DoubleC
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Posts posted by DoubleC
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I've decided Tanner's bond leather cement works the best for me. I tried Barge contact cement and had really bad results, not because of the barge but I just couldn't really get the hang of it. And when I glue something I want it to stay glued and the leather cement does that for me. Cheryl
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I am an artist in the truest sense of the word when it comes to figuring out how to make a mistake look intended....only because I'm not a leather artist yet. I have had some projects that just refused to be fixed, and everyone does. But I always try to make the mistakes part of the design. And I keep my ones that won't be fixed because it's so nice to look back a month, 3 months, 6 months later and see how much better I've become. If you believe all the hokey on here some people tell about their first projects, well just don't :-) I've seen people post .....my first swivel knife project or my first use of a basket weave stamp, baloney. They should read my first use of a swivel knife I had guts enough to show after practicing 6 months or my first use of a basket weave stamp that didn't go completely wonky after 200 tries. Leather work is a combination of art, science, engineering and technique and no one is born with all those abilities where they are selling the first project they ever made. It takes practice, patience, and a love of the work to become better. And lots of mistakes and fortunately a place like this to learn faster than if you had books only. Keep it up, you'll either love it or just decide you want to do something else. Cheryl
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Leathe Art
in Art
Well thanks for letting me know what they are called. Not a 'pretty' enough word for your birds though :-) Cheryl
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I'm not sure this is a gusset question so much as a sewing question. Do you have this problem when you sew anything besides gussets? Because when you are hand stitching, there's a lot involved in stitches you are going to see. People use two needles and never put their awl down because it won't make the exact same mark when they pick it up again. I can't do it that way myself, and just made a hand sewed messenger bag with a blind stitch for that reason. Cheryl
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Well as these things usually go, I laid out the options for the customer (in such a confusing way even I didn't understand it, like my typical explanation) and he went with what I thought about first....dark brown with tan antiquing. I've never antiqued like this in a reverse way, or it seems reverse to me, so I'll be practicing that and the other techniques on here so I can send actual pictures to Duane so he can actually see what I was stuttering and stammering about. So we'll see how it REALLY turns out after he sees me use all these techniques. I'm going to include a painted sample to on the light. Thanks for all your help. Cheryl
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Ditto on the cutting :-) All my cutting tools have united against me! Cheryl
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I get everything from SLC Chief. Did you talk to them? They've always made everything right for me even when it was my mistake, like when I order Fiebings oil dye and meant to get their institutional water based. They shipped me what I MEANT to get free. I don't even look other places now because they have been so good to me. Cheryl
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Oh I was going to water down the dye and maybe even add a little white acrylic to it, then I can use the medium brown antiquing on it if I get the strap lighter than the cutouts. Or I was going to resist around the tree and initials and dye them dark brown. I'll try the blockout on scrap like you said with the same dye I used for the cutouts and see if that lightens it enough. I could paint the tree and initials instead. Well pretty much paint them brown or black :-) He liked the tractor but that's because it's painted to look like an old tractor. He talks about the plight of the small farms a lot in his songs. I don't think he'd like rusty red on the tree and initials. He's just really kinda into brown and I was surprised he liked the tractor painted. I'll just have to play with some of these techniques and see what I can come up with I think he'll like. Thanks Kevin, I really needed some help on this. I just want all the elements to 'pop' but be subdued at the same time. I guess that's what I'm saying. It's not so much he's into brown I don't think as he wants everything there but subdued.
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I never thought about that. I could do the strap light and then use resist around the tree and initials and dye them darker. I was actually just looking at SLC for that latex rubber to do something like that but I already have block out, haven't used it in a while so forgot I had it. I'd have to use my light tan watered down to get lighter than the symbols though because they are made from the regular tan, then I added antiquing to the state and made a 'rusty' light red for the tractor. If it would ever quite raining here in the Verdant Hills I'd suntan it. I did an eye that way and liked it a lot. But since I'd like to finish this year, LOL, I'll try watered down light tan. Thanks Kevin
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I am terrified at almost every stage because every step gets you closer to a great finished project (well I like them anyway, and my customers seem to) and a chance of ruining that project. I do a lot of guitar straps. And first thing you have to punch the holes. I'm not afraid of cutting anything I can use my strap cutter on, but can't cut a straight line to save myself without it. I am so much better at leatherworking than I was 9 months ago, but still can't cut a straight line. And I have a great oblong punch for those holes, but it's only an inch and I need oblong holes 1 & 1/2" So I have to do a double punch with mine after trying to keep it straight to begin with. I just can't seem to even MEET straight much less become friends with it. I do custom work so every project is different. I am always learning new things and I love that but I am always afraid of messing it up from the beginning of getting the design on until the end. I don't mind dyeing as much as I do everything else. I'be found that if I put my dye on FIRST, including in the holes and then burnish them with saddle soap and canvas the dye doesn't get all wonky around the saddle soap. Took me a long time to learn that. But then trying to go back over with edge kote or something? Since that also takes steady hands I wait until the top has a finish on it, and THEN use it, and when I make an 'oooops' I have a chance of wiping it off.
