ramrod

i really like the fact that you have a lot of pockets in that wallet....i have a sewing machine and i haven't figured out the tutorial as to how to make the innards of a wallet. nice job on this. i would say that you might want to straighten out your stitchng a bit. but it IS a nice job for your first.

is it possible to simply sharpen the rounded style to get the point that you want?

no, i don't get bummed out. i try to grasp a sense of accomplishment for what i've done. we're all our own worst critics, so i take the opportunity to relish the completion of the job.....if i can. if it went really well, i often wish that i could make another, or the person will be inspired to have me make something else for them - while i'm riding that high.

EC??!! that couldn't be for.....Eric Clapton? could it? LOL

no one??! tracy - you might want to post this question in the braiding section. it might get a few hits.

that wet formng method you described would work. it would hold it's shape after drying and the stitch up would be easy. i guess in retrospect, it might be fairly easy to do this. especially if you can disassemble the shears. you have to watch out while the leather is wet because it will mark up very easily and you can't get the marks out. i don't think you could slide the covers on after stitching. too many contours. it just wouldn't go. better to stitch them in place.

if it were me, i'd put them on OVER the plastic. they might be too small to sew if you were to put the leather directly over the steel . plus, the plastic might help them to stay put. it's going to be tough to stitch them - not much room to move and just small in general. veg tan lather is what you'd want.....maybe 2/3 oz?

interesting thread. i am a lefty, but i have adapted all of my life. i agree with the OP - i don't even realize i'm using my right hand sometimes. i naturally pick up a pair of shears and use them in my right hand. it just feels natural. i guess it was from watching my mom sew and use them when i was a kid - i thought you would naturally use them in your right hand! after all, that's how my mom uses them! same for shooting a rifle and pistol. it must have come from watching westerns as a kid. i just naturally used a weapon in my right hand because i saw it being used that way. on a side note: i deliver for staples. on my route, i have usually about 40 stops a day. i'll have to actually count, but i'd say that almost half of my signatures throughout the day are from leftys. uncanny. and most of THEM are on the cornell campus. creative AND smart, we are.

i just noticed your reply to this, LTL. i'm sorry i missed it. i haven't started yet. i'm still working on getting the doctor-bag-type frame for the briefcase. i have found one on the ohio travel bag site, but two problems: it is 16" long and i want it to be 18". second problem is that it's actually a doctor bag PURSE frame. i'm afraid it won't be heavy enough for a real working briefcase. consequently, my progress for getting things together has stopped. i'm looking for suggestions, but since no one has answered this thread, i'm not hopeful. i might look into getting a frame made for me. but i have nothing to compare it against.i also looked on fleabay to see if i could buy a case and deconstruct it, but they are going for too much money - even the beat up ones. i'm not sure what to do now.

all good tips.....one thing might help is to glue it up first. if it doesn't fit when glued, it won't fit together when stitched. as a side point, i've never made a wooden mold at any time while making the camera cases that i made for myself. i actually cut the leather by eye and it came together really nicely. optimally, you'd want to make a wooden mold. if it's not possible, you can fit the leather around the camera and mark it thoroughly with a pen before cutting it out. then double check the fit after cutting.

take a look at the dixie gun works website. do a search for catalog number hl1202. they have one for 17 bucks. not a bad price to use it for a pattern.

holy crap, that is beautiful!! i really love the period look as well as the aging. someday i'm going to tackle something like this. i'm looking at wild rose trading co's website on a regular basis......and drooling. nice job on this

no, the original hardware doesn't look like it would work on leather. one thing i've seen before (and someday i'm gonna steal the idea) is to have the hardware applied to the straps even if it isn't a "working" hardware. then use snaps to open and close the bag. in other words, the hardware is just for looks. just a thought on the pattern. it looks like it could possibly be adapted from an old purse. it's almost like it has a front, a back and one gusset in between.

very nice job! well done with the hardware, too. where do you get the pelican hooks?

i've nver thought about it, but i think it's a great idea. from the looks of it, the pattern can't be too hard to make.

welcome aboard. you might want to look further down the forum menu. there is a forum about mocassins and footwear. that might be the best place for some information. we're all on the same forum, but that s a specialty all of it's own.

you're welcome.

as for burnishing, you don't need a lot of pressure - hardly none at all. it's heat that does the work. burnish it just fast enough to build up heat and that should do it. i've used too much pressure before and it tends to mushroom the edge. looks nasty.

a saddle stitch should work for you. after all, it is strong and easy to do. in order to prevent your needle from piercing the thread, you have to pull the first thread back through the hole slightly as you insert the second needle. it's pretty much standard practice while hand stitching. it becomes a habit before too long. sounds like you have the proper thickness if you are tripling the leather before sewing.

what exactly are you stitching? the reason i ask is because when you stitch together light leathers, they tend to pucker - and it ain't a good look. there's really no structure to the leathers by themselves. possibly a sewing machine can make it a bit more tolerable.

yup. i've seen that before. evry time i see it i say "oh yeah, i know how to do that" then i forget. thank you for the pictures sylvia. nice job. question: how do you terminate it? can you backstitch somehow to lock it in? i can't see how.

o.k......now i gotta see some pics. i think i know what it looks like, but anyone got any pictures of it?

huh?

i got my 211w155 about a year ago and have just started to expirement with it. it was used in an awning shop exclusively. it came with a ton of nylon bobbins as well as a spool of nylon upper thread. size 69 for all of the thread. the needle is quite large - i can't make out the size of it because the numbers are worn off. it seems too large for the thread. i figured there had to be a reason why there was all nylon with the machine. this doesn't answer your question directly, but the previous owner must have used nylon exclusively for a reason.

if you're talking about snaps, rivets and spots and the like, you'll find all of the above and more in stohlman's books. the ones that come to mind are "the art of making leather cases" volumes 1-3. also, the book "the art of hand stitching leather" has illustrations, i believe.