This article appeared in the January/February 2014 issue of Organic Hudson Valley. (A direct link can be found under Links to Articles).

Karen Pearson began doing leather work many years ago, using an inexpensive sewing machine to make a handbag, an activity that let her connect to an earlier time when people were more personally connected and used their hands for something other than texting.  The sewing machine didn’t survive the first attempt, but the bag was a success in that it was the beginning of a successful venture into leather goods and working with leather that would become Lark Practical.  “It was flawed and simple, but I loved it,” Pearson said of that first bag.  “Two years ago, I was ready to try and figure it out again, do it right.  The handbag movement was in full swing, so I was able to find other makers to watch and learn from.”

Pearson went into her second attempt at crafting leather with a more practical eye.  She began working with smaller items that didn’t require a sewing machine.  “The simpler items let me focus on the details and nuances of leather.  I started with hand burnishing the edges and sewing by hand with a saddle stitch,” Pearson said.  “I have always been fascinated by the way we carry things and organize them.”

The next step in the process was to acquire a sewing machine that could handle a material as tough as leather.  “I tracked down a vintage walking foot Consew machine that could handle serious materials and started to polish my skills,” Pearson said.

Even with the initial skill of crafting leatherwork mastered, there are still challenges to the practice, such as the unforgiving nature of the material.  “When you mess up, you need to start again.  It can be very frustrating to abandon something in its final stages of production, but that’s the nature of the work,” Pearson said.  “The reward is seeing a piece come together and serve its purpose, breaking in and gaining a patina to make it become a part of its carrier.”

Pearson has continued to find working with leather to be a respite from all the stress that comes with the plethora of modern technology.  “The leatherwork has allowed me to sit and make something with my hands.  It’s a physical element that I felt I lost in the digital age,” Pearson said.  “Working with leather connects us with a time when quality was a necessity, not a luxury.”  Pearson aims to replicate the craftsmanship and skill practiced during a time when people depended on their leather goods being both lasting and functional.

The majority of the material used in making Lark Practical products is sourced domestically.  Pearson has traveled to numerous leather tanneries in the northeast to learn more about the tanning process.  “Some of them have been in business for more than 100 years and are steeped in the history of the industry and the trade,” Pearson said.  “Seeing the source of the leather and meeting some of the people who care so much about the process is an inspiration.”

Pearson chose to name her company Lark Practical in honor of her daughter, Lark.  The logo consists of a two-headed lark, which represents her daughter’s astrological sign, Gemini.  “Practical is the purpose of the pieces, to be used,” Pearson said.

Lark Practical products, such as lanyards and bracelets, are available at Spruce Design and Decor in Rhinebeck, New York, as well as online at www.LarkPractical.com.  Karen Pearson can be contacted at info@larkpractical.com for any inquiries.