallet among such talented competition.

In the show room I found the guild displays of many leather guilds from throughout the Midwest. It was an excellent opportunity to note the similarities and differences in the type of work done by others in different groups and different areas. All the guilds put forth a respectable showing, but the display put together by the CIL was, by far, the most involved and technically difficult display in the room, and perhaps anywhere, ever. The entire display surface was covered with leather and was inset with pieces of carved leather submitted by guild members with each member’s name and signature laser engraved. The centerpiece of the display was a plaque covered in leather in the shape of the state of Indiana featuring the CIL logo and a listing of current members . . . in leather. The projects in the display showed the wide scope of interest held by CIL’s members, from whimsical to western and beyond, CIL put together a display which perfectly showcases what leather is all about.

The rest of the show room was filled with tables where folks had gathered in small groups to discuss the “state of the craft”, work on projects, and give or watch demonstrations. Demos went on all day Saturday, and I was fortunate to catch part of a demo by George Gross and his techniques with modeling leather. I also got to sit and talk at length with Alex Madsen about holster making, that was a real treat and I got a bunch of tips that I’m sure to put to good use. Everywhere I looked around the show room new friendships were being kindled, old friendships were being stoked, and knowledge of my craft was being freely exchanged. I felt ascended. I even met Windy, who I’ve known through the Internet, as a member of an email list related to leather. It was neat to be able to put a face to an email address.

A walk through the hotel offered leather just about anywhere I could see, two or three gathered in the hall, four or five on the sofa in the lobby, here and there, the talk of leathercraft filled the air. The most amazing thing, which was my experience, was how everyone involved seemed to be approachable and friendly. I found myself falling into lengthy conversations with nearly everyone I tipped my hat to, and that’s something that a “talker” like me really appreciates. That all the conversations were related to leather in some way was butter cream icing on the cake.

George Hurst hosted a “Carve Off” on Saturday afternoon. It was an interesting experience. Participants were given a piece of leather, a traced pattern, a photocarve, and a length of time based on their skill level. As an open class carver, I got just over an hour to carve the supplied pattern, a horse’s head, something I’d never carved before! ! ! I think I did respectably: at least my piece looked like a horse and not a dog. After we all finished George collected up our work and disappeared, telling us the winners would be announced at the banquet.

After a full morning and afternoon of learning, teaching, meeting and greeting, it was time for the banquet. The CIL once again showed their high level of organization and effort in putting on a good show at the awards presentation. All ribbon winners were read and certificates were given. PSLG member Danielle, along with Paul Burnette’s daughter, helped out with getting things into the right hands. CIL also treated us to an improvised melodrama in which none of the players had prior knowledge of their participation. It was a rip-roarin’, cow chasin’ good time to be sure. Pat Goodman treated us with a musical performance. Pat is a member of the Pipes & Drums of the Chicago Police Department, as well as a PSLG member.

When it came time to present the award for the winners of the “Carve Off”, in the open class, the recipient of a firm handshake and $50 from George Hurst and a most wonderful trophy (which I’ll get to in a moment), was PSLG’s own Geri Rabey, once again having bested me in competition! The trophy she received was truly a work of art and a piece of history any leathercrafter would treasure. The trophy was made from a type of Cypress wood, which came from the tanning vats of the (now closed) Moser Leather Tannery, the wood was donated by Jim Cox who currently owns the name and tanning recipes of Moser. It was made in the shape of the state of Indiana and was inlaid with leather medallions, which were laser engraved. Ed Lucas designed and made the trophies; Ed is a member of the CIL and leather great in his own right.

After the banquet quieted down, the show room was cleared out so that the swap meet and all night tooling session could be set up. I brought along a wallet to lace and went to check out the happenings. At the swap I found a few tools that I had been wanting, which haven’t been made in quite a while, and some pieces of leather to play with. I also got a couple Doodle Pages to help round out my collection. There was lots of stuff being offered there, and it was all going at “friend prices”. After wheeling and dealing, I found a seat and began lacing my wallet, soon I was joined by Juan, who is a member of the PSLG and the CIL, we were then joined by a member of the Illinois Valley LG, as well as a few other folks and we talked and tooled into the wee hours. Somewhere around 3:30 – 4:00A.M. I headed off to my room where I was too excited to get anything like real sleep, but I managed to doze a bit with my head still buzzing with leather.

When I woke I headed out to breakfast, which was just outside my ground floor room in the courtyard of the hotel. I grabbed a cup of java and noticed an empty seat by my buddy Geri so I wandered over and sat down. As the coffee sank in and my wits came to bear, I realized who else was at our table. To my right was Paul Burnette, to his right Jim Cox, on my left was Geri, and to her left were Clyde Gilliland and Chan Geer. The conversation was all centered on one topic: you guessed it, leather. I was humbled by the amount of true talent assembled at that table. The feeling I had gotten the day before about how approachable leather folks were was well fostered by the masters who sat at my breakfast table, and they shared freely their knowledge on every topic that came up. We talked about the state of leather and tanneries in the US, we talked about chemicals and their changes over time, we talked about techniques and tips and styles and methods of tooling, we talked about Chan’s flower designs and he told us how his favorite flower to carve is the “Mary flower” named after his wife who helped him fine tune it’s original design. We talked as a group for what seemed like hours and as people began to get on with their day, Chan took the time to share even more techniques for basketweave stamping with me and a couple who had joined us.

Well my head was really swimming at this point. I had been exposed to more leather and leather related information than I ever thought possible. The last scheduled event was the raffle. CIL put together a huge raffle and there were prizes available ranging through leather tools and leather, house wares, collectibles, and even cash! I managed to pick up a belt buckle in the raffle, and a few other PSLG members took home some nice prizes as well. While the drawings were going on, folks wandered about and began saying their good-byes.

After the raffle, the event was essentially over, all that was left were the groups of people who knew they may not see each other again for months, and their promises to meet up again at Fort Worth in October.

Thinking it was all in, my traveling companion, Tom Vodicka, and I headed for A-town and thought we should stop at Denny’s for traveling fuel. While there I noticed Chan Geer sitting with a fellow I didn’t know. As they were getting up to leave, Chan looked over my way, recognized me and motioned me over in a “what are you doing over there?” sort of way. He & his companion sat back down and we chatted for another 45 minutes or so. As we talked, I began to recognize some of the things said by Chan’s friend. It ended up that he was Dave Davis from Virginia, and he and I had corresponded over e-mail previously. Turns out I just didn’t know I knew him.

As Tom & I hit the road back to Illinois, I couldn’t readily recall ever being as content. My head was filled with knowledge, some new, some reaffirmed. My heart was filled with feelings of kinship, as though I was really a part of something bigger than myself and my participation really mattered. I also felt as though I am member of an elite group who has been charged with the responsibility of carrying the torch of our historic craft into the unknown future.

For me, the CIL show was good on many levels. On the surface it offered a place for crafters to have their work critiqued and compared to other crafters and a place to get some of those tools, of which everyone needs more. At a deeper level it offered a chance to fellowship, visit, and share, which is ultimately what will carry our craft through to the next generation. My thanks and appreciation go out to the CIL for hosting one heck of a show, and I look forward to the next event they put together.

Last Updated 07/31/2007
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