DoubleC

I was going by the design and from the fact I used to ride English. Maybe it is cheap, could be a China import who knows. How do you know it's cheap from the picture? It's a nice looking saddle.

Oh Kevin, I think it would be worth it. That's an expensive saddle. Cheryl

I agree with you. The only way I'd try to do anything with something that would be if it was mine.

Man that couldn't be in a worse place could it? You know Kevin, I don't see why that one part couldn't be repaired. I mean if it was MY saddle and with me being the queen of cheap, I'd take that part off on down and to the sides. Then I'd sew another piece for it with a weld on the cantle because he's not going to sit on that part, or have his back or legs against it. If a saddle maker does it, they'll replace the whole seat more than likely, and I'd be afraid to guess what it would cost. I'd charge 150.00 plus materials and I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing, LOL. Cheryl

Andy I emailed you....do you still have any of this? Thanks, Cheryl

I'm sitting here with a leather needle, awl and a big bird leg. You posted this just in time, well but I guess I found it late. I'm looking at my stitches and your left over veg tanned isn't any wider than mine but you did two rows of stitches, and I have mine situated where there's just room for one. And my stitching looks gigantic next to yours Mike. Your work is just so classy and beautiful. I was going to send you a picture of the inlay tomorrow but I may rethink that :-) Sometimes I can hear you bellowing clear to VT. Seriously, just really beautiful work. Cheryl

Mudruck, I just had this conversation with my VOW counselor this am. He had a friend of his, the most popular musician in this area do me a favor by taking my new guitar strap and business cards, and the man is going to wear the strap part of the time at his gigs. My counselor thinks things may soon get really busy for me. I have a lot of leisure things I love to do which are prohibited in a lot of ways by my disability. He suggested I think about hiring someone to go places with me and get me out of the house. For leisure things if nothing else. I love what I'm doing but he reminded me it/'s soon going to become more like work and less like an addicting hobby and I'm going to need the leisure stuff. Sylvia just gave you good advice, as did everyone. Cheryl

Well the way I heard everyone talk about servo motors or foot controllers, or something like that I thought you needed something special to slow down a 15-91. But it will go slow, it just likes to race, kinda like me, into the surf, glub :-)

Syl, you mean you're not SUPPOSED to get frustrated during a project? LOL. I downloaded some covered bridges to use as a pattern, nothing elaborate. Then I started practicing sewing, and had my machine going almost one stitch at a time. I didn't know the old foot controllers could do that but I guess it depends on whole foot is on the controller :-) I have a new electronic foot controller, but haven't ever put it on. Now to get to where I can slow it like that reliably an d I'll be almost ready to sew maybe sorta!!!!! c

I actually went on a vacation once to VA, and stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast, and went to a covered bridge to eat my lunch along a trout brook. That would make a nice pic. if I could come close to remembering it in my head well enough to get down on paper.

I'm thinking about showing someone at a leather bench, and the background can be the thoughts of finished and future projects in my head, LOL and then the closer can be the tools in the crate holder, and then closer than that can be other tools spread out on the desktop I put on my bench, and then I guess me hunched over a piece of leather would be the closest. Because that's how my summer has gone so far this year. But that would be hard perspective with all that 'close' LOL.

I sat down and sketched the picture I wanted to do, and it was uh, well perspective was the least the matter with it, LOL. I haven't tried another one yet.

OMG, that's gorgeous. Cheryl

I could just repeat what Michael said. and Starry, Starry Night was just a simple painting. But I'm not going to call you an artist and risk the wrath of an old grump. But it's beautiful. Cheryl

I would subtitle my name if I were honest with 'Accident in the Making.' I recently started out to make a lizard underlay snake guitar strap with the wide strap being dark, the narrow natural, and the lizard brown. It then changed to a lizard overlay snake so I could try and not mess up the strap with the cut. Then it went to an ostrich body leather in light brown because lizard is too delicate for an overlay really. When I messed up the edges on that it became a dark brown/black snake. When I messed up the edging on the oblong hole in the small strap it became dark. When the vinegaroon rubbed off on the wide strap from my oblong template I made I first dyed it natural tan using very watered down dark cocoa, but it just looked dirty so I dyed it regular tan watered down some. I'm getting ready to sew the backing on and if I mess it up, it will become laced. All I can think is, 'what if this was a custom order?' I think I'll take that part off my website and replace it with, 'you can buy what I end up with if you want.' I may not be good yet, and don't expect to ever be great but I can adapt so maybe I could add that too my name. Custom adapted leather work/craft/art/now pay me. Still I've enjoyed what everyone has shared on here, just hope the poor person that started the thread didn't decide to leave leather working completely and move on to something easier to identify. I think it's interesting how we can all use the same tools and raw materials yet have such different and interesting opinions of what it is exactly we do. I think I'll stick to leather mangler, shorter and easier to remember. Cheryl

