Internationally known custom-made knife sheaths and gun holsters, near Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park 04605

My story

I first started working with leather when I was a teenager growing up in Connecticut. In 1970, at the age of 23, I began doing leatherwork for a living. All through the 70's I traveled the craft show circuit along the eastern seaboard. If it could be made of leather, I made it. In 1976 I moved to Maine for a summer job in a craft shop near Acadia National Park. I’ve been in Maine ever since. By 1981 I owned my own shop, Treestump Leather.

I have always loved the outdoors life, and got my first knife at the age of 7. It stands to reason that I would get into making knife sheaths. The first one I ever made was when I was 17, using the leather from a pair of old moccasins I’d taken apart. By 1988 I was selling custom knives in my shop, and specializing in custom made sheaths. My work was featured in the Jan-Feb '89 issue of Blade Magazine, and in Sept of '92 Field & Stream ran a four-page article about my sheaths. After that I was pretty well established as one of the top sheath makers in America.

Since then I have been in most of the knife magazines, including Tactical Knives, Fighting Knives, Knives Illustrated, and Krause Publication's Knives Annuals since 1991. I am very proud and humbled to have been asked to make sheaths for some of the best knifemakers of our time. They include the pioneers of the modern custom knife movement, such as Wayne Clay and Ron Gaston, as well as some of the greatest artistic geniuses of today, like David Broadwell, Mike Sakmar, and Paul Jarvis, to name just a few. In 1995, knifemaker friend Larry Fuegen introduced me to the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting. From there it was a natural progression to add holsters and gunbelts, as well as other cowboy gear to my product line.

I'm well into my 35th year as a professional leather craftsman, and I still love my work, and look forward to going to work everyday. I can still see my continuing evolution as an artist, and my life as an adventure. I hope you will let me share some of that with you.

~ Chris