Penden

We've tested out koolaid dyes on kids' work and that turned out pretty well. With kids projects, do you finish it with anything after that? I see low VOC acrylic finish from Tandy Leather. I'm wondering if painting the acrylic finish is the same level of risk as painting with plain acrylics. Is there anything else I should look at?

I have the round hole punch like used for belts, so I was planning on using those because they are indeed easier to lace through. Thanks. My mind is a little boggled. I've always used the stitching pony! I figure a very small project like a coin purse and whip stitch would be a good start. I can have it precut and mark where to punch holes or prepunch them. I'd want hammers for stamping... So I guess mallets and extra needles and daubers. That's not too bad.

I have a related question about stitching and lacing with middle schoolers and up, and classes in general. If I have 5 students, do I need 5 stitching ponies to do lacing?? What tools do I need multiples of besides hammers? For the dyes I was thinking low VOC dyes and they can dye a small project like a bracelet.

Thanks, every one! Cutting it out afterwards is a great idea. I may have to try that! The dead weight looks ingenious, too, so I don't have to worry about scuffing up the leather with the weight. I had the beveler correct/not backwards I believe. I had just watched a video showing how to hold it and the tapping you guys described. I'm just new at it and hand trouble getting it to skip...and carving the lines how I wanted them. For dyeing I saved and cut up card board boxes, and put those on top of painters plastic... The dyes can even dye concrete. Ask me how I know! It is really nice not to have to worry about any spilled dye.

Thank you! How do you keep something this small still while you work? I had a rubber mallet resting on it and it still moved and was trouble to work around. I might do some celtic knot work next so I can follow a pattern and I think that might help. I agree that the legs stand out too much. The image I went off of only showed the two because the others are behind the wings. It looked OK in the drawing but really stands out here. I made it into this bag:

My first try for carving and beveling

My first try for carving and beveling

Thank you so much. The red is redder and the liquid frisket is amazing!

Thank you! I will definitely be trying their red dye next. I have used a paint brush for small areas like blocking in letters, and I've liked the results of that.

I am getting back into leatherworking now that my kids are getting older. I feel like there are some things I've forgotten, and/or I'm unsure that my old methods are acceptable to me now. Attached is a picture of bracelets I'm making. I am using fiebring dye with those little applicators that come with them and in small packs (a white puff on a little metal rod). I'm thinking that at the very least, they could be a little wider for my wider products, so I'm swiping over the leather one time. I'm reading now that some of you dilute the dye and dip for a better coat, so if you do that, how do you lay it out to dry or hang it without marring the product? I suppose I could apply some sort of resist in the letters? So, after it dries, I'm using Fiebring sheen for the finish, which is a flexible acrylic. I feel like I am wasting/spilling/soaking more of the sheen into the cloth than actually gets on the leather. Does the type of fabric I use make a difference? I also find that it pulls more of the dye off even if I've already rubbed the leather with a wet cloth. Am I doing something wrong? I used to use a spray but I don't remember what it was and I'm not sure I want to use something that might be more toxic and require a mask. What are my options for a good finish? PS. I really wish the reds were less pink! It's a beautiful color but it annoys me that I can't get true red

Thank you, I will try that because if the finish is not the problem then the paint application most likely is.

I used a waxed-based spray coating on these bracers and the paint started to chip off almost immediately: http://picasaweb.google.com/mr.mulington.the.3rd/Leatherwork#5510793450096814370 (before use) I am painting on top of dye, with the acrylics from the leatherstore, and then coating. Is waxed based coating not going to work or am I maybe applying it wrong? I also have acrylic resolene that I've used but of course the spray is easier to apply. How should I be protecting my paintings?

Thanks, guys! I did actually make a mistake on the coasters with the pattern. I traced something wrong when I was transfering the pattern to the tracing paper. Whoops I usually design the knots by hand if I'm not pulling them directly from the celtic knots book we have. That program looks interesting

I dye mine with spirit-based dye and/or paint them with acrylic, then cover in a coat or three of resolene.

http://ketlin.deviantart.com/#/d2wa833 Some of the stuff I've been doing lately

Very beautiful

I have a pattern I am saving for when I have the time to try. http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/05/crafting_a_corset_part_1_getti.html We need to fix our sewing machine and we don't normally use a lot of garment leather so it is just kinda out there for us right now. Yours is gorgeous

Gorgeous! I really like the knot in that first pic and I like the pink color, too

I love your work. Stick around and keep posting!

Wow!

That's a great idea! I could make them for you Seriously though, let me tell you a bit about how this one turned out. It's made from 6oz leather so it looks great and works as a "posture" collar to keep the chin up. However it is not the most comfortable thing in the world for those exact same reasons. The lacing and stitching are no trouble as those angle away from the body. The top and bottom edges are what got to my sensitive skin. I softened that up with saddle soap but that only does so much. For this material and design you simply trade comfort for the "posture" part. I am planning on making a suede version with the 6oz leather only at the eyelets to help keep the shape. I had abandoned my first suede version because it wrinkled even though it fit well. That should be way more comfy but it won't work as a posture collar at all, and of course I won't be able to tool it at all either. Those are just the materials that we keep on hand for our other items for now though. I already had a couple of people ask me about full-body corsets. Those are just too demanding of an item for us right now as we've never dealt with them before and it looks like a steep learning curve for someone who's never done a lot of clothing items Thanks for getting a thumbnail up, I can't figure that stuff out!

The twitter account I've made sales from is nsfw / "adult". If you or anyone else wants it anyway, shoot me a PM

couple things I wanted to add - When we do shows and my husband is making stuff right there, people love that. When I see stuff like that it draws me in, too. Makes me feel like the crafter knows what they are doing. And on that note, holding a conversation with a customer and actually knowing about their hobby/whatever is great for that same reason. Know what your customers need and want when it comes to your product. Also, customization and uniqueness. I have gotten a lot more interest in my work when I let people know that I will customize their work. This is something that walmart just cannot duplicate. Of course the customer is not always right, but don't take for granted the amount of customization you can do easily that might impress your customers. I've had people order from me after learning that I will do it in the color that they want. To me that is "duh!" but to them that is being flexible and caring about what they want. Pricing. Whenever I add a new product I do a lot of research on what other people are charging, and if possible I only count products that are also handcrafted like mine. I might offer a discount to the first couple of customers who will try out a new product, but beyond that I do not go below what other people are selling for a similar item. If you charge too little, it will cause people to undervalue the work and either go somewhere else or expect all your items to be too cheap and to be ready right away. If the $ is too much for them even after you talk your work up, that is just too bad. There is a certain point where the time and effort put into it can't be undervalued. Either you need to be patient and wait for the right customer, or you need to find another way to do that item better and more efficiently, or you are selling the wrong kind of item or bad design. The only exception might be if the item goes with another item. Selling a set of something can make you more money in the long run when you can add $20 to the set for an item that takes you 20 minutes and $5 of material. Then you start making your $ for the time and effort spent on the large item that you can't seem to sell by itself.

They look good! And nice picture size... it actually fit on my computer screen