veedub3

hahaaaa funny!

Loving that shoulder bag. Very Nice!

I have been a follower of Bag'n-telle for sometime now. Great Resource.

Yeah I saw it was posted yesterday but you did a very good job at explaining it unlike the shop that sold it to me. My problem was that I could not get the blade to go into the bottom part, and I wasn't even sure if it was supposed to go there. I went to Youtube but only found videos of them being used, none of it being set up, so I just kept messing with it and finally I got the blade to slide in the bottom and was able to cut a strap I will use for my first camera strap.

I could have used this when I was putting mine together a few days ago as the instructions that come with them are not really clear at all. I called Tandy but when the guy that answered the phone started using words like dohickey and thingy, I just hung up on him. From the instructions posted here I seem to have installed the blade correctly. I should have just checked here from the start.

Cool Cap! I have made several in the last few years but not out of leather as I am a newbie to leather working, but I am sure I will get to it. @immiketoo If you want a pattern they are all over the net just Google newsboy cap pattern and you will find several different styles. There are also a few youtube videos. Karina

Thank you for sharing! Awesome!!

Very nice job and bringing the bag back to life!

I believe it was. If I recall I saw a message this morning that Johanna posted saying the Host went down which took the site offline yesterday. Look to the right of the page in the "Recent Updates" section and you should see her message.

I am new to leather working and have yet to complete my first project so surely I can't comment on the quality, but as an experienced web designer I can say that your images are terrible and screams amatuer. I can't even focus on the items you are selling because of all the crap in the background distracting me. I understand that this is a temp shop but you only get a few seconds to grab a potential customers attention before they move on. If you can't clean up your surroundings in order to take a decent pic, why would a customer trust that the product they are buying is of any good? It shows laziness and a customer may just assume that the same laziness will carry over to the product. If you don't want to clean up your work area then take the item to a neutral area and retake the photos (Minus items in the background unless it will enhance the product). Also a few are very blurry and out of focus, so take them with a decent camera. The appearance of Professionalism is everything when selling online and sorry but you missed the mark. I know you were not asking for a critic of the site but trust it will help you in the long run. (Not trying to be mean but sometimes you have to just rip the band-aid off!) Karina

Did you notice the seller is located in China and that her Etsy store opened Jan 15, 2013? Trademarks mean nothing to them. Of course this stuff is fake and illegal and as soon as the Trademark holder pursue it, they will shut down and open up another site using a different name with a different address. What I think is going to happen in this case, is that the Trademark holder will contact Etsy and they will shut her site down.

This is clearly your opinion and in the end a Judge would be the one to determine if your view is correct or not. Although I believe it is highly unlikely LV will even see your holster, and yes their time would be better spent going at those Chinese makers that are clearly ripping them off, you are still at risk for being sued. LV could very well be against guns and to have their logo emblazoned across a gun holster could be considered damaging to their brand for which you would be liable. LV is recognized across the world and even if you market it as a "McCabe's Custom Leather" holster, all anyone is going to see is the LV design, and identify it as such. One photo on the internet of the finished project is all it would take to have their Attorney's oya!To the original poster - It is a risk you would take, and I would seriously ask myself is the amount of money I would make on a project such as this is worth the risk. All the Trademark holder have to do is drag you into court, and you will have to pony up to defend yourself. Whose pockets are deeper, your are theirs?

I use a a service called Digimarc. Click the link and you can read on how easily it's done. I am also a Web Designer/Photographer and it is very important for me to protect my images, so using a service such as this is essential to me. There are several other sites similar to this one, but this is just what I choose to use. When I find one of my images being used without my permission, the first thing I do is contact the company who designed the site. This info can usually be found in the footer somewhere. When I contact them the excuse I always get is that they got the image off Google but that does not fly with me. I demand they remove my image immediately and they have always complied. They know they stole it so they don't put up a fight at all, and the last thing they want me to do is to contact their client about it. Karina

Did anyone else notice the price increase? I was preparing packages yesterday and I noticed the cost for the Priority Mail flat rate when purchased online has went from $4.90 to $5.05. Not sure when this started but I just noticed it yesterday as I was filling in for one of my sick employees. Also did you know there was a different price for the regular Priority Mail flat rate envelope and the Priority Mail padded flat rate envelope? I was at the post office yesterday and they were checking all the packages carefully. I asked her was their a problem and she said "We were told we have been getting cheated on shipping so we have to check all the packages now". When I asked her what she meant, that is when she told me the correct price for the padded envelope was not being charged. I print my shipping labels with Paypal, and Paypal does not offer a PM padded flat rate option, so I just select the PM Flat rate envelope option which I was told was incorrect. I researched it when I got back to my office and sure enough Ebay shipping, Click and Ship, Samps.com and the USPS website all have the padded flat rate option for $5.70, so all these years I have not been paying the correct amount. Not my fault though, if Paypal does not have the option then I can't choose it. The good thing is that none of the packages have been returned but this does kinda worry me. Just thought I would ask to see what others experience has been. Karina