I guess I should explain I have an anxiety disorder and very shaky hands. Odd combination for someone who loves working with leather. I am sorry when a project ends while heaving a sigh of relief at the same time. So I put off starting a new one while hardly being able to wait to start on it. This is a great topic. Cheryl
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That I can't do. It's for a 'manly man' that about choked when I mentioned dyeing the State of VT. green, LOL. I'm kinda locked into shades of brown. But will a lighter color highlighter work on a darker brown to make it show up more? I'm not worried about trying them or how to use them so much as I don't know how they work. Like say would a tan highlighter or even antique (never thought about the fact I could get a lighter antique probably) show up in the creases? Sure, an antique would, just didn't think about it. Then I could also do the smaller strap a light tan too. I'll check SLC for light colors in the brown family to highlight or antique. Thanks Sylvia. Cheryl
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Leathe Art
in Art
Beautiful. I didn't realize they were called 'plugs.' I learned something new today about my own work. I often do leather on leather overlay on my guitar straps instead of covering the leather with an exotic. Now I know what to call them. That is really gorgeous. Cheryl
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I didn't know how else to explain it although the strap is only going to contain leather. It's more a multi-technique problem I guess. I'm doing a strap where I'm going to sew on the leather pieces in the picture. However above the State I'm going to stamp initials and behind the initials but before the tractor I'm going to stamp and carve a tree of life. If I do the strap light with antiquing which I had originally planned, the state and tractor are going to blend right in with the strap, especially the state. If I do it darker I'm afraid the initials and tree won't 'pop.' I've seen a few threads about highlighters but have never used them and don't even know if that is something that would help rather than antiquing so I can do the strap a darker brown. I mean trying to highlight the stamping and tooling.
This is the first strap I've made like this that had both on it, and I really can't think of a way to make everything pop. Any ideas will really be appreciated. Cheryl
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Those are so beautiful. I love the stunning filigree work. They make me not EVER want to make a pair of boots one day, I would have this image in my head. I could never live up to the mastery you have. Why don't you show us more of your things? I honestly don't remember seeing anything of yours before. Cheryl
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Your first project was a bag? It is beautiful, and to pick that first was pretty gutsy. I tried to make one months ago and totally messed up the design, it flipped all the time. Now 6 months later I'm doing a second one that's working out well. I love the simplicity and work of yours. Cheryl
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Beautiful work. cheryl
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Chief as you may or may not know, most of my work is custom because I DO enjoy that. I know people have a hard time conveying things at times, but I think it's like us, as we work through the process of a new project often times we'll think of something else we'd like to do differently the next time, or get too many ideas of new projects we want to do. But of course I've never had a custom order of that magnitude and I'd have to think long about taking it. None of my items are alike, they are all one offs. Not the most time efficient way of doing business and often I have to do a project twice because I'm so new I may not have done anything similar before. The thing I like the most about custom work is I usually surprise the customer by interpreting their ideas that may have been nebulous to begin with into something they hadn't even imagined. When they show off what I made them, knowing no one else has something just like it, and they think I did something magical it's just really what keeps me interested in the work. People have different ideas of what custom is. I was researching guitar straps last night and found custom straps for $110.00 that actually were identical. You could choose to put your name or initials on it, and choose from three colors. That's not a custom order to me. They were very nice straps but not custom. The last strap I finished the guy didn't know what he wanted. Finally he said he liked oak leaves because he used to live on Oak Street. That's all he could come up with. So instead of doing a traditional Sheridan style strap I carved and tooled oak leaf 'litter' on either side on an oak tree. He was delighted with the way I did it, and he'll never go somewhere and see that same guitar strap. I attached a picture so you could see what I mean. Maybe that's why it's so hard for me to let things go sometimes. My new strap I'm working on the guy wanted the state of VT on it and a tree of life. I listen to his music a lot and he has a lot of songs about the plight of family farms so I cut out a farmall tractor to put on it as a leather overlay along with the state. The rest will be carved and tooled. He'll never walk into a music store or go online and see 'his' strap somewhere for sale. And that really pleases me. And gives me incredible freedom when I do a project. Sometimes too much because I get so many ideas sometimes I have a hard time making decisions. Cheryl
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I've had trouble with that although I haven't sold that much and am still pretty new to this. I have a hard time finishing projects sometimes and I think it may still be some regret that they are leaving 'home.' I get better with new projects, well some of them and it makes the whole thing like it's all new again. I'm doing a lot to push selling locally and maybe I think it will give me a chance to 'visit' some of my things. When someone buys something from you it's a validation of your hard work and effort and an appreciation of your art. So suddenly you want that art back. I don't think you thread jacked so much as brought up a complex subject and I know I really had to think about what some of these feelings are. Anyway, maybe all people who create things feel that way, I don't really know Mike. Cheryl
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Congratulations on your sale. I guess it's already too late to tell you to run, you've got the bug. Let's see, I'm up $93.00 on etsy and down over 1200.00 in NON consumable supplies, don't want to talk about the consumables, you know the little things like leather.
