Meet Beth Derrick | Leathersmith | Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Derrick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
Perfection and uniformity are the desired results.

While this may be true for many items on the market where those characteristics are required for quality and function, this is not the goal of the leather items I make. In fact, quite the opposite is my goal. I purposefully work scars, brands and other imperfections into my pieces, whereas many other makers might cut those out and toss in the trash bin. The leather items I make from start to finish by hand are fully functional, sustainably made, and one of a kind. I’ve done some small batch items for corporate gifts and family holiday gifts, though those are indeed one of a kind, too.

Each item can be fully customized with personalization, thread color, leather color and of course, the entire design. Whether your idea or my own, no piece is alike, and each piece is purposefully imperfect.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Each item is unique, and more than half are intuitively made. I design some on paper, from a rough sketch to writing out a cut list, similar to my cousin that makes a cut list for her woodworking, but most items are intuitively made. I see a piece of leather and let it determine where to go. I make as few cuts as possible, and use all of the pieces possible to minimize waste. I continually am exploring ways in which to reduce the waste altogether, and I’m nearly to a new idea of items: leather stuffed balls. Once I work out how to make a round ball from a few cuts, I will definitely be putting the buckets of idle scraps to use!

I grew up with generations of family, up to my great-grandparents. They used everything available, made repairs to items when they broke, built their own houses and furniture, and grew their own food. While I’m not near as resourceful and handy as they were, some characteristics were passed down from our years together. I also grew up riding horses, 4-wheelers, playing in the mud, building forts with my cousins and always having something to do outside. As an adult, living in the suburbs, life isn’t quite that exciting and fulfilling in those ways, so my creative outlet is leather working. Making items from a raw material into items that are long-lasting, useful and made with basic hand tools is deeply fulfilling to my soul.

Sully + Proper Handmade Leather Supply is my passion project, and my creative outlet. Sully is our 11 year old Labradoodle, and a very very good dog. He’s not very proper, but my late dog, Zephyr was very proper. Sully + Proper is a nice balance and juxtaposition of what a great life is: blends of messy and tidy, creative and structured, light and dark.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
While Flower Mound might not be a hot spot for many, it’s a beloved secret for some. We have so much good food here at locally owned establishments.

We’d start with breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot: Morning Edition in Flower Mound’s Parker Square

Then we’d grab a coffee either at Sip | Stir in Highland Village, or at Marty B’s Coffee in Bartonville

For lunch, we can’t seem to stay away from The Bartonville Store in Bartonville. The chili and the nachos are life changing. The burgers are life changing. The … heck, everything is life changing. This is one of the places I want to tell everyone and no one about, because I want everyone to experience it, and want to always be able to get a table.

Dinner is easy: Local Pint. Their food is mind-blowing and they have St. Arnold’s root beer on tap. Say no more.

Epic Gelato at Lakeside is a frequent late night/mid-afternoon hangout for us. The gelato is made in house, and the owner is a very kind man. They also have a fantastic coffee bar with locally roasted beans.

As if that’s not enough food for a day, a recently opened Nautical Bowls has delicious fresh bowls with fresh fruit, gluten free, organic and plant based options. It’s a cute little place with amazing food, you really can’t go wrong.

For non-food adventures, we live just north of Lake Grapevine, which has tons of beautiful trails, a kayak launch and plenty of beautiful views.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several unofficial and perhaps unbeknownst to them makers I have learned tremendously from. Although making improvements from my own glaring mistakes has taught me much, the paths forged by the likes of:

Chad Von Lind of Craft and Lore in Ceour d’Alene, Idaho

Arty Shell of Mascon Leather

Odin Clack of Odin Leather Goods

Dave and the Family Munson of Saddleback Leather Goods

The fine folks behind the brands of: Emil Erwin, Kendal & Hyde, Leatherhead Sports, Red Hills Leather, White Buffalo Republic, Ranchlands, Ezra Arthur, Simpleton, Koch Leather and many many more brands. Some that are still in business, and sadly, some that have hung their tools up to rest.

I try to learn from YouTube videos and mostly from diving right in to make things. I’ve made hundreds of items by now, and I’m just getting started.

Website: sullyandproper.supply

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sullyandproper.supply/

Image Credits
Image credits: Kelly Blackall