halafax

I made this for my niece as a going away present.

With collars you never really want to go over 5-6 or 6-7 oz leather. Anything thicker than that and you are going to end up with an issue of not having anything to tack the leather together. 7-8 oz leather is a bit too thick for most of your grommets and rivets. But when shopping for leather you can ask for the econo sides. They are usually the lowest grade and will have cuts, blemishes and brands. If you have a tax ID number you can go to hidehouse, they are a wholesaler and have good prices on sides, and even predyed shoulders and such. Its easier to talk to them than try to browse their site. I like explaining what Im making they will offer advice as well. Issue with tandy is that they are expensive, but if you are in need of the leather right then and there its not like you can run out to the store and get some. I have not bought from anyone since I found hide house, just due to their prices. Breutten Leather village is another place to get cheap leather from. They tend to have odd lots and their prices are pretty spiffy, but you have to make sure to check their periodically because their stock changes regularly. Ive found some neat stuff on there. If you need any help with anything let me know. I do collars as well as other odds and ends. Hope this helps.

Hidehouse is the way to go, they are a wholesaler and have really good prices. ive never had an issue finding something with them. Their people are always willing to help. Their latigo has a really nice color and good temper. Breuttens leather village has some great deals if you catch them on the right days. They have a lot of odd lots, but their prices are cheap. I go to tandy when I need something like right now. Usually if I have a project Im working on I tend to buy it after Ive planned out what Im making. Tandy sometimes has really good sales, but thats few and far between. But when you need the leather or other item then and there you go where you can.

I hate grooving, its annoying but necessary. When the groover goes off track all you can do is not want to throw it across the room. My biggest fear is ruining taking on something I cant finish. I tend to take on bigger and bigger projects just to see if I can do them. A rule when cutting is measure twice cut once. Though how well that works out is up for debate since Ive had blades that were sharp enough to shave with that just wouldnt cut through the leather like it should. So then its a matter of trying to cut again on the same line. I hate that, Or when the blade gets caught on the grain of the leather and jumps over and ruins a perfectly good cut. Matching dye colors is another. When using the mineral spirits dyes there is a tendency to get different shades of the same color dye, just because of the dye itself. only time Ive gotten an even coat with that stuff is with an air brush.

Im here from north atlanta GA. ive been doing this for about eight years. I do a bit of this and that, but I work with leather and do costuming and prop building.

Honestly some of the eco flo prostains are nice, but others not so much. The blue is the wrong shade of blue. I got some the other day and it dries a blue green, the red is a nice solid red. But I prefer the mineral spirits dyes because of the way they permeate the leather. So if you have to cut grooves or anything the groove is the same color as the piece. Also the mineral spirits dyes give you some nifty effects if you use different application techniques. The mahogany and chocolate will give you a wood look if you use a dauber with the swirling method. I water base is a bit cleaner, but when someone asks for a blue piece, giving them something thats aqua colored isnt going to hack it.

Remember that leather shrinks a bit when you wet form it, so if its a bit bigger its not going to hurt your piece long run.

Honestly it looks like three pieces. There is a waist cincher, or under bust corset, a piece to cover your midriff, and then a bra. If you want this not to chaff you might consider either stitching some kind of lining on the piece or wearing something under it. I make a lot of leather underbust corsets and waist cinchers. Everyone who wears them always puts them over something. If you look around you can find a bikini pattern by macalls or whomever and use that for the top. The patters are made to be sewn true, but you can use the pattern to get the shape you want. Generally when making a bra pattern like that you want to make a triangle, and when you wet form it to your dress form you will get the rounded shape to it. Wet forming is not hard, just takes practice and a bit of elbow grease. If your dress dummy is similar in shape you to, remember that leather shrinks when you get it wet and let it dry. Its not a lot, but when dealing with items that cover unmentionables you want to make sure that nothing is too small. I know you are prolly going to want to go for accuracy but remember this, there is the five foot rule when costuming and it can save you a lot of head ache. If it were me, Id stitch a bra to the leather bra cups so that you dont have to worry about chafing, and remake the rest of the bra in the green leather. Now if you are going to do the underbust corset piece as one piece, that is going to be a bit harder than it sounds. You are essentially making a huge waist belt. I typically make my cinchers in three pieces, just for ease of making them, and for comfort, but when is costuming comfortable? But if I was you and you were going to make the belt as one piece, Id lay out the pattern on leather, cut out the whole thing. Then get the pattern that you want to wet form into it, and press it. Though I think you could tool the leather to get the pattern, it would be faster than trying to wet form it. Also I think you ought to go with a lighter leather, maybe 3-4 oz leather, no more than 5. If you go heavier I think you are actually going to 1) make this harder on yourself, 2) lost some of the accuracy with the piece, 3) run into issues with attaching things. 4) make the piece heaver than it needs to. The issues with heavy leather is you are limited in what you are going to be able to attach pieces together with. Other than tubular rivets, and copper post rivets, there are no long shanked rivets I know of. anything above a 6oz leather really makes it hard to attach things. Her armor honestly looks more like a fashion accessory than real armor. A lot of my friends in SCA who make their own armor use copper post rivets, and they use really heavy leather. Id go with a lighter leather to save yourself logistical issues with things after you get it cut out. You can tool lighter leathers, wet form it, or whatever. Just when it comes to ease of making the item it would be simpler to use no more than 5-6 oz leather. Thats typically what I use. I made the mistake of trying to use heavier leather for a cincher, I had to get longer grommets in order to finish the piece. The pattern in the piece makes it easier to hide the stitching, and you can use embroidery thread instead of sinew to sew with. The hood seems pretty easy, just have to get some sueded leather, us e the bigger hole punch and get some of the leather cord that tandy sells and use that to sew it, check out your costume patterns for hooded cloaks and stuff. A basic hood is nothing more than a square with two sides sewn together, and then attached to the collar of a cloak. Leather might be a natural material, but it does hold heat. Its going to be really hot this year, yes you are going to be wearing very little, but that waist piece and everything else is going to bake you pretty good. Im sorry Im a bit all over the place, but Im just thinking as I go here. If I was you, Id get cut out three separate pieces, the underbust corset, the part that covers the midriff, then the bra. I would then do your dying, and decide if you are going to tool, stamp, or whatever with the pattern on the piece, IF you are going to stamp or tool, then you are going to have to wet form and tool at the same time, or else you will lose the pattern cause the leather will get wet. You have to bind the leather to the dress dummy once you get to the point of wet forming it to fit your shape. Here are a few examples of my work: cincher 1 cincher 2 if you need any help drop me a line either here or on gmail: halafax@gmail.com

There are some people who use laser engravers to cut out their designs in leather. I can think of a few sellers around the web that use them. There are some people who use laser engravers to cut out their designs in leather. I can think of a few sellers around the web that use them.