Grey Drakkon

The jeans are what makes it. Kidding of course. That armor if freaking awesome, and I'm sickened that it's your first set and looks that good. I may as well just light my stuff on fire after seeing that.

Oh no worries, I had just now wondered about it.

Did you ever find that chart? I was looking at getting some decent thread for my quiver, but have had a rough time finding what size thread I should use with the no.8 pricking iron.

Yeahhhhhhh....I'm just lucky my guy is understanding. So much so he bought me a Bear Maul for christmas. Space is as big an issue as money, I need to do a serious clear-out of my back room, but that cuts into time I could be doing leatherworking, or archery, or gardening, or any million other things.

I experimented with a thick scrap by soaking it and pressing the point into it. Clumsy, but it worked.

So like a silly twit I bought these guys from Amazon: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EI3TPW4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 without realizing the studs were slightly cone shape. How do I figure out what shape stud setter I need for them? Or do I just put some really thick leather under what I'm attaching them to and pound a pointed hole into it over time?

I like it! The lines on it make me think of old engraving plates.

Gorgeous, particularly the way the coloring shades.

The other issue with wool yarn is that it can be itchy. Those look really neat, keep on working on them!

A note on double-stick tape: Don't. Any kind of glue that stays sticky will travel from one surface to the other over time, especially with porous materials like leather and fabric. Ever see duct tape after a few years, and how you can peel the "tape" part off and all the glue is stuck to the other surface? Just like that, but worse. Activated glues, like kinds that need water/heat/another chemical are far more stable and last longer.

I'm one of those people that reacts strongly to nickel. My skin will turn green and become itchy. If it's the leather itself though, maybe try gluing some thin suede to the inside of it.

Should a chrome tanned leather be used for this, or a really soft veg tan? I'm not into purses, but my sister is so I thought this might make a good gift.

Your fabric work is slick, combined with leather it's even better. You're definitely onto something.

Hah! That sounds like my professor who would admonish us "Don't let it get precious to you!"

Before I started, I got my hands on this book: http://www.amazon.com/Leatherworking-Handbook-Illustrated-Sourcebook-Techniques/dp/1844034747 and found it incredibly useful for looking up things like what the thicknesses of leather are called, and what kinds of things they can be used in. Ditto with the tools. That book is how I got started in leather mask making, since it's a project that can be as complex or simple as you want, and can use tools as simple as a blade and wool dauber, or go all out and use everything you can throw at it for fun.

What kind of feel do you want the border to have? Highly structured? Flowing? Spontaneous? You can get some really nice free-form looks by combining stamps you have in ways you might not have thought to use them. I forgot to take pics of the finished steps, but this was a "vine" I made by using a scalloped edge stamp, flipping it back and forth so the "vine" curves to and fro. I added a leaf stamp to each joining so gaps/overlaps are hidden. I'll put up a pic later of the completed thing when I get home if you like.

You know that saying about when you're a hammer the world looks like a nail... One of the key things I learned in my art classes was to know when to stop messing with the thing you're working on, get up and walk around a bit then come back and look at it with fresh eyes. Hard to do when you're in the groove, but sometimes essential.

Oh yeah, those corners...You can have some fun with it, practice with scrap and see if you can make some different shapes or just leaving the corner a bit blank, like that top left corner? I think it would have looked better without that last stamp going straight up even though it would have left a blank space.

I agree that the extended basketweave is a neat look, it may just take some fiddling to get it to the point where it really gels together. Have you thought about going back with a pointed tool and compressing the lines where they meet? That's really the bit that stands out to me (aside from that spot where it's angled slightly differently so the two lines cross each other). On something this small, it shouldn't take toooooo much longer and the look might be worth the effort.

Nice job, although it looks like the lining up of the basketweave got away from you a little. Better than I've done with it though.

Next time don't stand on your head when making them.

Aweseome, but you'll have to redo them so they're not upside-down.

I made two of those for christmas, I think I'll give a third one a try so I can finally get in on a challenge.

One thing that might be affecting it is if the belt is producing a lot of heat. That can anneal the metal a bit, making it dull (or at least let it lose its edge fast).

I'd get one of those foam mannequin heads from a craft store and experiment with fabric laid out on it first, that way you can roughly see how it will shape up.