lightningad

very nice job, great colour and they look very comfie. are you going to try making any that strap behind the ankle, like the jungle sandals that are very popular? I like the security of being fastened to my footwear, but also like the freedom of a sandal !!

thanks Bob - i came up with the idea a few months back whilst making some gfits. I wanted to add a personalised carved panel to a chrome tanned cover i'd made (i made four, and this image is the one dyed veg tan one!), and was also looking for cost effective ways to close the journal. The two just came together as a tuck-in flap, and i've taken it a stage further on this latest skull journal. adam

Just wanted to show off my latest project...and already it has earned a commission from a colleague! its an A5 sketchpad cover, decorated with a rather tasteful sabre swallowing skull motif! Stitching looks a bit wonky, as i was trying out different methods on this prototype, and i think i'll stick with my original method. The edges are not the best, as i made the mistake of dyeing before burnishing, but i think on this project it actually adds to the rustic battered and aged feel of the piece. Would love to hear any comments or opinions. I can take criticism as long as its constructive! adam

I have honestly never understood why anyone uses it. I tried but could not find anything useful on it, and dont even get me started on how un-navigable it is. I realise it works for many, but i have no idea why!

Aaaarggghh! I hate Facebook!!

Its a great idea, but i think the site would need a different kind of access for those who are not currently signed up. I have tried to direct friends to gallery images in the past, only to be told they couldn't see anything without joining the site. A marketing forum would be less effective if all it does is preach to the competition! In fact - is it possible to allow non-members to view galleries, even if they can't view the discussion forums?

Thanks Silvia! - thats exactly what i have been doing! Only problem is that the editor doesn't always appear when starting a new topic This is what shows up in my browser... as you can see there is no way to do what you have described until after the initial New Topic has been posted, then I can hit the Edit option and the page you described becomes visible... I noticed on this page, there is a tiny triangle at the upper right corner, which toggles the options on/off. Unfortunately this is not visible on the New Entry page! The really odd thing is that sometimes the options are visible and sometimes they are not. I havent needed to use them enough when starting a topic to have really noticed the options until recently, but then it might also be a browser issue! Not everything reads html the same. adam

thanks everyone...now i understand. Its not so much the blade thats the problem as the bearings or lack thereof. I'll stick with what i have and spend any spare cash (ha!) on leather for the foreseeable.

maybe i was lucky, but the swivel knife that came in my Tandy kit seems fine to me. I have never used one before, but after spending a while honing and stropping it when i first got it, it seems to cut well. I have done quite a few cuts this past year, and my technique has improved with every project, the knife has given no hints that its dodgy. Please could someone explain what it is about these Tandy knives that people seem to have problems with? I'm keen to know if a more costly knife would improve anything for me.

nice! good designs and practical too. simplicity usually looks better, but its also harder to pull off as its easier for errors to show, but its the errors that we learn from! Personally i quite like the odd mishap as it makes the piece more unique, and shows it is not machined. Couple of things i spotted (mainly because I have done them myself) - sewing groove was cut after the dye applied, so the channel appears lighter. If i do this i use a fine brush to apply the dye just to the channel. On one piece the groove was cut before the leather was folded, leaving a visible groove around the fold where the stitching ended. I would have marked the stich holes first, then cut the groove only between the holes to be stitched. Hows Cleckheaton these days? I lived there for years before having to move to the wrong side of the hill. adam

weird! you're right - its there now, although when i wrote the original post it most definitely was not! I can only assume one of the site webmasters has cured it. Thanks very much, whoever sorted it. adam

it wouldn't confuse me, Its just a while since i used any html and can't remember the exact codes needed!

thanks Paul, very useful in helping me gauge what i might need to make a similar bag.

sorry if this is a dumb question...does that 12sq ft include the lining or is that another 12sq ft? adam

rather proud of these.... I made the first for myself and it works great...a colleague on a business trip liked it and commission one as a gift for her husband, and now i have made three more as gifts for friends and family. All hand stitched veg-tan leather, dyed with Fiebings English tan on outside and Oxblood inside. And by reducing the dimensions, adding an extra pocket and not stitching across the top of all pockets the pattern works great for credit card wallets too... adam

first off - this forum is a great resource. I have learned more on here than i could have hoped for. I have found a strange anomaly though, when starting a new Topic. The entry page allows you to attach files by uploading them, which is fine, but unlike the Reply forms, there is no additional coding options, such as adding links etc. I have images already uploaded into my Gallery, that i would like to refer to in a new Topic. I have the image address but the Entry page provides no clue regarding how i can add it. Simply pasting the link does not show the image, and as my html is almost non-existent, I'm not sure how to proceed. It seems silly to upload the image again, taking up valuable space on your servers, and using up your bandwidth allocations. Is it possible to include the scripting options already available on the Reply forms to the New Topic forms? thanks Adam just discovered a clumsy workaround....if i make the entry then once its online click the edit button then all the scripting options become available!

just out of interest - how much leather did you need for the project?

wow - really good looking bag! Thats just the kind of project i'm working myself up towards. Not sure which worries me more... making it or buying all the leather!

I think it looks great Kate, and i like the practicality of the long jaws, but it looks awkward to use because the leather is facing you rather than perpendicular to you. I find its much quicker if you can use both hands to pass the needles through and more accurate because you can put equal pressure on both sides of the saddle stitch. I saw a great looking clamp a few days ago - i'm going to have to try and make a version of this for myself... http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=44874&st=15 halfway down the page Nigel has attached a saddlers clamp to a log - looks fantastic! adam

you'll find the sharper your swivel knife, the easier it is to cut curves. So keep on honing that blade! Also, making sure the leather is cased properly will also help with the cuts. I guess its a Tandy kit, as my starter kit had the exact same pattern! I found a whole world of improvement just from working on leather i bought rather than the stuff in the kit