lightningad

i think when you use the iron to punch the holes, the hole will be wider on the front because of the bevel on the cutting edge. The rear of the hole will be a slit. Using a diamond awl gives a more even shape to the hole on both sides of the leather. You should watch - Nigel gives the best explanation of how to saddle stitch - and shows in detail how to do it correctly. He also has plenty of other videos on his youtube channel. In my opinion you should watch all of them, because he is such a good teacher and craftsman.adam

never thought i'd hear a Texan call himself a Yankee! Thanks for the kind words. I always felt the Logo would look good as if painted on the side of a wild west livery stable - hence the photoshop job on the wooden planks! I very pleased you noticed it. I will be changing the navigation buttons - the one really annoying thing about Apple iWeb is the complete inability to alter anything to do with the look of those buttons. Everything else you can adapt but not those. regards Adam

Again, thanks everyone for your comments. I really appreciate having some unbiased eyes looking over the site. Aside from larger image pop-ups and rebuilding the navigation menu, which will have to wait until i have more time...I have updated the site based on your comments. I think its certainly an improvement - and if you have any farmyard related funnies you want adding, just let me know!

thanks chaps - you have mentioned the same things that were bugging me ( i didnt mention them as i wanted honest uncoloured opinions). Annoyingly, the one thing that is virtually impossible in iWeb is changing the navigation bar. I will have to build a new one from scratch...i just tried holding off as its a lot of work. I did this on my wifes website (also made in iWeb !) and wanted to avoid the hassle ...but as you've mentioned it, then its not just me! As for the jokes, i think they will stay for now. I heard a great quote recently that sums up my own opinion - "Just because your offended it doesn't mean you're right!". It might be arrogance on my part, but thats why its my own site and not a corporate one. I am prepping more files and code so that the images will open larger views in pop up windows. As with the other site i made, i have a feeling this will go through several incarnations before i'm happy with it. Thanks very much for giving me your thoughts...now for some more work !!

thanks Ferg, appreciate the positive comments. We'll have to add "Eagle-eyed" to your signature!! well spotted -the typo will be changed on the next upload. adam

Hello all, finally got my finger out and created a little website to help promote my leather crafting. The site is not finished yet (i suppose they never are!) but i was wondering if anyone wants to take a look and tell me what they think. I want to make it as usable as possible, and whilst i know i need to make some image pop-ups, i am really keen to gauge the feedback. the url is....www.barkingrooster.co.uk thanks in advance adam

Can't beat the feeling of accomplishment when you first go "off kit"! I think its only then that you actually start to learn. The kits are just enough to convince you that you want to learn more. Keep up the good work!

test it it on either thin cardboard or cheap fabric first...even cheap leather is expensive ! Then if its right, unpick it and use as your template. I dont bother stitching the template - i just use a stapler as its much quicker and works similarly to stitches.

About time i added a few images of my workspace.... until last week I was working at a very cramped little table in the loft, but after a week of graft, we have converted the loft into my wifes studio (she's a proper artist!)...and i have taken over her previous room. needs some pictures on the wall to brighten it up a bit heres where the leather will magically transform into beautiful works of art and this is where i get to make some real noise!

very impressive!! dont know why but it reminds me of a playground joke from decades ago - What do you call a stone age bra? - an Over Shoulder Boulder Holder.

greetings from a fellow tyke, stuck on the wrong side of the hills!

hmmm...maybe i should have thought about putting a url on the end of my stamp! Oh well, live and learn.

i have no experience of cutting belts, but perhaps if they are stitched along the edge this will prevent them from stretching. I do this on straps for satchels, mainly because i once read it prevents stretch but also because i think it looks good!

looks really good. I'd be tempted to stick with the card slots as you've done them. I made one with horizontal slots and feel less happy with the security. If its turned upside down, the cards can fall out. Your method willl keep them secure.

thats probably about right....4cm x 2cm

thanks - i do enjoy that feeling, but i think i like the feeling of making the second one more, because by then you have leaned from all the mistakes on the first, and hopefully have something with a lot less errors and fudges! I just wish my stitching was as neat on the rear side as it is on the front (theres a reason i havent posted the rear photos!)..i stilll think i have a long way to go in getting near perfect stitching - and its probably all down to better awl control!

thanks for all the kind words

thanks - i've always felt traditional satchels look a bit 2 dimensional, and thats why i made better use of the real estate on the sides! I think it makes a nice contemporary addition to a traditional design.

After seeing my first satchel a month back, my friend Andie asked me to make two identical bags for her and her twin sisters upcoming birthday. Its taken me a bit longer than i expected, but the learning process has been great fun, and i now have a much clearer idea of what to do on future bag projects. Andie has just seen the finished bags and is blown away by them. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for improvements.