CDragonworks

I like this... The photos really add a personal touch...she really should LOVE it! Cat

Nice work... I like the coloured stitching! Cat

I found that Lysol kills the mold on my saddles without causing damage...I spray it on and then wipe...then wash, dry and oil it. I have had great luck with this on my saddles and bridles which get really YUCKY here in S TX! If you have a saddle that is light coloured I would test it in a spot it will not show...all my tack is black or mahogany!Cat

I have heard he lives around these parts...I do know I LOVE the town the area and MY BLACK Dirt....it grows nearly anything! Here are a few of my miniature leather pieces.... The first one is a Breyer Stablemate...like 4" tall.... I hand cut all these pieces freehand...no patterns... the western saddles are all built on a tree made and baked at home... Hope you enjoy seeing my silly work!

I have found Liquid Stitch Fabric glue(the water based) to be the very best for leather work...it is a clear when dry glue that holds tight and is waterproof. I can't use Barge as I am allergic so I had to find something that I could use...there is no stink and no mess(water cleanup while wet) and it bonds tight...I have used it for horse tack and I use it on all my applique and cutwork... also dries fairly fast. You can buy it by the case from Brewers Sewing Supply or by the bottle at Hobby Lobby! Cat

Almost any acrylic can be used on leather... a good trick for using as a wash I find is to use alcohol to thin it...it dries fast and allows you to layer faster... I like Golden paints as well!

As a LOVER of the story I made a topper with all the characters from woodcut and Disney.... Hope you like it! Hand cut,hand tooled and hand painted.

Machine is SOLD>>>>>>> Thanks all that showed interest! Cat PS Thanks Sam for helping!!!!

It is not in the catalogs now so as far as they are concerned they never existed! If any of you have them and will sell it or???? I really do want a different Topper pattern! Thanks Guys at least I know I am not NUTS!HEHE!cat

Hi I saw this and I wanted to share a great thing I use to teach people to sew...do not thread the machine...practice with it without thread or bobbin until you can control the speed. I advise sew in a quiet place no music or noise and barefoot.... learn to hear and feel the motor. I also suggest before you put any foot pressure on the pedal have your hand on the hand wheel and pull forward gently as you give the motor juice... You may have to do this for a while but use scrap leather to practice control and get a feel for the machine. I had to teach myself on my Singer industrial as I had no one to teach me... but I had been sewing on all other types for years so I learned quick enough... You will learn the sound of the motor starting to pull and you can make the machine walk WAY slower than the controllers will and still have fast when you want it! I do top stitched details on mine with hard curves and such so trust that it can be done.... Have fun!

I had the Tandy Hat patterns back some years ago... well we had a bit of water get into our storage area and made the pattern stick together...we salvaged some of it but not all...then it vanished(not sure where) So I went to Tandy and they insist they NEVER had a hat pack... anyone have or know where I can get the pattern pack???? I really would like to find it because I want to make a couple of hats from it... the top hat was AWESOME! Cat

I am new to this forum but not horses. I have one horse that is VERY hard to fit. Seems the more athletic and touchy they are the harder to find a western tree that clears the shoulder blades well. The horse in question is an old line Arabian. I have found only one tree that ever fit and they do not make a saddle on it(Billy Cook) so to get the tree and saddle you must get lucky and find one used! I tried taking him and my other arabs to a guy who claimed the tree maker would make a tree to fit but that failed and the tree we got is a plain old Semi Quarter bar tree. It fits the TBs OK but even they have dry spots on the shoulders. So my question is how do you find a tree maker who will listen to what you need??? I need a tree that is more upright...not flat(my horses are not mutton withers) it needs to be wider at the top and narrower(than most) at the bottom with a flair on the front of the bars to let the shoulder blades slide back... My old arab will walk on his hind legs for miles if a saddle pinches...and the sad thing is he can do it! But if the tack fits he is the finest most athletic horse you could ever wish to ride! Anyone have any ideas??? Cat

Nice work...I love Edgar Allen Poe

I find that a coat of wax keeps them from staining... you can also spray them with lacquer to help stiffen and seal after doing the hot water harden... I use the laq on top side of horse tack and wax/oil the bottom...avoids staining... Good luck whichever you try! Cat

I like the basic design...I think you need to make sure the details are crisp so the details show. Are you going to add colour??? A border might add something to draw your eye...I agree with Kate make the hammer match the anvil a bit so it looks like it is being used... minor changes can be major! Good luck can't wait to see the final one!Cat

I use the water based Sewing glues to piece them together... Liquid Stitch is my favorite. it is permanent and water proof! I get it from Hobby Lobby or order it from a supply house!Cat

Sometimes it is the twist of the thread... they come in Rt and Lft twist...You need to make sure you have the right thread for your machine! Hope this helps...

http://www.brewersewing.com/BQSS_Consumer/productmainstart.asp This is where I was getting my parts... have not ordered(have not needed them) for some time... But they had most everything for my antiques and newer machines!

Here are a few Custom Orders I did.... The purse is the famous bucking bull.... Carved and hand painted.. The boar pouch is cutwork with leather glued under and top stitched Elk Phone cases carved and hand painted Falconers pouch with a red tailed hawk...cutwork with painted and inked detail More to come when I have time to find the files! Thank You for having me...this looks like a great place to hang out with other nutty folks who play with leather!

I forgot to add my web address...Sorry to say it needs redoing VERY badly but the leatherwork side still shows a bunch of my past stuff... I need to find a GOOD web design program that I can get along with! If you know of one that is not too corny and not too hard to use...I am not great with HTML.... Email me the info... http://www.dragonworks.us The horse side is WAY WAY out of date now... the only horses I have are my Arabs and a couple of my Moms TBs.... Anyway there is a good sampling of what I do... This is my old Arabian, MD Faduly, (when he was still a stud) in full garb... he still does most of his tricks.