bethefawn

Excellent work! Any fault you find with your edges will either disappear with a bit of use, or should never have been faulted to begin with, unless you've done made some very deft alterations to the photographs! My edges, on the other hand, are done so poorly that I spend twice as much time burnishing as the rest of the steps combined. (And to little effect even then.)

Used some very similar leather for a project once and had all of the exact same problems, which incidentally is the only reason why I too can see the flaws. I assure you, most other people won't. For the same reason, I can also see the skill with which you handled the project, and it is ample indeed! A poor craftsman blames his tools, but I think blaming the materials is fair enough game. Leather like this stuff is what made me only ever want to work with 187,465,658,384 oz vegetable tanned again, though I came to leather from woodworking, and I like my media utterly sessile and very forgiving.

Sorry to bump an old thread, but definitely feeling the hand cramps associated with carpal tunnel. I used to walk with a cane (rheumatoid arthritis, a comorbidity/cause of carpal tunnel itself) and I do a lot of writing with pen and keyboard as well, so I'm not sure I can blame the leathercraft, but it's certainly making the most of the symptoms. Be careful with that one. Dye vapors are strong enough that I leave the pooch either in the other room or in the opposite corner from a fan and open window, but when I'm alone I am not bothered by it too much, even in a smallish room with no windows open. As with all things, mileage may vary.

Just got my brand/hot stamp from shapeways.com today, I think it cost me more than the six bucks the tutorial mentions (primarily because I needed it a little big to capture the detail), but I'm pretty happy with it! It may not be a proper maker's mark, and I'm worried it's a little big for wallets, but it works pretty well (I've used it subsequently on other pieces to the one pictured, and it looks a lot nicer). Of course, now I want an arbor press instead of mashing it down with my 25 lb dumbbell!

Beautiful work! Just need to get some slightly nicer hardware on though, on account of the leatherworking being so nice.

Agreed, really gorgeous work, and I really want to make one now! Though of course now that I've seen this and commented on it, if I ever make one to sell it will have to be a totally different type. Grr.

I don't mind the thickness of thread, but I wonder how it would look with a darker type. (Only reason I even question anything about it is that I am unspeakably jealous. I've made half a dozen wallets in the last year or so and only recently come close to that level of skill, and even then I wouldn't put mine up against yours!)

Beautiful bag! Also, I agree that the old one is lovely too. I'd really recommend gifting/selling it to someone rather than modifying it. I know tons of gals that would be thrilled to sport it. Your new work is undoubtedly nicer, but don't discount the character of your old one!

Another request, please and thank you!

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it! I'll post pictures as I make some progress.

Terribly sorry if this has come up recently (I searched before posting, I swear I did), but I am trying to put handles on a bag that I just made (my first attempt at making something more complicated than a wallet). I'm pretty satisfied with it (it's a sort of Gladstone/Doctor's bag), but now I'm getting worried about screwing it up. I had planned to cut a bar of leather, fold it in half, stitch most of it to itself, and then stitch the rest into the bag, as is pretty common with purses and the like. However, this bag is a good 16x10x12, and I mean for it to be able to carry my books and lunch and whatever else I need. In other words, I need it to carry what I would reasonably carry in a messenger bag or smallish backpack. Should I be worried about the strength/integrity of the bag and handles using this method? Should I use an intermediate metal ring or loop between the handles and the body of the bag? Should I use rivets as well as stitching to make it extra strong? My stitching seems awfully strong usually, but I've never made anything that would get quite this much abuse before and am concerned. Thanks all!

Terribly sorry to bump a very old thread, but did anything ever come of this? I have been making iPhone/iPad cases and passport wallets for awhile now, but it recently came into my head to make a doctor's bag (I'm a pre-med student, surprise), and I've been told by some knowledgeable folks that the side I bought will be perfectly suitable, but I'm wondering if I can do without the frame? Probably not, huh? Anyway, I'm really interested to see if anyone here has undertaken this kind of project, or something fairly similar, that can cast some light. Another question: for this kind of bag, is it basically an open-top sort of box that is folded carefully to get that Gladstone/doctor's bag shape, or is there more to the pattern than that? Thanks!