O N - S I T E LO D G I N G : THE LODGE AND SAFARI CAMP
G U I D E D TO U R S : FAMILY, SPECIALTY AND GROUPS
C A M P S : DAY, OVERNIGHT AND BADGE
CHILDREN’S ANIMAL CENTER, CAFE AND NATURE STORE
FOSSILRIM.ORG
GLEN ROSE, TX
16FRWC0069ParkerCoTodayMagSableGemTwoThirdspgAugust.indd 1
254.897.2960
6/8/2016 11:41:01 AM
AUGUST 2016 PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
me this and that. I like to get up and
go to the river and fish, if that’s what
I want to do that day. Makes me feel
good.”
But there are the 12-hour-a-day
weeks when his mind, hands and
heart are committed to his craft, his
livelihood. He feels blessed to be
able to live life on his own terms,
following his Native American sensibilities.
Calling himself a “CowboyIndian,” he said he grew up around
horses and saddles, the leather-craft
of the West.
“My dad roped and I rodeoed; we
all roped together growing up as a
family,” he said.
Still became serious about leatherwork in 2007, seven years after graduating Weatherford High School. An
interest in silver led him to leather.
“I wanted to be a silversmith, but
there wasn’t a native-style silversmith
around this area,” he said. “But a lot
of the leather stamps resembled silver
stamps. So I went and bought some
leather stamps, which were readily
available.”
He started tinkering with stamped
leather bracelets he sold at Teskey’s
and eventually began leather carving.
Today he makes ladies’ handbags
and clutches, briefcases and dayplanners, and even silver jewelry and
furnishings.
A couple of things stand out
about Still’s work: it’s all handcrafted,
including all stitching (no sewing
machines) and lacing, and each piece
is a one-off.
“Everything I do is never duplicated,” he explained. “If somebody
wants a bag or wants this or that,
it’s always different. That way, each
piece is special to that person. I
think it’s cool for a lot of people
to have my stuff and I love that.”
But he never wants someone to see
another person carrying the same
LeatherChief bag. His one-off policy
ensures they won’t. (LeatherChief is
his business name or persona and is
stamped on every piece of his work.)
Still says his approach to tooling leather is somewhat unique. He
works without a pattern, something
he estimated 98 percent of leather
crafters use.
“I freehand probably 85-90
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