TFQ Leather and Metal make a variety of ‘just gorgeous things’
(Ab Fab) ideal for gifts, prizes or for a good bit of whimsy.

Meet the maker;

Kerry Barton. Craft-a-holic. Cat-a-holic. Pisces. Horse Rider. Overly enthusiastic veggie gardener and all round ‘‘creative’’, as they say. I could write this in third person and make it sound like I employed a fancy marketing person. But who has time for that palaver? Kerry Barton certainly doesn’t…

I just like making things and fixing things. Ironically I don’t like fixing things I’ve made.

How did I end up doing leatherwork and metalwork, I hear you ask. Leather is expensive and the intricate hand bag designs I like to make are cost prohibitive and the market is relatively small. And somehow that led to making the horse shoe nail critters. But they’re fiddly. Like, FIIIIDDLY. And so is intricate leatherwork. And that meant I wanted an outlet that is not as fiddly. So my ever suffering Dad, through gritted teeth and rising blood pressure, managed to finally teach me to weld so I can make the garden art pieces. And it turns out that’s pretty fiddly too.

Where did I get the idea of the horse-shoe nail critters? When I was a kid, there was an amazingly clever lady - Carol Paine - who lived near by. The excitement she would tackle a new creative problem with, was (as it turns out) contagious. She was turning these horse-nail critters out by the 100. Harness horses, stockmen, dogs, emus, kangaroos.. you name it, she mastered it.

So I make lots of things. I have done since I bought my first industrial sewing machine when I was about 20yo, to pay my way through uni. I started TFQ with bridle bags, saddle covers, retro wool rugs and quarter sheets. As well as horse rug repairs - I still do that. One day a few of those sewn items will make it to this site and be for sale.

When I’m not making things I teach (Casual Relief Teaching in small rural schools), and work with my NDIS clients.