lightningad

the Armour looked great, and a good amount of screentime too... but speaking as someone who edits commercials for a living, i found myself wondering what the heck was being advertised for 95% of the running time!

you read my mind Paul - i was intending to do just as you suggest and get some shorter reels from Ian. How have you found it to work with? I think the google ad failed a little - my friend mentioned it when she placed the order for the satchels - said mine reminded her of the imitation leather satchels she'd seen on googles ad !! I think it was the gaudy colours made her think they were plastic.

Thanks Chancey - appreciate that! weirdly, i actually got to quite enjoy the stitching!

Thanks Renee, Much as i like really bright things, i probably would not have picked red myself. It was my wife who pulled it out of the pile saying it would be ideal...And i think shes right! I think i might see if i can find some of that braided thread for the next ones, as the linen thread did seem to fray a bit after it had been through so many holes!

Thanks Cheryl

Big smug grin time! Just been asked to make two identical satchels for a pair of twins! How cool...

sorry in advance - i just can't resist asking...how do you know your bee is a virgin?

Looking really nice Andy. One question - when you say cash pocket - do you mean for paper money? cos i was wondering how you stop coins from falling out?

They deliver as well as letting you visit. I visited as i wanted to rummage through the offcuts! http://www.jwoodleathers.co.uk/offcuts.html this page has the opening times (its not the best designed website on the planet!) Thanks for the link...i'll check Nick out.

trivia time - denshaw is most remote village in saddleworth! thanks for the compliment - its first time i tried chrome tan also. I liked the fact i didnt need to do any dyeing! At the same time I bought a huge cowside in a rustic waxed finished - really nice looking with all its knocks and scratches. I'm planning a big bag that i can use when travelling - big enough to use as carry-on luggage but hold all i need. Don't know if you've been, i got the leathers from J Woods at Cononley nr Skipton. Huge selection of leathers...i got mine off the scrap pile. over 40sqft for just over £80. Mind me asking where you got your makerstamp done?

really nice looking work, and by a local chap too! just finished my first satchel last week http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=46748 - a thoroughly pleasant learning experience, and yes, i find the stitching can be very therapeutic. adam

i think we should also add that as well as buying the best tools you can, be sure to learn how to maintain and use the tools correctly! Sounds obvious, but i wonder how many tools don't live to expectations simply because the user was unaware of how to sharpen it before using it?

don't get hung up on "the right way" to do something, as there are usually many different ways to achieve your aim. Just make sure you learn from everything you try.

Damn, you're getting good at this stuff Renee!

i agree with the others - a more natural effect would be to have the shadows deeper... ..but then why not get a bit of scrap leather and try experiment by doing it both ways. You'll gain the experience of carving that particular design twice before committing to the good leather, and you might find you prefer the other look. adam

The Saddlers Round Knife from Le Prevo is really nice! and a very good price too. I got one for christmas, and although you will need a decent set of honing stones to get the initial edge, once its sharp it cuts through anything with ease. I made my own clams with some very basic carpentry, 30mins and some cheap bits of pine - works fine and cost me nothing. Bone Shaper - i made my own from a piece of Black Walnut - which i sanded down on a belt sander to get the profiles i wanted, then smoothed it out on finer sandpapers, works really well too. When you are buying leather, its worth ringing le prevo. I did and got some very helpful advice from the guy whos job it is to pick the leathers for you.

very nice camera!

thanks. My wife spotted the leather whilst rummaging through an offcuts pile at a suppliers exclaiming "...that would be good for a satchel" so a project was born! I made card templates for the main parts and stapled it up to check sizes...the main issues i had were that i chose to reposition the pockets once they had been constructed, so all other ideas about buckles needed to be adapted. And having never stitched around a gusset like this before, i was careful to leave enough overlap incase i had miscalculated the length needed, and because i had attached the pockets and strap hangers to the gusset first, this meant i needed to measure an equal overlap on each end, then stitch the gusset outward from the centre point of the bottom edge! Fortunately it worked! totally agree wiijjit - its the experimenting that makes it fun!

First time i have tried making a bag...very happy with the result! some dodgy stitching, but its 100% handstitched, with no glue used. The design evolved as i went along, and because its my own design, i was learning all the time. Hence the odd strap holding the buckle. A solution to a problem i had not considered when starting out. On the whole, i am happy for a first attempt, obviously lots of places for improvement...and i need to figure out edge finishing on chrome tan, as i have never used this kind of leather before. Love to hear your comments adam

hmmm...i can feel another project queueing up behind my two current ones!