JLSleather

Yer slots are a bit narrow. You could leave a bit more room under the grip without hurting anything. Some of that would be helped just by 'suckin in" the stitch line where you talked about. And yeah - those footprints are deep. Put a piece of light leather (3/4-ish) under the presser foot... prollem solved (and no going back to smooth later). In this vid, I actually used wet leather to make the marks even worse. The piece under the foot eliminates the marks (and I have the foot cranked down pretty good). footpad.mp4

Yah.. tha's the muted version This stuff always happens. Cutesy COMPOUNDS the problem by frequently (not constant, but frequent) changing the layout. So, people COULD get used to seeing how long it will take to get their purchased item - say for example - in the upper right corner. But by next month, that info is placed somewhere else on the page, with no link to where it went. So they have to hunt. And some find my stuff on Google Ads or Google shopping, which then links to cutesy listing, so they go to the trouble of signing up because they've never used it before, and they are shown "only 1 available", though the listing clearly states they aren't made until they are ordered. All that to say that with your own site, YOU control what they see and where, and how it's laid out. MANY issues can be eliminated (well, reduced anyway) by CLEARLY SHOWING how buyers or potential buyers can contact you.

Bookmarked.

Tandy used to be a place to shop. Didn't need to go there... just a call or a order form, adn I'd get decent stuff right off the truck at my door. Then got where you needed to GO pick out the leather. Then 'stuff' started being "discontinued"... then more stuff,... and more stuff.... seemed like every time I went there was something else they don't carry any more. When they stopped selling Royal Meadow tooling leather there wasn't much point goin back. Well, there was that little sales gal for a while ...

WHich is nice, UNTIL the snap needs to be replaced ....

It took me maybe a month to be making belts nicer than any around me - not YEARS. By the time I was at it a year, I could DUPLICATE any of the designs in those books I mentioned, and often improved on them. By the time I'd been tooling a year, I had more work than I could reasonably do by myself. I would have been willing to pay someone to help with the requests and orders, but couldn't find anyone who was both able and willing. Those who were able weren't willing, much like Yin points out, "many of those still in it didn't want to share their skills or knowledge". Which is a much nicer way of saying that they fear competition. And those who were willing weren't able - many couldn't get past the idea of bopping some wet cow and smearing some 'antique' poo on it. I DID manage to find a guy who draws and sketches incredibly well to do some of the design work for a while so I could tool and color the leather. These days I see (hear) people watching HOURS and HOURS of videos about sewing two pieces together. It's a SNARE people... you learn to sew by SEWING. There's a WHYintheworld video for EVERYTHING... you can learn an entire trade without leaving the house. Still need to put it into practice (which is called 'experience'). True. Nor was the leather I destroyed learning to do it. Also paid for the dyes, paints, threads, tools -- all of which I would have needed anyway. MOST the books I bought were between $6-20 each. So if somebody wanted to SHOW me what the book said, instead of me getting my own book, then I wouldn't have objected to paying somebody that same amount to show me what the book said. But that wasn't possible. The people who were 'doing leather' often didn't have the books, and those who did had basically resigned themselves to doing no more than absolutely necessary to get a dollar for what they called "leather craft" (most of them went the way of "craft shows" and "fairs", where cheap, fast, "commercial grade" leather work is passed off as "craftsmanship".

Nah... every USEFUL thing i ever learned was largely IN SPITE OF schools, rather than because of them. In 1980-something, I asked a guy a question. Maybe a week or two later, I asked another one. By the time I saw him a third time (he was SUPPOSED TO BE making a belt for me) he had a sign up "this is not a school". I let him live. But he irritated me enough that I decided to 1) make my own belt, and 2) make an example out of this petty, passive/aggressive woman in a man suit (seriously, a man could have said your belt isn't ready, but here's a rough time frame). I bought a good number of books, which in those days were largely Stohlman, and taught myself. Didn't take long to surpass most, but then I actually wanted to learn, not interested in doing little as possible to get someone to give me money. Now days, there are 'classes' and videos everywhere. Buy them if you like .. But the people making those, somehow managed to learn WITHOUT those. People learned BEFORE those existed. "Apprentice" is a polite sounding word, but an "apprentice" is supposed to be PAID, not the one doing the PAYING. Any 'payment' (compensation) would reasonably be in the form of a lower wage than would be expected for an accomplished, experienced worker. People ABSOLUTELY DO learn trades by working "for" or "under" someone more experienced. And they get PAID to work "under" them. I always say, when a fella thinks his opinion is worth SO much that I should pay him to hear it ... he can KEEP it

I don't see anything on there that assures a nice clean job, other than a steady hand. I suppose like anything else a guy could get used to using it and get proficient at it, but I'm not seeing any real benefit from that "dye box". Looks more than a little "gimmicky" to me.

