Sylvia

Squid... put on your best smile and go ask your local tandy for any of the bag punches that have been returned as not working. See if they will donate them... then get to work grinding the edges and sharpening. Check out Etsy too... I found a decent 1 in. round punch for not too much there.

Yes, it's sterling silver wire. The inner wire is substantially smaller and more flexible than the ring and bale. I was hoping to find sterling silver feathers but all I can seem to find is those silver plated ones. It's hard to work with the fine wire because you really can't pull the silver wire tight enough to hid the loops. But it gives a good example of how I've always seen them done. I like the spiderweb style you've done... and yep... have ran into a few webs on the trail while on horseback. I'm glad your niece can find some comfort in her catcher.... I am sure it works.

Wiz... condolences.

I believe it's called "The Original Strap Cutter." made by Leather products inc. I found one for sale on Etsy The "ORIGINAL" Strap Cutter http://www.etsy.com/listing/95211213/the-original-strip-and-strap-cutter-the

hi Joe! Now that's interesting. I have never seen a dream catcher done like that. Everyone I've seen as been done almost like one would make a fishnet. I'll post one of the last "catchers" I did in sterling silver and pink tourmaline. I have one that is smaller than a dime but I can't find the picture at the moment.

Those are nice Jason: I totally agree that Joyce and Jerry are awesome. I'm glad you find them fantastic too.

I have a 1948 Singer 128 and I can see where CC gets her addiction. These old machines are beautiful, tough and way roomier than modern plastic ones. I find myself fascinated by the engineering in the old bobbin winders and attachments. I have a 1948/48 Monkey Ward Model 30 rotary machine that looks like a streamliner train of the era. I finally got the so called automatic tension working on it yesterday and it's now forming a nice stitch on woven cotton.... but not so much on upholstery leather. Still, there is something satisfying about bring an old machine like that back to life. If only I could find a good source for 20x1 needles or at least something slightly longer that I can cut down with a pair of dikes.

Hmmm... then I wonder if a fishing reel winder would do it

Not a bad idea CC. Just don't mess up your plate.

I think the issue with cotton balls could be addressed by wrapping the cotton with a piece of woven cotton fabric. Before clamping in the forcep Jors, if you can get some wool that is sheared from the sheep, making felt is very easy.. It's just a matter of carding, wetting, soaping and agitating the wool until it felts. Here's a quick tutorial. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Felt If you can make several felted balls, it should be a simple matter of poking a fairly heavy wire with a hooked end through the ball, catching the hook and the long part of the wire in the ball of the wool, then clamping it down with pliers. Or you could use those forceps that Jack suggested or an Alligator Clip I found a used dauber that I had sitting around... and cut all the wool off. It seems the manufacturer makes almost a cork screw shape to hold the wool on. I had to pry the metal apart some to get the last bits of wool out... but this picture should give you the idea.

Sounds fun. Now I have to get out that PDF on Repouse I got a while back.

Depending on the size of the bobbin you can probably use a separate bobbin winder. https://www.google.com/search?q=bobbin+winder&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=bobbin+winder&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=pR7&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=kK0BULDNPNT2rAG2w8i4DA&ved=0COEBELMY&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=e1cf342493b20fb8&biw=1280&bih=677 I looked for a parts list for your machine but only found a user manual for a 29k62. I'll include it just in case you need it for some reason. http://www.parts.singerco.com/IPinstManuals/29K62.pdf

Dilan: If you decide to get a kit from Tandy Get at least the deluxe kit with the checkbook, belt and cell phone holder. The swivel knife and mallet are better in the Deluxe kit and you get more dyes/finishes. You might want to buy your basic tools and leather individually. The basic 7 set of tools are better quality than any of the stamping tools you'll get in any kit. And a bag of scrap leather will allow you the freedom to practice cuts and stamping without ruining a pre-cut project piece. The pre-cut pieces of leather in a kit are THIN and allow little room for a new carver to err. There are some things you can use that you may have in your tool box or garage already. Box cutter knife and some good sharp blades. Steel rulers or carpenter's square Drill/dremel and tiny bits (in place of punches) Dead blow hammer. (not a rubber hammer... Dead blow) Sand paper in various grits Sharpening Stones and diamond stone. Bench Vise: (can be used in place of a stitching horse... just make sure it's clean and your leather is protected from the toothed edge.) clean new cello sponges You'll also need a tooling surface and a cutting surface. Most of us have gone down to a granite counter top place and have asked to rifle through their granite scrap. Look for sink cut outs. a Kitchen sink one is best... but a bath sink one will do nicely if you are limited on space. Depending on the location... most get the pieces for free. (wear your uniform, ) Take a little time with a file and sand paper on the edges to round them over. As for the cutting surface... most use pondo boards from Tandy and some others use those white poly cutting boards from Walmart. The list goes on and on. But if you decide that you like working leather it is possible to build a collection of tools over several months as you find you need them to work projects.

