JLSleather

"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

With your own site, you (nearly) set your own rules. If cutesy isn't your thing... why not? If it's fees and rules, you'll have that with any site of that nature, and the only place i know you'll significantly reduce that is your own site. If you "don't get many sales" on your own site, and your site doesn't have all that cheap crap, then cutesy's cheap crap may not be the issue. Cutesy got big because it's EASY TO USE. But SO MANY (most) people want to set something up, then have that work forever. It usually doesn't' go that way -- you have to adapt a bit now n then. The "down side" of cutesy (in addition to the sea of junk) is that IF you make some sales, you're still giving away your name in a way. Many people will buy something FROM YOU, then when asked where they got it they say "FROM ETSY". You are paying them to advertise for them BUT - they do keep the site updates current (this has to happen, since the rest of the 'net' changes, they have to change to still "work" with the 'net'). And they set up a structure so all you have to do is 'plug in' your picture and price. They calculate and collect tax. They purchase google ads that sellers benefit from. I only mention these because if you use your own site these are things you will need to do yourself (or pay someone to do). cutesy wants to increase their 'sales', just like you want to increase yours. so they do what increases the revenue. Makes sense. I call 'em cutesy because they have ALWAYS been ACRES of cheap crap. They are RELYING on the fact that people DON'T THINK. Most aren't stupid, they're just way too used to getting their information from television and apps, or from others who got their information from tv and apps. Whole planet of the blind leading the blind. I still have a few things over there, simply because the times I appear in Google Ads I DIDN'T PAY FOR is more than the fee I pay. When they pay at cutesy, they get a quality JLS thingie... and a card that has my own site. I don't have an issue with this. VERY few items available anywhere can claim to be original. There is sometimes not a hard clear line between "manufactured" and "hand made". Two guys on this site buy a piece of leather, one clicks out a front and back for a holster with a press and a die, sews it with a machine, calls it all 'hand made". other cuts around a pattern with a knife, sews with a needle and awl, calls it "hand made". When I go to buy something, I want something QUALITY. "hand made" is a GRIFT, a SCAM, a HUSTLE. MANY use that phrase to try to persuade you that their goods are "better", despite some being clearly NOT better. When I shop, I want WELL made. I have good boots. I have never asked how they assembled them, and I do not care.

I made wallets for YEARS with the innies about 1/4" shorter (lengthwise) than the outies. Leaves a slight bend in it when it's open - doesn't go completely flat (which, you wouldn't want anyway). And you absolutely can (and I absolutely DO) sew through the middle -- all the way around back to the starting point. I've always thought it looked stupid with that little patch between the stitching. Looks lazy - like the maker just couldn't be bothered with an extra dozen or so stitches. Long as this has come up, might as well say here that this is the same thing that happens with lined belts. The thicker the inside is, the longer the outside needs to be. I sew all the way around those, too.

cutesy is a strange place. I've heard horror stories in their forums about people so terrified at the thought of a "negative review" or "bad feedback" that they basically let the "buyer" keep an item, send 'em a refund, and all but apologize for the "buyer" being put out I got an email late last night, guy wants to know if this item is ready to send out or custom as "I’m looking for something now not in 3-4 weeks." I double checked the listing, which - sure enough - clearly says ships in 3-4 weeks. Right next to the pic of the goods. But that wasnt' the thing so much .. guy coulda missed it. But his "please advise" is a bit militaristic for me (only missing the ASAP), so I won't be replying. At all. Some people ...

WHAT THE ... @#!@! Some folk 'round these here parts make their own holsters, including those for the shield 9. If ya need a good leather one, maybe hit up that kid from Alybamy and tell him what you like ... His web site is being re-worked, but he'll get a message if you use the contact form

HEY I like it Bold lines and contrasting colors make this attractive and noteworthy without being gaudy and obtrusive. Decorated, but not over done.

Sad that this continues to come up, been going on for YEARS. You'd think SOMEBODY around here would put out a quality product in an 'insert" fashion. I never liked Tandy's stuff, and I didn't care for SLC's that I used (though they have some out now I have not tried). But the Chaylor inserts sold at SLC are quite nice. I still have one or two of those around here somewhere... many include "id window". They aren't priced to go in $50 wallets, but if you're making a good product they are worth the expense. Actually quite nice. I have made my own a number of times, usually when I can't find what i need already packaged, but the amount of sewing involved makes the C-F inserts a good buy.

I fish alone. Yeah, with nobody else. You know when I fish alone, I prefer to be by myself.