So, I just used the groover and the spinny wheel thing because I liked the effect even without the actual stitching.You are seriously having too much fun. And I wont tell you what I charged for a handmade dog collar black with nickle hardware and pyramid spots. Lined and sewn so the spot stays don't touch the dog. It was SO not as much as yours I feel even more foolish than I already have been because I can't get the guy to even pay the pittance I charged him, LOL. They call that 'stupid tax' here. Man I've paid some serious stupid tax.
Your collar is beautiful. Cheryl
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Nicholas, I'll try and answer your questions the best I can. I think a beveler on the edge on your leather would help a lot and are readily available. They make a ton of them but when I need one I tend to use the french beveler or 'edger' as they are sometimes called. It's just a matter of practice and preference.
Usually stitching involves two pieces of leather so if you run out of thread while doing it, you go out a hole and leave the thread in the middle of the two leathers, and when you start back you go in the hole you didn't complete before and leave the end of the thread in the middle. The sewing makes the leathers tight and holds them although you can ad a spot of glue to them too. Then at the end, just poke your thread down between the two leathers with your needle and again use a spot of glue on it if you want to.
I can't say if this is right, left or wrong. I tool, carve, stamps and punch holes before I dye. That way you can get inside the holes with the dye too or if brave do a burnish and a darker dye on the hole edges to give a more finished look to your project. Also score your stitch line before that too. Then dye and then stitch. That's how I do it. And I find a brush the hardest way to put dye on so I use damp sponge. I hope some of this helps. Cheryl
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Johanna, I like the board and my pages do load faster. I like being able to shut of the FB crap and that's about all that was bothering me. I don't come here to talk religion, politics, or even sex although all these handsome men float around here :-) I come to talk leather....all aspects from designs I'm working on that aren't working to the totally off topic which some how seems to be about leather most of the time. I asked for help and give it and when someone else asks for help on something I can answer I give it. What more could you ask for from this diverse group of enormously talented folk that I want to be like someday. Cheryl
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I made this strap for a dear friend so if you see anything odd in the oak leaves it's because I put some hidden pics in there that were relevant just to him and the quirky friendship we have. I don't do Sheridan but he wanted oak leaves (He's doesn't even know what Sheridan is) because he used to live on Oak Street. I don't interpret them folks I just try and please them.
And he was very pleased. I did my own style of oak leaves, not a traditional Sheridan but leaf litter with an oak tree in the center. So this is George trying out his new strap. -
I'm with Aaron, I really like your work. And if the card slots are big enough, it's a very trim, neat wallet. Cheryl
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You folks recently gave me some great advice on marketing and I wanted to share something stupid I did. I was hoping maybe as we all got more knowledgeable about Etsy or FB, it doesn't matter we could just keep this thread going with tips for other LWs.
One morning before I had a business meeting I went to Etsy and changed all my titles to include FREE SHIPPING at the end. I thought it would be a good strategy and not that costly in the long run. A few days after that I found out on the site some where, I wish I could remember where now, that google will not pick up your title if it has free shipping in it. Plus there's several other things they won't pick up if you use special characters. I know I saw someone at eBay or probably tons of them typing LiKe ThIs iN AlL tHeIr aDs and other things like that. Google ignores those titles too, and the !!!!!!! etc.
I don't feel like most of you are my competition but rather friends and extremely helpful people. Maybe I'm naive but I think there's room for all of us and our products. In the recent thread someone said I needed to get up more products on Etsy and that's true, but I keep actually reducing them. One was in someone's treasury or whatever that stuff is, maybe a favorite, I don't know. But I took it off because the better I get at my products, ones from 6 months ago embarrass me. Does anyone else have this problem? I can't produce fast enough to keep up with my own standards.
Anyway if you folks want to let's share tips for utilizing Etsy and FB to the fullest because I'm totally lost with my FB page, don't even go there anymore. Cheryl
How To Do These Colors
in How Do I Do That?
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I don 't know how you can get that pattern other than what was already suggested but there is a latex rubber you can put on as a removable resist and it works better with an airbrush than it does painting. There is a thread on iot under the dyes, etc. forum, but Kate I believe. It's pretty amazing stuff. Cheryl