We got started in 2002 when Jan read an ad
in the Abate newspaper,” For Sale old heavy duty Singer, sews leather” in Morris
IL.. Once there a lady named “Big Sherry” showed us her father’s favorite
machine which we bought and hauled back to the barn. Jan played with it
mechanically for 5 hours, adjusting needle hooks, feed, tension and timing.
It was ready to sew.
Now it was time to figure out where would
our niche in the market be. Jan has been sewing for over 40 years. Her
grandmother was a professional seamstress and her mother was also a sewer. Jan
had made and altered most of her clothes since 8th grade because she
couldn’t buy anything that fit. Needless to say that was the niche. Very few
people can walk into something off the rack and have it fit properly.
Trickey Mikey
encouraged us to go for it, so we did. First stop Woodstock Harley, great
location since we live around the corner. The folks there were kind enough to
let me set up a machine and sew patches, repair leather and alter motor clothes.
Things just naturally progressed to custom, one of a kind clothing, motorcycle
seats and bags.
Dan, Jan's son,
has entered the business . His specialty is an old world technique called
embossing(hand tooling leather) and carving. This method creates a 3
dimensional picture on the leather. The hide is then dyed to enhance the
picture. He is very detail oriented and happens to be a certified HD tech. This
works out well when Jan has an idea about bags because they have to serve their
purpose and work on the bike.
Our goal is to
give everyone we meet the opportunity to have leather that fits, seats that are
comfortable, and unique items so that you won’t see yourself coming and going at
the next event.
Thanks for checking us out, what’s your dream?
Jan