the ugly truth

Why do I make the ties? It all started quite simply - Early on a very foggy Sunday morning, Hannah killed her first turkey, B called it in for her. They'd spent countless hours in the woods - a jake simply wouldn't do. They saw plenty of those. They (i.e. Hannah) took hours of selfies with the video camera, and her camera, they chatted, walked, talked and called birds... Then this guy stepped in, and BAM!!! She had her first bird, well, after B jumped on it so he didn't thrash around and mess up his tail. He was a beautiful bird, what could we give B for his efforts? Hannah wanted the beard and the tail fan of course, but what about B? We wanted him to have something special. I'd heard of turkey ties, but they didn't do custom stuff - it had to be something from her bird. I talked to a friend and she made some, but they weren't what I had envisioned, so I took them apart and made what I had in my mind...

A week after this photo was taken, also on a foggy Sunday morning, Madi, Hannah's sister was in a fatal car accident... nothing would be right again... at least it's still not, 5 months later. So, I take the moments when I'm sad, or alone, or just need to occupy my brain and turn them into pretty things. Things Madi would like, things she would be proud of me for, tangible art - something pretty where there may have been darkness in my world. They are therapy if you will, or for what it's worth. I made a few, changed things up, and made a few more, decided they needed a name...

First thought was "Wild Child Ties" - because it's all about her in many ways, but that didn't exemplify what they were or where they were from (well, the original ones, now I source them from birds who naturally drop feathers and molt), so Wadmalaw Wild Ties was born - because they are all from the wild... and they are made on Wadmalaw. I named one crazy on "The Wild Child", that one's for her... MADI... forever 20... forever gone... but we live on, we make the most of each day, and I make ties... some have even had tears to fall upon them. All are made with love.

Do I want to sell them in stores or mass produce them... NO... just want to make them the way I do, one by one.

My favorite thing is making them specifically for someone, a "Trophy Tie" knowing they will wear it to some function one day, and know it's unique, and that their wife or girlfriend, or employee, or daughter had it made just for him. Even if I don't directly know the person, I still like making them specifically for someone... going through the feathers, picking out the best ones for the occasion.

So there you have it... it's why I make the ties...


#psdontdrinkanddrive #tieoneonresponsibly