Time and Relative Dimension in Space

"I'm going to be the husband of the year."

-ecstatic husband.

I am happy that I could facilitate such a possibility simply by making a custom bag.

The bag features a 1960s-style London police box.

Also known as: the ship, the blue box, the capsule.

And one lucky wife is going to be very happy this holiday season.

The bag has two 5 x 7 inch front pockets, a 50 inch heavy duty seatbelt shoulder strap and it made from durable coated water-resistant Nylon fabric that has been lined with Vinyl.

Of course, it would have great if the bag could have been "dimensionally transcendental", but it will just have to be the size inside that is appears to be from the outside (which is 13 x 2.5 x 9 inches). There is just enough room for a small laptop or all the things that a lady wants to haul around with her (and her Doctor).

Giving Thanks To A Good Old Bird

There is some speculation that on the first Thanksgiving dinner, the Pilgrims would have eaten heath hens and not actually turkey. Heath hens were abundant in their habitat during Colonel Times. While the colonists were busy trying to establish themselves, the heath hens were roaming around in the fields from southernmost New Hampshire to northern Virginia

The shirt above has been silkscreened with 3 white prairie chickens that have their neck wings reaching out to each together. In the years since I first screen printed this shirt, it has faded from being jet black to a softer shade. It has also stretched out a bit from my constant use, the hen is one of favorite designs.

On this Thanksgiving, I want to pay tribute to the distinctive subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken known as the Heath Hen.

The Heath hen image has graced many of the Die At The Helm billfolds. There is generally one hen on the front and one on the back of the wallet. First a base layer is applied and then a second coat of a different color is used to make the image more defined.

The heath hen has been extinct since the 1930's. The population dwindled to less than 100 in the 1870's because of over-hunting. As the human population increased, the heath hen population decreased.
Efforts to save the last remaining birds were futile.

Heath hens were one of the first bird species that Americans tried to save from extinction. A bill "for the preservation of heath-hen and other game" was introduced in the New York State legislature. Upstate New York representatives misinterpreted the bill when it was read as an act to protect "Indians and other heathen"; Although the legislation was passed, it turned out to be unenforceable.

The length of a fully developed heath hen would have been around 17 inches and they generally would have weighed about two pounds.

Several key plumage characteristics separated the hens from other prairie chickens: they generally displayed a strong reddish hue in their plumage, especially in their crop area, and much thicker barring throughout the breast and sides. Their pinnae (horns) were generally pointed, and tails were a greyish-brown.

Today is the day to rejoice together with the community, to celebrate the completion of another the harvest cycle and to give thanks for the good fortunes of the year.

In this spirit of remembrance, I call out Tympanuchus Cupido Cupido!

Still can't figure out the bag your in? Well... things just got better.

Papa brought us a new one.

Sly and his family were trying to look past the differences.

Everybody's got their ways of doing things and there are all kinds of different lifestyles. Yet methods and standards are always being altered.

Die At The Helm is no different.

Everyday people, rally around, mama's got something for you...

 

Front pockets have arrived. 

5 inches high with a dividing seam stitched down the middle to create two separate pockets.

The pocket has been rolled down and topstitched for a finished appearance.

This bag is a continuation of the Die At The Helm sailor motif.

A coated Nylon fabric has been used for the outside of the bag. The inside is a Vinyl liner. And the seams are reinforced to improve water resistance.

 This design utilizes 2 heavy-duty quality snaps to keep the flap of the bag shut tightly.

Front pockets are also available on the Die At The Helm bags that are sewn out of marine quality Vinyl.

Some of the small messenger bag now have a thicker, more durable, seat belt webbing shoulder strap. 

The Vinyl pockets are trimmed with a 3/4" Nylon fabric to finish off the edge properly.

Front pockets hold your trade paperback books nicely, along with your pencils, sketchbook, or whatever you might want to carry along with you.

Supposedly the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. 

I suppose one could then measure the worth of this bag by the fact that it just got easier to carry along your books.

I am also experimenting with alternative materials for the shoulder straps.

This strap is made out of a 2" natural Cotton Webbing. This webbing is soft and comfortable, but it still has the strength of seat belt material.

 

Die At The Helm ain't no drag

it's got a brand new bag

Fall Bike Swap in Tucson, AZ

The GABA bike swap meet is this Saturday.

I will be there with new t-shirt designs.

Here is a preview:

Bike Tools.

....

Bike Graffiti.

....

 Cruiser.

....

remake of an old standard.

There will be more.

4th Ave. 

Tucson. 

See you there.

Canidae family

The temperate seasons have been busy shifting and exposing new tones of purples, reds, and yellows. Autumn has crept in and autographed the streets.

Die at the Helm has been busy as well, redesigning for the fall line of shoulder bags.

The flap has been trimmed to match the size of the body.

 

A layer of fabric has been added around the bottom of the bag to accommodate the new snap closure. This will also strengthen the base of the bag and increase the bag's durability.

 

 

This particular satchel is ripe with fall foliage colors. A tan fox creeps through hues of olive and burgundy.

All Hallows Hallow Tide

In honor of the Hallow Tide 

of All Hallows

the stout, strong billed

Corvus

This medium sized shoulder bag has a midnight blue body with a black flap. A crow inside a white circle has been appliqued onto the front.

I have finished the bag with black trim, contrasting blue thread, and black snaps.

"And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor" 

the family Corvidae

Set sail and away!

The 2011 Die At The Helm shirt is now available in a shirt fitted just for the ladies:

This image was hand drawn with the exception of the text. I found inspiration for the design from 1920's spot illustrations and the ex-libris art of antique bookplates.

Die at the Helm is about taking the reigns, or gripping that wheel, and steering yourself in the direction you most desire.

Up anchor! Up anchor!
Set sail and away!
The ventures of dreamland
Are thine for a day.
--Silas Weir Mitchell.