Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Cantu.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Linda. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always loved the handcrafted artisans work found on saddles and in Mexican and Spanish influenced art in accessories like purses, boots, art frames, wallets and those cute coin purses that I remember seeing so many of on trips to Mexico when we were growing up, my Dad took us into the Town square. The vendors were set up, rows and rows of foods, fruits, blankets and leathers. On one cold December night a few months after my dad passed away, I saw a beautiful leather wallet hand tooled with scrolls and filagree and it sparked a sleeping passion in me. When my husband asked if I could make a motorcycle seat for one of his builds and it came out better than expected, I wanted to make more things so I began making keychains and biker wallets, I found this craft to be a very therapeutic art form for me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been an easy craft to get into and it’s definitely a very expensive passion to pursue. Putting together a range of tools, I was putting in time to do practice pieces and studying work to put pieces together all while holding a full-time job. Working nights and weekends. You have to have the mind of a fabricator to design new pieces and put pieces together to make a pieve. I found winter to be my most productive months to work and sell.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
MAIDEN LEATHER CO is what I began calling my hobby when I started making commission pieces, everything was “Made in Leather”, and I decided MAIDEN LEATHER CO was what it would be, it was Maiden Leather Designs for a time. I am most proud of making custom pieces by upcycling and recycling materials on custom pieces. I have made many “one of a kind pieces”, I have tried more recently to do more replicated pieces. Being that they are handcrafted hand-tooled, hand-dyed, and hand-sewn all my pieces are all done by hand and they each have their own one-of-a-kind feel with a unique look.
One of my favorites is the biker wallet. Being a female motorcyclist, I couldn’t find a slim decent sized women’s wallet so I started my own line. Up to this point, they have been custom one of a kind, I’m doing more replicas of my own work by request to have a piece like I’ve sold before, each still being handcrafted, customs are what makes them one of a kind.
What were you like growing up?
I was a sweet little Hellraiser, I had my own demons, issues and fears growing up, It wasn’t an easy childhood and it was certainly complicated, I dealt by not dealing and running away at 14 to live at the local punk clubs and crashing with friends. Running about smelling like my leather jacket, incense and clove cigarettes sporting a mohawk and going back home to go to school, work and start a family. I’m now a proud mother of two amazing human beings my daughter and my son and I’m a grandmother to two amazing grandsons. I come from a family of talent, my Mama and Father are and were very artistic and loved music. My sisters and brothers are very artistic talented, my sister’s really have embraced and represent their art on so many levels it blows my mind. My daughter and son are now carrying on the artistic Gene and I can’t wait to see how the express their art on different platforms.
If I could go back in time, I would introduce this craft to myself earlier and open a brick and mortar shop which I still plan to do. In the meantime, I work swap meets and events where makers, artisans, artist and the like vendors are invited. You can find my work on Etsy or my Facebook page. Requested customs for wallets, keychains, jewelry, etc are welcome.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maidenleatherdesigns.com
- Phone: 214-874-3892
- Email: maidenleather@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/maidenleatherco
- Other: www.maidenleatherco.com
Image Credit:
Self
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