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Leather Girl

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Posts posted by Leather Girl

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome to as others have said the best leather forum on the web.

    Now it depends on how limited your tools are but than can be accomplished with minimal tools. Always try it out on some scrap leather. Once you get the pattern onto the leather and start working with the knife and other tools you will see how easy it is. If you have some deer foot tools they are a help in this and would work well.

    Randi-Lee

  3. Posted · Report reply

    I would use vegantan leather

    My two cents/ Knut

    Vegtan leather is still leather not vegetable. Basically the only thing one could do this on is using a wood burning tool and burning it into wood but wood is not help at all. The only thing you can do with faux leather is sew it. So you will have to tell your vegan friend it is leather or nothing.

    Randi-Lee

  4. Posted · Report reply

    As I pay more in Canada for leather etc., along with if I have to ship it in. If I ship it in it is the cost of goods, shipping, what I am hit for gst and customs along with brokerage. I charge $30. per hour on top of it for my labour and tooling, I like to leave a little wiggle room and people always whine I am too expensive. However they will go to the GAP and buy cheap crappy leather made in some sweat shop and pay twice the price. Then it will either fall apart or crack and they just wasted $600. on a crap vest.

    Randi-Lee

  7. Posted · Edited by Leather Girl · Report reply

    No honey, these are make on 2 inch conchos. I intend to add smaller conchos for earrings to match but everything costs, and until I get the business actually up and running, I try to stretch things as far as I can. I made one handmade spectacular (to me) eye that was all in proportion after several attempts, that was all hand carved and beveled (still the one I wear although not nearly as good as these) and a genius friend of mine on here used the picture of it to HAND carve me a mold out of wood. It's Tree Reaper and if you ever have a question about something he'll walk you through it if he can. Kevin has been with me through out this whole project, from where my eyes looked like microbes that crawled out of the primordial slime, up to that one almost perfect eye. He critiqued eye after eye. he drew pictures and lines and arrows on my pictures then put them back up on here. And then he made THE mold. It is truly a work of genius.

    Then I happened to be lucky enough to meet a girl on here WinterBear who can do everything like Kevin I think. She spent time with me explaining about what colors to use to shadow and why, and critiqued the new models with Kevin. So what you see now is their work really more so than mine. That's why you thought the eye was a stone, and they look so realistic, no matter what colors I use for the 'horse.'

    I made a blue one for my sister and a lavender one for my niece and they looked like they were staring a hole in you as much as this one. It's all about starting with a realistic design (the mold) and adding the right color combinations. On this there is a little saddle tan dye mixed in the white for underneath the eye which would be shaded and a little yellow added to the top which would be in the light. They are actually washes made after the initial color. I have learned so much here Randi-Lee and I am so grateful to have found this group. Actually Kevin found me a machine that makes conchos so after these are gone I intend to make my own. Thanks for writing, Cheryl

    Well Cheryl,

    Great job. Up here conchos of leather have two slits in them, no good. That is why I thought you had made them and very perfectly too. The horse eye is very perfect and I am even thinking of ordering some. I love them.

    Those are not heavy so you could still make them into earrings.

    Randi-Lee

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I went to Tandy and was given many items for free, I use them as templates. Then I they gave me some things at 2 for one and picked up some leather and will have to go back probably in a week to get more leather. Let's face it I should have shares in Tandy and they know me and usually I don't walk out of there under $300. I deserve things for free.

    Randi-Lee

  10. Posted · Report reply

    I understand labor-intensive. I did another eye yesterday and it took all day and I still don't have the necklace for it. I could actually do probably 3 a day setting up a little assembly line type thing, working on one while the other ones dried, but I'm not complaining, I love what I'm doing.

    It is beautiful. That is the difference all the things I do I enjoy and wish there was more of me to do that. Are you using 4-5 oz for the eyes and it looks like you are cutting them out with a olfa cutter that has the pinked edge.