Not dropping loads of weight as yet, but I do seem to be getting some of the vascularity back... so must be leanin' up a tad? Scale aint moved much just yet ... The goal is to lose about 20 lbs (turns out 15 isn't quite enough after getting on an actual scale) and to increase fitness until I basically look like something from invasion of the body snatchers --- like "before" ...

And maybe some screen to prevent squirrels and other rodents ...

My machine / thread is covered with clear plastic when not in use Looks like easy enough to make with a piece of plywood and some light dowels ...

I was thinkin' 'bout more time ta USE one

There ya go. Gotta git the work done, but it should be FUN. Look behind that "serious all the time" guy, you likely find somebody tryin'a sell ya sumthin' 'Preciatecha! I'm likely to be MORE fun without all that designin' ta do Genetics maybe? I remember 100 years ago or so, my Dad - hard workin' honest fella - got promoted. A lot. After a while, he was #3 on the pole at USS (which was big back when). Hired a couple of his old buddies to work in the mechanic shop on the company vehicles - because he knew them and knew they could do the job. Big on RESULTS, not personalities. They got him an office with a typewriter, but he doesn't type. They didn't like him to walk to work, he should drive that company vehicle. No, we can't have "management" down there in the shop building helping the mechanics (Dad had the nerve to hold a part while the guy put the bolts in it). Dad said I DO put my hand right there for a minute if it helps the guy do the job I hired him for. I don't type, so put that typewriter on the secretary's desk - I don't need it. I walk 5-6 blocks on a sunny summer day. If I'm the boss, like you say, then I can do what I want. So Dad said that cabinet place up the road been trying to hire him for a few years. Everybody said (with SHOCK) you don't wanna quit... few years you got a PENSION. Dad said he don't wanna spend the next 5 years doing something he don't like Not a different world, just a different man. Many - even then - would plod through for another half a decade ... tolerating their job ... so they didn't have to learn anything new or actually DO anything. Dad could have "rode it out" like so many. Wait on the pension.... gotta get the free stuff (as opposed to actually earning). Around here -- a lot of em spent 20+ years (some 30+) at Deere learning how to show up and put THAT bolt in THAT hole. And outside of that, really don't know anything. Had a couple DECADES of a babysitter... you show up at the daycare, you get fed (a check) and somebody tells you when you can potty. And now you call yourself a retired "man". Yikes. Wench bought the house, step 1 was tearing out the concrete kitchen counter tops the "engineer" at Deere had "engineered". Idiot. But, to the FUN stuff. The rivers haven't gone back in their banks, but they stopped rising, so this is good. Purchasing additional walleye rod this afternoon ...

Well, yah - 'custom' does tend to take longer. Sometimes just to help them decide I don't mind that, though. But the leather has been hit or miss for a while, and it's just getting worse. My buddy Robert got me doing holsters again - after a long break where i did leather but not holsters. That guy made it fun again. But, Robert passed away a while back, and the leather quality is nowhere near what it used to be, and it's simply taking the fun out of it. TWO reasons to do something... it's necessary, or it's fun. Ideally, what is necessary should also be fun. But holsters have become not really EITHER of those things. I dont NEED to do it, so take the fun out of it is really the straw that broke the camel. Not to say I won't still do one here n there. I got folks who always contact me when they buy new toys. But this will let me do EVEN MORE belts ... Might even catch me on poo-tube showing sumthin now 'n' then. And between a couple the boys on here, maybe git ya some mag molds ya didn't have before and some patterns ya aint used yet!

Getting [almost] out of holsters. Not out of leather, but out of MOST models of holster. Meeting WAY to many "gun" people. If you don't know what that means, don't worry about it. PLUS, the quality of drum-dyed leather is through the FLOOR, and I just don't need the headache. So I'll be selling some blue guns shortly.. the ones I don't currently have orders for. Still be doing some leather, though. HEY, maybe I'll give CLASSES. I'm WAY prettier than anybody currently doing that! Need a specific model? Check at https://www.jlsleather.com/gun-models-holster-availability/ to see if I have it, then write me at jeff@jlsleather.com to see if it's available (if it's on the list, it's probably available). Keeping the 1911s and a few others, but most will go.

You learned to speak english, and you learned to type. You'll figure this out - it's easier than either of those things.

Could be the handle? For a while there, cocobolo was all the rage -- supposedly "toxic" chemicals within the wood. That might be rosewood, though.. aged. NZ just "banned" automatic (and semi-auto) guns. Uh.. no -- sorry, I don't answer for the actions of someone else. The fact that the govt failed to protect these people is reason enough to KEEP my guns. Clearly, defend yourself or get victimized. No, thanks...