I can agree with everything except #3. I think the decision to build your own website, depends greatly on if you have the skills to do it. Just because you are pounding leather does not mean that that is your only skill set and that you can not create a great functional website. If you have no idea where to begin, nor the desire to learn, then by all means yes farm it out, but how can you just say "Don't build your own website"? If you use that logic then why craft handmade goods out of leather, why not just farm it out? We weren't born leather workers we learned and honed the skill and the same would be true for building websites. Comparing root canals and building websites is like comparing bananas to mangoes. A bad analogy IMO, and I like how confident you are that anyone that attempts to build their own website will "screw it up" as you stated. That statement couldn't be further from the truth. As a web Designer myself, I have seen a lot of horrid sites done by beginners, but I have also seen a lot of really great ones, also done by beginners. I am a Moderator on Web Design Forum and I get asked daily to critic websites. I tell them how they can better the site, and for those that are way off, I simply suggest they farm it out. You have to know your limitations. Building a website is not nearly as hard as people think as long as you understand and follow the simple rules. As for elance, and the other gazillion similar sites offering those types of services, make sure you do your due diligence. I have had several occasions where sites I made for clients were copied by members of elance. They copied the design layout, even lifted the images off my clients site, but what they did not know is that I hide tracking info in my images and if they are stolen and used elsewhere, I will know it! Karina oops...didn't realize this was an old thread when I posted.

I have the Leatherworking Handbook that "suggests" 4oz leather preferably from the side or the belly for making masks. I am new at this so I honesty have no idea if that is the best as I am simply just stating what is in the book. Hopefully someone that has actually made one will chime in here and let you know what has worked for them. Karina

I am new in the leather working world and I am having the same issue, even with one whole out of line it is noticeable to me so I purchased this gadget from Black River Laser on Ebay. I am working on a phone case now and it is a big difference compared to the one I did when I did not use this tool. Looks much neater and more professional looking to me. http://www.ebay.com/itm/140887893932?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Karina

Thanks, the pic helps a lot! Karina

Wow I bet that's nice. Getting a laser engraver has been on my list for 2 years now. I am looking at the Epilog. I have been playing around with tooling the leather and I am terrible at it so I was thinking that a laser may be a better way to go for me. I watched a few videos of it being done on leather and the finished product looked really nice. The stencil method you will be using is similar to what I am using now. My tooling looks like caca so until I get the hang of if, all my designs are either airbrushed or painted on using the aid of a stencil. I am just testing to see what works with the materials I have on hand before I run out and buy a new product. That is how I came to test out the sticky flock. I am thinking the wall vinyl will leave more residue than the flock but I will get around to testing this weekend to see if that would be an option as I have tons of it lying around the shop.

I found that odd as well since it does not leave one when using it on a flock station, but I just assumed it had something to do with the veg tan natural leather or something. (then again this is the same roll I bought nearly two years ago so it could just be old flock - don't know if this stuff goes bad or not) I used a leather cleaner I had on hand and a soft cloth and it wiped right off. On a side note I did use it to test a design for airbrushing onto the leather and it worked great. Clean crisp lines and the fine detail in the design was great. I am going to test vinyl wall decal next for airbrushing as that would be a much cheaper option.

This is just my opinion but I think that sticky flock, which I use on occasion for making rhinestone templates when my automatic rhinestone machine is busy with another project, would be a very expensive option for leather pattern making. Also because sticky flock is flexible, it has a tendency to give when tracing intricate designs which leads to distortion, and left adhesive residue on the leather when I removed it. At least that was my experience when I tried it although I was able to remove the residue. I tried it because I had scraps lying around but I definitely wouldn't buy it for the sole purpose of leather template making. Manila folders would be a much cheaper and easier option, and works great. Just imagine the amount of flock you would use to make a purse, briefcase, or even a wallet. JMO. What I have been doing lately for items that I will make over and over is using my cutter/plotter to print the design on craft paper first. (You can get a roll at Lowes for $7 - it is generally used to cover newly installed hardwood flooring and comes in several thicknesses.) I load it in the plotter just as I do a roll of vinyl. Then once the pattern works and all adjustments made, I will cut the template out on stencil blanks or card stock using the cutter. Much sturdier and won't distort and will have a long life. For one time pieces, I will be using the Manila folders as I already have so many in my office.

Thanks for the pattern, definitely something I can work on as I learn leatherworking. Do you have a picture of the finished project? As a complete newbie, it would help a lot to see a pic of the finished design so that I will have an idea of what it "should" look like.

For ideas check out Etsy.com and search leather camera straps, you will see many examples of how it can come together. Many of which use only leather for the entire project. I have a camera strap for my DSLR on my to do list as soon as I figure out what I am doing:).

I print my shipping labels through Paypal and the USPS website. (Where Signup is Free unlike Stamps.com) Also you don't have to go to the Post Office and wait in line, just schedule a pick up by USPS if you have the volume, or as stated above give it to your own delivery man. Also if you have the postage affixed to the package already, you can just drop it off at the post office or politely walk up and hand it to the worker while they are assisting another customer. They don't seem to mind and do it all the time in my area. You will be in and out in a matter of seconds. I have a scheduled pick up by USPS and they stop by my office every weekday between 3:30 and 4pm. Because I ship A LOT of packages, we have a bin next to the door with all out going packages. He walks in grabs the container, scans them all in with his hand held wand before he leaves so that the tracking will show that the Postal Service received the packages, throw his hand up and out the door he goes. I ship on average about 350 packages a month with the postal service and I loose about 10% so now all packages must have insurance, and I no longer just drop the packages in a postal slot and leave, they MUST scan it in. (By loose I mean USPS loose track of, misplaced, send to a different country, end up in someones car, etc.) If they do not have a record that they received the item, then they will not pay for it when it goes missing so I always have them scan it in. I order all my shipping supplies online at USPS and they are delivered to my Office by my postal carrier. As stated you get a small discount for printing online and free tracking which is the best part of it all. Karina

Very nice, how about a pic of the inside.