Leather, stamp, repeat

Rain pours down outside, four beloved dogs create shadows through the puddles and the smell of leather wafts out into the garage while country music plays in the background. Walking into the home of Advance, Missouri, native John Hedge, one is greeted with a scene that speaks to the aura of Hedge himself. Blue walls balance out the orange cast from the overhead fan lights, a blanket with a horse drapes over a door frame to quiet the "ruckus" and leather-making materials are strewn throughout the room, while a walnut stump sits next to a desk covered in tools.

Hedge has been leather making since 1999. He can make pretty much anything you might imagine needing. Belts, gun straps, guitar straps, Bible markers and key rings are some of his more popular work. He's also leathered several saddles, Bible covers and a variety of wallets, wall plaques, spur straps and pistol holsters.

Hedge does not use any machines for his work -- he does all of his leather-making by hand, including the tooling, stitching, lacing, etc.

"It's a dying craft; it really is," Hedge said.

"As I start tooling them, [the pieces] start telling me 'well do this' and there's little tweaks," Hedge said. "They take on a life of their own, especially a saddle. When I'm working on a saddle, they just come to life."

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com John Hedge lays out leather belts he has hand-made to show in his home on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Advance.

Belts, which are Hedge's favorite pieces to make, take him roughly two days from start to finish. The process starts with an order and concept from a client, then Hedge begins the hand-making process: cutting the strap of leather, measuring, stamping and hand-tooling the design, staining and adding the final touches which includes the belt keeper.

"This is all handmade, so when I get this belt made, this will be 100 percent hand-done by me," Hedge said. "There'll be only one of them like it."

Uniqueness isn't enough, though. Hedge said keeping in communication with his clients is key to making sure everyone's on the same page. "By me doing that, a lot of my customers is 'wow,' ya know? And that's really what I'm looking for, is that wow factor," Hedge said.

Hedge pours his heart and soul into each piece he works on. "At first I didn't really know a whole lot of anything about it," Hedge said. "It's comforting to me. I like doing it and the Lord's really bloomed me, ya know? He's took it and run with it for me."

kjackson@semissourian.com

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com Leather-making tools lie on John Hedge's desk in his home on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Advance.

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