Sylvia

High lighters are a pretty easy to use. You put them on thick, working the stuff into the stamp and carved impressions and wipe it off right away leaving the stuff in the cuts. As to your dilemma with colors. I would probably go sideways and dye the strap a dark blue. Then your rusty brown would show up.

Sorry to hear about your troubles... just went through 4 years of that myself. Finally getting back in my feet. I'm not interested in the Cobra... but if you need a supportive ear, or $$$ saving ideas PM me. I could probably right a book.

All you need is a small compressor that at least meets the max PSI for the airbrush, a regulator (to regulate the air from the compressor) a water trap, (especially important in humid areas) The airbrush (recommend dual action) and the fittings to put it all together.

Way off topic but I thought you should know that Weird isn't necessarily a bad thing. Weird comes from the old English word weyard... which comes from the anglo-saxon Wyrd... which is the name of their Goddess of Fate. So... I would think being "weird" is a good thing... it makes you special. As for your question. I don't care for lacing either..... to me it makes a piece look cheap. I know the amount of work it takes but most of the laced things I've seen have been laced with awful plastic feeling lace. I'll do it if I have to but If I can I will always go for a cleaner look.

Just get a few cans of paint and hand them to her....let her spray paint them.

ha ha ha that's a good one.

That is definitely a superior tutorial. Did you make your front tabbed piece from the card stock pattern you made? Or did you use the tape? Also have you tried this on.... it might be that the angle is just because there is not a foot in there to hold it straight.

Hi Andy: you are learning why I hate black leather now. Only solution is to get a soft cloth like an old t-shirt and buff until your arms fall off..... then buff some more until no more black comes off on the cloth.

Hi Cheryl. Are you sewing this rough edges out or are you planning on turning this bag so the edges are hidden inside the bag? Why don't you leave the top edge of the lining open at the flap. That way it is a pocket of sorts for folders and papers on the inside. . This way you won't weaken the flap since it sounds like you intend to have the handle on the flap itself. If it were me I would probably put a piece of the heaver leather to sew the handle through on the underside of the flap... not sure how to deal with the handle. As for turning corners, I am sure others will help you with that... but what I do is center one hole at the apex of the corner and go from there.

I know that Sherman Oak went up in price per square foot this year.

Thanks! I'll give her a shot in a couple days.

Hi Debra... as always you make lovely roses and the hubby's vase is very nice as well. I used to work for a florist around Christmas times so forgive this critique on the overall presentation. The rose arrangement is too short for the vase. The general rule is measure the container then build your arrangement 1 1/2 times taller. Here is a PDF that may help you work out the proportions. http://tuscolaagricu..._principles.pdf http://www.baxtercountyfair.org/pdf/Principles_of_Floral_Arrangement.pdf

LOL I've seen this video before. It always brings a smile to my face.

Wiz: Do you know if they have 20x1s??

Those older singers (even domestic ones) are addictive. So show us pictures!!

I think he may be referring to the heavy vinyl you buy by the yard. It's usually where the roll goods are in the back and are mixed in with the felt backed, vinyl table cloth material. I bought some from my local True Value Hardware store, I got the really thick stuff and will be making sleeves to put around my cased straps. I figure it will keep the moisture content at the right point for me as I work up the strap. I'll just slide the sleeve down as I work. I never thought of using it for vacuum forming. That puts a whole new slant on things.

I agree with dirtclod, it's made from splits. If you cant' take it back at least you have a pattern... when you take it apart, like CC said.

+1 on the Dead Blow for a quick and cheap solution. +1 on the poly mallet/maul

Hi Randy: First lets get our vocabulary together. Raw hide... is just that. It's a hide that has been cleaned but not yet tanned. (think of the texture of those raw hide dog treats) Leather.... is a hide that has been tanned by what ever method. Veg tanned....leather made with tannins from vegetable sources like oak bark. Chrome Tanned.... leather made using chemicals like Chromium. Raw hide can be burned but doesn't take to tooling. Veg Tanned is able to take tooling and is known for it's crisp and lasting tooling marks. Chrome Tanned.... Can be tooled or embossed BUT the images are not crisp and tend to fade with time. You said your piece has "That raw leather texture...." Do you mean that it looks and feels like unfinished veg tanned leather?

Here's a link to the manual if that helps anyone decide. http://www.parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/110W124_THRU_W128.pdf

Very cool.

Now, I'll really stuff you up. Some folks say to use cardboard because it is less likely to round over the corners of your swivel knife blades.

Leather has a grain and because it was once "wrapped" around an animal... it will naturally have a curve sometimes. It looks to me as if you've cut across one of the curves which gave it a natural curve.