Or, http://037287c.netsolstores.com/clearplasticsnapprotector-line24size-2.aspx OR, I don't understand the pricing here ... or maybe he needs to fix the web site display, http://037287c.netsolstores.com/clearplasticsnapprotector-line24size-1-1.aspx LOOK LIKE 29¢ each, but you order 12 and you pay $1 each ?@!! I think maybe he meant $12 per 100 Tell ya what.. you need these, text $25 to BR549 and I'll get 'em to ya at 89¢ ea

leather shark

Pocket holster for the Bond Arms Bullpup 9, lefty version with shark accent panel. Pretty sure it's a 'rule'.. when you design a holster, there has to be a lefty shark version. Also a rule, if you make the right handed cowhide version to have in stock, somebody will order the lefty shark version ...

Left a number, then doesn't answer it (I DON"T KNOW WHO THAT IS!) What's yer shop? Glad to refer a few when the walleye are biting

I think it's getting worse. Might have to have the web guy add a line, where you gotta agree that you've read the TIME LINE on delivery before it will let you order. Had TWO of them recently, ordered a holster by clicking right next to the "you git it in 6 weeks" button, call me following week ask where's my holster

He won't believe you anyway

I already commented on your pic on the gallery, but wanted to pop in here to see if'n there was pics of the interior. As expected, very nicely done. Add to what I already said... purse "feet", "logical" design, "pucker free" innards, interior compartments.... shutting off the screen now lest my wife see that one GREAT work. To bypass translation from ENglixh, let me just say ....

Yikes. The guy writes and asks can he get it sooner, or did I really mean 3-4 weeks. And I say nope, not kiddin. So teh guy BUYS IT ANYWAY, and leaves a note saying he needs it sooner. So I refund the purchase price in full, cancel the order, tell him maybe help him another day. Now get message, he didn't want to cancel, just was asking for sooner, and still wants the holster if it's available. WTH?@! Now I feel like if I sell him one, I gotta charge for the time for all the messages I gotta endure! SO THEN.... if you boys ('n' gals) are making pocket holsters for the Bond Arms Bullpup 9mm, theys a feller on cutesy whats a'wantin' one ... EDIT: OH yeah -- he's willin' ta spend $100 fer it, and he likes the pic of it on my cutesy thingie, which you are welcome to use if you like.

"Crickets", as teh saying goes.

Agreed, mostly. There are a few willing to take on the responsibility of actually showing up CONSISTENTLY and paying attention to what needs doing. Sad part is, we now live in a "close enough" world mentality. Like "Yeah, I know it's not right, but hey - "close enough". [Beyond that is the scam of "it's handmade, it suppose to have flaws]. Can't really fault a fella for not wanting to spend his time with someone who wants to "close enough" with his reputation. I don't list too much for sale 'round here. SO many "leather workers" want 'top dollar' for what they make, but seem to think it's okay to offer 10¢ - 20¢ on the dollar for materials and tools.

I spent YEARS trying to find others willing to adhere to a strict standard of quality. I didn't find them. And I was looking IN THE US. But that's another topic, nothing to do with Cutesy.

I wouldn't say NOBODY "appreciates quality handmade goods". I certainly do appreciate them. Just to be clear, I appreciate QUALITY. The method almost doesn't matter. Like: If someone spent 20 hours doing what could have been done just as well (or better) in 4 hours, then the other 16 hours was of no value to me. If it's not somehow BETTER, then it wasn't worth the added time. Now, that time COULD still be of value to the MAKER, if they just did it for the enjoyment. That time WOULD matter to me if I'm getting some OTHER benefit from it. Like, the product is virtually the same quality as the NOT hand made item, but it was made entirely without burning any fossil fuels. That would be of interest to me. But that would be tough to do. Even the leather itself comes with hours of chemicals and electricity already involved ... skinning the hide, curing, transporting, tanning, transporting, storing, ordering, then transporting... and that's all before it got to us!

Are we winning yet? 5 eggs scrambled, with chopped jalepeno and red onion, dribbled sriracha chili sauce. Yeah, I know half a dozen is an even number, but I woulda hadda reach in fridge and open next carton, so .... 5 is the new 6

Email today stating that by middle of May, payments will no longer be run through PayPal on cutesy. All cutesy sales will be run through cutesy payment system. SOME sellers whinin' in the forums say 'last straw" and "they can't do that" and "I'm quitting cutesy". In teh end, most of them will NOT leave, thus having to promote their own work. I don't think I"ll QUIT them, but Im already in the process of NOT having any finished, ready to ship out goods. That alone will reduce sales volume ... many people these days "want it now". Just refunded a guy.. asked if that item is ready to go, or if I 'really' meant it would be 3-4 weeks. I didn't respond. So he ordered it and payed ANYWAY, leaving a note "can I get it sooner". But I don't care to work with them folk.. so I just send his money back and cancel. Here's the thing... cutesy, my own site, some new place dont exist yet... whatever... MY stuff is MY way

Guess I'm the odd man out, Kid - I don't mind that 'background". Color will make the thing in this case, I think, but I'm not bothered by that texture at all. Now, stop readin' all this an' gitta wrk on that thing -- see ya in a bit

I guess the "thing" at cutesy if the seller doesn't agree to make it SOONER is to just buy the listing and leave a 'note' asking to get it sooner?@!# Causes me to refund all money and cancel order, much like eating too much too fast cause a PUKE