    Randi-Lee

  12. Posted · Edited by Leather Girl · Report reply

    Cheryl,

    That is me, always late to the party. Well now the only one you have to please is yourself and that is a good thing. Yes, running a business is crazy stuff but because of issues in partnerships I won't have a partner. I run about four businesses and I make all the product for three of them and it is driving me nuts. That is because it is all labour intensive.

    Randi-Lee

  14. Posted · Report reply

    Thank you Randi-Lee

    Actually when I completed the sewing part, everything looks fine, and the leather was too thick for me to pull the thread too hard or tight (my hand fill with needle holes and water bubbles when I done that part).

    The wrinkle problem comes after I turn the bag out, it took me ages to turn it because the leather was very hard even I did wet it to make it softer and I still have to force it to turn, when it finally out, the leather no longer smooth as brand new >.<! it looks like a bag being used for a while, when I hand it to my mother in law I felt so embarrassing like I gave her a used bag.

    Most likely I will be keep using hand sewing, not enough space at home, I'm actually using my dining table for my leatherwork LOL sooner or later I think I'll crack the glasses on the top.

    Eve,

    Did you punch holes in the bag first? If you have like the 4 thong hole maker then it may take some of the stress off. These don't make huge holes. Put something over the glass on your table a soft cloth or whatever. You may also not want to do an in and out stitch but a whip stitch may be a bigger help. Do some mini bags in different stitches and see which one turns out best, when you turn the bag.

    Randi-Lee

    Cheers!

  15. Posted · Edited by Leather Girl · Report reply

    I make and paint these. I also take custom orders. They don't have to be in horse colors like these; I made a blue one for my sister and a lavender one for my niece. If you want one of a kind jewelry these are it. I have silver plated necklaces on the way, thought I'd see how I liked the look. Tell me how you want it made. $25.00 and 2 for shipping in USA. Would have to figure out shipping anywhere else. Thanks, Cheryl

    Sweet! What kind of stone did you use for the eye? These are very adorable.

    Randi-Lee

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I have recently tried the waterstain and was also impressed with it. One of the more impressive things was the fact by accident a piece of it went in the washing machine and dryer. It came out very well and nothing on my clothes and nothing off the leather. Glad it was a trial piece that ended up there.

    Lesson: do not stick leather in your pocket and not check them before washing.

    I call it my blonde trick.

    Randi-Lee

  19. Posted · Report reply

    Eve,

    Something tells me you were pulling the thread too tight and it will start to bunch up the sides. You have to sew a bit and smooth it out and sew some more. The corners are difficult and you have to be careful with them. When sewing a corner, like sewing in a sleeve of a shirt you have to be careful stretch it around corner. Best to start sewing at the top from one corner one side and do that and if it comes up a bit higher at the other corner you can trim it. This is hard to explain without showing it.

    Sewing a bag by hand is a royal pain in the butt. Now, I sew them on my machine and avoid that stuff.

    Your bag looks beautiful and I wish you all the best if you continue sewing them by hand.

    Randi-Lee

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Big difference between the 44 Super Blackhawk and the 22 single six. Is your customer looking for a traditional western style holster or the Hollywood fantasy drop loop gunfighter style. If they want traditional I might be able to help as I have some of the Will Gormley pattern packs for traditional style western holsters.

    Yes, huge difference between 22 and 44, that is why I rechecked with him. We were discussing 22's etc. probably why I got confused. He is looking for a more traditional style. If you know the names of the packs I might be able to pick it up at Tandy's

    Thanks,

    Randi-Lee

  24. Posted · Report reply

    It looks like thread in it. So the question is, is it thread. If it is then it would be a long tedious project. One would have to punch lots of little holes because getting and embroidery needle through it would be impossible.

    The embroidery machines in the malls are worth about 50k maybe more now for a single head.Those will do very thin leathers and depending on the make, a Tajima will do about half inch thick of cloth not leather. You would almost need doeskin or probably a 2-3 oz piece to have it embroidered. It would be very expensive because it is charged by the number of stitches needed.

    Randi-Lee

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