Ferg, that's beautiful, and what a wonderful way of inspiration. Cheryl

Dale, I heard every word. There is a difference though, the brass buckles made in China you'll be able to read a newspaper through. I can only recommend Jeremiah Watt to you, I love the buckles I got from him, until someone told me he outsourced them. But they're beautiful and really well made.....somewhere. www.ranch2arena.com Hope this helps, Cheryl

I wouldn't have thought about the email thing either. And I wasn't kidding about Wizcrafts. He has a 15-91 at a very reasonable price. And I would help in any way I can, try and find you someone closer, etc. I practically live here and this is the last place I would take advantage of someone, not that I would anyway. The main thin is to see you get a machine you can use and at a price you can afford, especially since you're just thinking about this one job primarily. None of that post was intended as anything but to be funny, and also to tell you about some options. I live in VT. and shipped one of these to CA. for $35.00. And I've had enough broken by the PO to wrap it so it gets there in one piece. But if the 111W or even the slower speed will do you better then we just need to figure out how to get you one of those where you live. Cheryl

Oh man I love his work. I didn't even know he had videos. At that price must be good ones too. Cheryl

Well I wasn't one of the spammers, LOL. Anyway just sewed this up in about 5 minutes on my non-industrial, and I think someone called it a 'pretty toy' machine 3 layers, 5oz, 3oz, and elk hide. I forgot to tell my Lucky he can't sew leather so he keeps on doing it. Now if my stropped scissors could cut those layers a little better. BTW I'm not trying to sell you a machine.....Wizcrafts has one with the motor that will slow down and asking a more reasona ble price than even I would, and I'm a very reasonable person. Seriously, it is too bad about your email :-( Cheryl

Oh Hazy, I'm sorry I missed somehow that edge kote had to be used on that type of leather. I'm not familiar with all the ends and outs of different leathers yet. I have no idea what neat lac is, resolene won't go over the edge kote effectively? And I'll assume you can't get that either for some reason, a friend of mine just reminded me after I posted here that mop and glo (or shine, dag, what is that stuff called) the all in one application that cleans and shines can be used in place of resolene. None of that? OK, then I go ahead and try a small bottle of lacquer from your hardware store (going from the neat 'lac') and test it. If it doesn't work you can always use it on your furniture I guess? Cheryl

Then you just need to decide where you want to spend your time, and what you like to do best. Just because you like something better than leather doesn't make you some kind of failure. I couldn't list the things I've tried and lost interest in before this, would take all n ight at my age :-) Cheryl

OK I can see you need to work some on your painting, but overall I think they are excellent. And the perspective you got on Spidey is great, really pops to me. So really your frustration is more with time and the expense? There are a lot of small things you could make and try to sell, your patches for instance that would give you more money for supplies. Time I can't really help with Capn. You'll have to figure that one out, sorry. Cheryl

I use Bobby's method to a certain point. I sand the leather, saddle soap the edge good, burnish with canvas, dye it with any dark dye, don't use an anything special for the edges, burnish that with denim, redo if there are light spots, then just use my regular finish on it. Leather Sheen, resolene, whatever I happen to grab off the shelf. I prefer resolene, but I usually save that for things someone else is getting because I'm low and haven't reordered. I used to add it to my acrylics when I was thinning them, so don't know why you couldn't thin it with the edge kote. I wouldn't use a wood product on leather and find out 6 months from now it cracked. Had that happen when I used a clear glue on inlaid rhinestones, and 6 months later the finish was cracking and rhinestones raining down. Cheryl

Oh, well money is a big frustration, I can understand that, as can a lot of folk. Time, another. I get mad if I'm working on something and have to leave for an appt. or something so it must be very hard with your siblings around. I will get to the end of a project and find I only have 2 Chicago screws and need three, or brown thread and need black, little things but expensive when added up and frustrating when you want to finish. I think we'd still like to see what you've done, I think Luke had a good suggestion.