One of a Kind
This local artisan crafts souvenirs you won’t find in any shopping mall
By Sheri radford + PhotoS By KK Law
Monique Ouellette never does things the
easy way. Visit her studio, and you won’t see
a single sewing machine. All of the gorgeous
leather totes, satchels, journal covers and
bracelets hanging from the walls were cut and
stitched—painstakingly—by her own hand. She
embraces the distinctive marks and textures
that make each piece of leather different, not
viewing them as flaws but rather as evidence
of character, and she leaves the leather raw
and uncut as often as possible. Before making a
single stitch, she carefully measures out where
each stitch will go, then punches a hole in the
leather for each one. A journal cover might
take two hours in total to construct, while a
complex bag with zippers and pockets requires
nine or 10 hours. Each creation is undeniably
unique—just like Ouellette.
Stop by Trace of Grey Designs (page 43),
Ouellette’s studio/store in Railtown, to cus-
tomize your new favourite bag by choosing the
leather, pockets, hardware and more.
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