Hello everyone! I hope I'm posting at the right location...not an accomplished forum user. I have only been involved with one other forum "Primitive Archer". My hobbies are hunting with all wooden selfbow's, making all wooden bow's, early stages of knife making, and early stages of leather working. I've been making all wooden bows for about nine years now, and prior to that hunted with purchased recurves. Well enough on that hobby, but it opened up friendships with folks that also made knifes, flintknapped, etc. The knife making of course required sheaths, and here I am!
I have one friend who is accomplished with leather working, and have been to his home once for an all day sheath making session. He did all the work except the stitching, and I watched and took notes. At the end of the day he had created a beautiful oakleaf pattern custom made knife sheath for a knife I had brought. I've since made a half dozen or so sheaths and he has been able to critique a couple of them. He was brutally honest on my first carving attempt, but that's what I wanted. I think I've improved considerably since then, but still am very unsure of some of my tool working skills, etc. I've been very impressed by the quality of work I've seen here! Obvious that there are quite a few artist's applying their skills to leather working.
This friend of mine that helped me get started lives about an hour and half drive away, and is so busy with work and other hobbies that I haven't been able to spend time with him since that one day. I was hoping that among other benefits, I might meet someone here that lives close by that I might could get some "hands on" training from. I went to a beginning training class at a Tandy Leather store in Nashville a few months back, but haven't been since. So, anyone out there in or near Clarksville, Tennessee that would be open to teaching a leather working newbie?
If not, are there any good leather working video's that could be recommended? If they're of good quality, that might be almost as good as working with someone...maybe.
