How Log Cabin Leather by Jan Began

My parents purchased a summer house on lake Winnipesaukee when I was six years old. My entire family fell in love with the loons that we saw on the lake.

In 1977, when I was a college student, I discovered leather as a medium and fell in love.

My family also loved loons and they became the subject of many of my earliest carvings. The loon became my mascot and is pictured on both of my catalogs. I made my first catalog in 1978 and it is still in use today.

To the Passamaquody Indians the loon was a messenger between humans, animals and the great spirit. When people became greedy, they stopped listening and learning from the animals. This made the loon sad which is why to this day he has such a sad call, different from any other.

Through my carving I hope to inspire an appreciation for nature’s creatures great and small. Each is an essential component in the circle of life and what we do to the Earth has an impact on them. We all must work to take care of the Earth if we want it to thrive.

Loons soon became the focal point of much of my work. I discovered that many others shared this passion for Loons, so I set out to create functional, and durable leather products with original loon scenes so Loon enthusiasts could enjoy them year round.

My Blog is now dedicated to sharing information on loons and the other birds and animals that inspire my handmade leather products. Each month the blog posts will follow a different theme.

Below you will find links to the current articles. In 2020 I focused on sharing information on loons. In 2021 the focus will be the Butterflies and Birds related to the collections I will be creating this year. I hope you will join me on my adventure.