Ick. Clearly they could have used some "drill instructor time" I still wonder about the "permissiveness" the last 2 generations have been raised under. I still think it's going to come back and bite us hard. Glad you got through it though.

12 inches should be enough to wrap a barrette. wet form them into spirals and glue those to the front. Or make decorative pony tail holders. Add some beads and make bracelets? Weave them to make trivets, place matts or pot holders? Buck stitch up one side of a picture frame made from Veg Tanned?

Do anything that you would normally be horrified about. Scratch the leather, poke at it, turn it upside down and jump on it in the gravel... roll it , oil it, drip dye on it. Sand it, beat it with a stick (or one of the meat tenderizer hammers. Then dye it... and sand, beat, and roll some more. Put shoe polish on it... and scrap it back off. LOL it's a fun but LONG process... take your time.

Work bench definitely. With that said, if you plan to draft your own patterns manually.... or draw a lot of your own artwork to put on leather a draft table feature integrated into your workbench might be advantageous. You don't say how large your work station will be... but assuming you have a good amount of space, you could design a drafting table feature into your leather bench. Maybe something that can fold out of the way when not in use? If you have the engineering ability, you could build a couple uprights off the back of the bench and have your drafting surface slip down and catch in adjustment slots and tip out from those up right pieces when needed... then be tipped back up and out of the way when you are ready to do some serious leather work. I would think that it would be fairly easy for a wood worker with some good tools to create. , In fact... if you built it similar to a murphy bed, it could tip down and then you could use another height adjusting mechanism to adjust the angle of tilt of the writing surface. Here's a vid that shows a murphy bed and how to build your own.

That's is pretty cool Cheryl. You can tell he loves that snake skin.

Hi Blakely You might find locating a pattern for gaiters a tad difficult. But if you want something that you can fit to your personal shape... you might try adapting a casting technique of pattern making to your purpose. Basically you put on a knee high cotton sock and have someone duct tape up your leg... over lapping the edges of the tape by at least 1/4" Decide where your cut lines will be and mark them. Then mark horizonal or perpendicular reference lines across your cut lines... then cut the whole thing off. Pull the sock off the tape and dust the sticky side with baby powder or corn starch. Use this to cut a pattern from card stock or butcher paper... be sure to measure and mark a seam line on this pattern. If you need pictures to look at .... try this link http://www.seamlyne.com/design/costume/footwear/footwear_index.asp

Hi Zina: OOOPS!! I've never used the Atom Wax stuff but the thing that worries me is the word "Wax" which has likely sealed the pores of the leather in a hap-hazard manner. If you try Cheryl's method of washing with saddle soap and trying again... well that might work... but just understand it may not. I, however ,would choose something that is a Known wax remover.... sudsy ammonia. (Fiebings has a leather dye prep that is basically Everclear, water, "proprietary detergent and ammonia). You could make it yourself if you want to take a trip to the liquor store. the formula is basically 90% water, 5% everclear, 5% sudsy Ammonia. In an open area with a washcloth "wash" the piece with the mixture and let it dry. (no need to rinse... since it is a dye prep) but it couldn't hurt to wash it with saddle soap after the ammonia wash. Now this is going to make the belt stiff...... you'll need to condition some... but do that before your Resolene, Satin Shene or Mop and Glo (50/50) finish. And if you can... spray your finish on with an airbrush or similar appliance. From what I've read and experienced.... the finishing is the most difficult, time wasting and surprising part of the process. Dyes rub off, or turn a completely different color than you had intended, take to the leather more or Less randomly in different spots.... you name it some of us have experienced it. UGG. It makes a person want to buy pre-dyed leather! LOL Good luck, I hope you end up with something you would be proud to wear.

LOL I choose to believe that you were just very tired at that moment.

it could be to simply remove dust.

KC I have seen people use the wooden strap cutter as a draw guage. You loosen the thing so you can smash the two arms together which allows the blade to come up. Take another blade and help the one in the cutter if you need to. Make your slit like Bruce says insert the strap cutter blade into the slit and away you go. Here's the video.

Yes, I had issues with it crashing on both firefox and chrome. In fact in Firefox (new update) it absolutely refused to load ANY flash... I just got a black box on the screen. GRRRRR I found a solution here. http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/747269 Google chrome apparently has it's own flash... so I had to go in and disable the plug in. Here's the link to that one. http://www.lockergnome.com/media/2012/01/20/how-to-fix-shockwave-flash-crashes-in-google-chrome/ I will still get a crash when I play a particular game... but other than that I'm running smoothly.