Please contact us if you are interested in this product.
Some commissions feel like they were made for you. This one arrived with a WWII bomber jacket collection. Jeri has adored WWII nose art and pinup art for as long as she can remember. Alberto Vargas was one of her favorite artists before she was old enough to even know his name. Getting to interpret that world in leather and kidskin was not a commission. It was a calling.
The customer brought us images from his collection of vintage patches, and we built two one-of-a-kind guitar straps around them. The leather base on each was airbrushed from heaven to hell, light fading to dark in a gradient that sets the stage for everything layered on top. Then came the nose art.
Every image is cut from kidskin and meticulously sewn onto the strap base, one piece at a time. Broader shapes are cut by machine. The fine details that a machine can't handle, Jeri cuts freehand — the result of over 20 years working with kidskin overlays and a rare ability to see a shape and cut it with more precision than she could draw it. The planes, the pinups, the insignia, all of it built up the way the original artists painted them on fuselages: with pride, with humor, and with no small amount of craft.
To commission your own custom strap, reach out to jeri@jeridesigns.com.
Details:
- Quantity: Two one-of-a-kind straps
- Inspired by: Customer's personal WWII bomber jacket patch collection
- Base: Belt leather, airbrushed from heaven to hell
- Artwork: Machine-cut and freehand-cut kidskin nose art panels, meticulously sewn
- Status: One-of-a-kind gallery pieces
- Handmade in the USA by Jeri Hart Straps