PFLCO

02/20/2026

Well, I got through heart surgery yesterday just fine. I'm not sure what the poor nurse who had to shave my nether regions did to p**s off her supervisors, but her job sucked! Also had to swallow what little pride I had as there were four women in the room when she did it. I guess they don't really have much to worry about when I think on it...
Surgery did not take long as there was not a lot that had to be done, and my saint of a wife drove us 75 miles home in a raging blizzard. She is, with the exception of accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior, the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life. She is having to take care of livestock, a cripple who can't walk (me!) and still doing her own business. I have never met anyone stronger, or loved anyone more.
Came home with a list of "can't do's" and will be back in the shop as soon as I can. I only have four orders to fill but one of them has been there for about a month now and I need to get it done. Will let you know more about the condition of my legs and why I can't walk as soon as we find out a little more. Doesn't sound good from what I know already, but I do intend to beat it. Thanks for all the kind thoughts and prayers guys.

01/31/2026

This is just a short commentary on what's going on with my health for any of you who wonder why the website isn't back up and running the way it should be.
At the end of July I had back surgery and thought I was going to be out of the game for several months. Turns out it was weeks not months. For 2 months I had zero pain, 3 days out of the hospital I walked a mile, I gained 2 inches in height cuz I wasn't walking all hunched over and things were pretty good. Come September my left leg started to drag a little bit but I could still get around. By the time October hit I couldn't walk and was pretty much paralyzed from the waist down. They did a full spinal MRI and it's nothing wrong with my spine. I can't even describe the amount of pain that I was in but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy , ever! Turns out at least according to the doctors that I have gout. Be honest, I've never heard of gout taking away somebody's ability to walk, but apparently I have it! I wasn't in a wheelchair, but was the next best thing to it. I could walk with a walker but only by holding my entire body weight up with my arms and sort of kicking with my legs a little bit to get forward motion. Couldn't get into bed by myself, couldn't put my socks on by myself, driving was absolutely out of the question because I couldn't move either of my legs. Let's get one thing straight, I am not complaining, I am just explaining what went South and why I haven't been able to keep up the website the way I wanted to after surgery. I am getting better, through medication and some exercise I'm able to walk most days with a cane some days with a walker. Just wanted to let everybody know where I was, I appreciate your patience and your support. God puts people where he wants them to be or where he needs them, and I guess this is where I am. I have full faith that I will get better, and if I don't, well this is my life now. Thanks again guys.

Steffan Baker PFLCO

12/07/2025

Finished up the five hats today! Will be in Monday's mail. I will be posting more items sometime in the next 2 weeks. Probably moving up with m17a1 stuff and Marine covers.

12/02/2025

For those of you who ordered campaign hats, I'm getting them done. Have had some health issues in the last month, but brought in some help yesterday and we have them all shaped and ready for sweatbands and hat bands. Really appreciate your patience, and will hopefully have some Kelly stuff up in the next 3 weeks. Thanks again so much for your patience, I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and is looking forward to Christmas!

11/04/2025

I just put five collector grade American helmet liners on the website. I don't believe that I will be making the standard ones anymore, it takes just as much time and material as the Collector grade ones. I also put on five Campaign Hats. The liners are ready to ship, the campaign hats I will have to make according to size. Marine Corps covers will go up after the Campaign Hats have sold . Just a heads up since some of you were asking.

10/17/2025

First, I would like to thank everybody for sticking with me through this whole surgery thing.

Here's the plan going forward:

I will be putting up only what I have made for sale on the website. If there's five of a particular liner, when those five are, gone that's it until I get more made. That way you get what you want, and I don't get behind in orders again. I will be revamping things this weekend on the website to make that possible. At this time, I can only spend about an hour to an hour and a half in the shop before I am totally wiped out for the rest of the day. I'm sorry I can't do more, wish that I could but this seems to be the best way to deal with this issue until I'm better. Just check on the website come Monday morning and there should be items for sale. The Only Exception will be hats, and there will be a set number of those sold in the size that you need. Those I will have to make custom. The same goes for the German liners. I will offer up as many as I think I can get made, which isn't going to be many to begin with. Otherwise, everything will be on my shelf and ready for shipping when it's ordered. Once again, I really appreciate your patience, it's going to be a while before I am 100%. Thank you.

10/07/2025

Anybody know a David Grazioso? Lives in Conway South Carolina. I owe him an order but I don't know what I'm supposed to send him. Thanks guys. We'll have a message out by the end of this week concerning future orders. Hope it makes everybody happy! Thanks again for your help.

10/04/2025

05/09/2025

Well, here's a post I never thought I'd make. Due to my declining health and some other family issues I will be selling off parts and pieces of Prairie Flower Leather Company. PFLCO for short.
It's been a great ride, but all good things must come to an end I suppose. Started working with leather professionally about 35 years ago and got into the World War I liners in order to fulfill a dream of having a helmet like my grandfather had in the Great War. Prior to that I worked on saddles, bridles, did a lot of braid work on steering wheels, duck lanyards and weird things like that.
I'll be starting with all of my trench knife Scabbard building equipment, all the spare parts I have left over and anything related to the manufacturer of the jewel 1918 trench knife scabbard. I also have dies and patterns for the World War II version that's made all of leather that I never actually got around to putting on the website. The French stuff is also going to go. I have somewhere between half a dozen helmets or more, French, Belgian, Russian.
I do this with a heavy heart as for the last 35 years this has been my life. I have the best customers in the world, many of whom I consider friends even though I have never met you. Because of my health, my family has convinced me to pack it in. I will be posting pictures of everything that I have for sale with my goal being that whoever buys all the helmets, parts, and tools will be able to make their money back on their purchase if they just sit down and build the stuff.
I never got rich off this business. I charged what I thought I would pay as opposed to what the market would bring. My business model was always Repair, Replace, or Refund, no questions asked. It has served me well and hopefully my customers. I had a customer cancel an order for a German liner this morning, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I always took that kind of thing personally because I felt I had failed a customer.
If you would help spread the word to some of the other militaria sites I would sure appreciate it. Call me, or email me if you're interested. I'm still building helmets, hats and other liners, but eventually all of that equipment will be up for sale also.
I don't want to see the manufacturing end of this die as I feel it would be a blow to the community. I'm hoping someone will pick up where I left off and be able to utilize three decades worth of experience that I built up, as well as the equipment needed to carry on. Thank you all again for your patronage, your friendship and your understanding and patience.
Steffan Baker
PFLCO

05/03/2025

For all of you who have been waiting for a hat, here they are. Some of these orders go back to almost Christmas of last year. It's taking me a while to get things together and for that I apologize, you have been great customers! The lady I buy my hat blanks from says the only American company to make wool Cape lines May well be going out of business. So I bought every hat she had. Just a heads up that these might be a little harder to get in the future. I try to buy American made in everything that I use in my products. Thank you again for your patience, I don't deserve it, but I surely do appreciate it. You guys are awesome!

02/18/2025

Have been working from home the last few days, it is 16 below zero this morning. Shop is once again Frozen solid! Hoping the toilet doesn't crack again! At any rate, working on hats and liners from home.