jimmy eng

I actually thought it was a violin at first but man, that's got to be one of the best logos I've ever seen.

Sorry, this is the only picture I have of it, a bit dramatic I know. I was sleeping in my work studio during a flood, they cut all the power off in that suburb! I've tried to wet mold this silver skull I've got using thick buffalo hide (3mm) but it's too thick to work into the eye sockets and get any details from the face or even get the shape of the skull. I wanted it thick because I would like it for the flap of a satchel bag as a feature so it has to keep its shape to a high degree. The face is that part that matters most, the whole skull doesn't need to be utilized so I thought I could cut a hole in a wooden board to set the skull in so the face only shows but the forming is the problem. It's the span of my hand if that's any indication of size (6 inches?). Would doing it in a thinner leather then filling the back with a solid resin a viable method? I can't think of how else to keep the shape of the facial features. I think the type of hide I'm using isn't flexible enough either. Any advice is appreciated.

@Leatheroo, I didn't realise there was a Leather conference, I'm pretty much teaching myself and only know one other person using leather though he's specialty is plaiting and braiding (Angus is amazing at whips). I checked out the link and it just blew me away! I'm especially keen to do Cheryl McIntyres' leather flower and accessories workshop as well as Lorraine Tinniswoods' mask one, they're definitely in my area of interest. And it's not far from the city either. The only disappointing thing is that it's not happening now! But good things come for those who wait but I'm definitely going to be there! And thanks to everyone here, such a great community.

I tried a sample on my industrial and it seems to work the way I thought it was assembled. I think the problem was going around a corner and too much glue but it's only a matter of practice getting it right.

I'm trying to figure out how to make this kind of wallet. http://www.oki-ni.co...nvt/com0870blu/ How I thought how it would work was that I'd cement the lining and the outer leather to the zip then machine stitch it so both sides have equal seam edges. Am I correct in that thinking? I have a lot of of kangaroo lace cut offs that I thought would be good for the outer and inner if I didn't want to line it. The kangaroo is pretty stiff though so I don't think my machine (industrial straight or domestic with leather needle) would take it but I'll play around with it today, I thought if I posted what I'm doing maybe someone could give me a point of view on what they'd do. I'd prefer to hand stitch but building a big enough stitching pony is on my list of things to do when I get paid Is the kangaroo good for this kind of project? It's cut offs from hides to make lace with so it's really thin and stiff.

Hi, I'm Jimmy from Brisbane, Australia. I thought I'd introduce myself and let you know where I want to go with my leather craft so I can get advice from as many of you as possible and from what I've read so far, I've got a lot to learn! Hopefully, I can contribute what I've learned in the future. My background is in visual arts and fashion design. I started making small leather goods and jewelery just two months ago so I'm very much a beginner but my interest is in hand stitching. I 've made a few simple pieces so far and I've sold them at various markets that I do so hopefully they'll be enough interest to make a small living out of it as I'm not aware that anyone else sells hand sewn goods like mine in my city. I'm hoping to sell in 'rent a space' stores which hire the shop space out to designers and they sell the goods for you and I have a handful of friends that have their own stores. So far I've made boot straps, keyring cases and necklaces but I want to get my head around small wallets and bags. I attached a couple of my pieces and my facebook business page if you're keen to check them out. I get my leather from Maclace (Capalaba, QLD), J A Brooks (West End, Brisbane) and Birdsall (Sydney). This boot strap is the first thing I made because I had a pair years ago that broke and I had some of the parts left so I copied them but I can't find any chain the same size (the chain is from the previous ones). Made from 3mm Buffalo. This one is a keyring case from a 3mm Buffalo that I saddle stitched and used a size 3 edge beveller (I like the edge as a feature) and put on a strap. I was thinking of lining it with a bright kangaroo to make it more interesting and I'm getting a leather stamp made. This is a necklace from fabric glued between two pieces of leather. Looking forward to talking to people and plenty of reading. Cheers! Jimmy facebook.com/restlessaustralia