Basically Bob

This hand-stitched axe sheath incorporatates a birch bark panel in the design. Birch bark is amazing. The natural oils it contains has made it ideal for many purposes, for many centuries. I used 4-5 oz veg tanned leather and elected to use a welt rather than rivets, 5/18 linen thread. Bark is glued to a leather substrate, skived around the edges then glued in place. The snaps are covered with skived piece of leather on the inside of the sheath. It was more challenging to put together than I thought, originally, but I sure am pleased with how it turned out (other than the smudge of dye where I didn't want it on the back!).

I think that you have done a great job! Both look very clean and I like the design work you have done. Could you provide a few more details? Leather weight? lined/unlined? Gotta get at a strap for myself ... soon! Thanks for sharing

Love it!

Thanks George!

Enjoyed! I like it!

Hah! My son was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player and is also a GEEK :-). I will show this to him for sure - looks good! Since you are one of "those guys" (LOL) you might be interested in the new iphone app that he has created and launching tomorrow. It's called "this is not a test" - It's an RPG meets comic book thing. Here's a link ... https://www.facebook.com/pages/This-is-Not-a-Test-iPhone-App/176057942576283 Hey, maybe I will have to think of a leather project for him to celebrate! Looks great!

Very nice! Very clean, simple but eye-catching design. Thanks for sharing.

Nice work!

I really appreciate the planning and effort you put into this project. Just curious ... what would the weight of the case be?

What an awesome gift! Great job!

The watch straps look good. I find the construction of the card holder really interesting at the card opening ... the leather being folded at that point rather than at the bottom. Looks great.

Both pieces are awesome. I love the vintage look and the attention to detail with the technical aspect of construction; more specifically with the handles, hardware attachment and gussets. I would be proud to carry either one of those bags. Hope to see more of your work.

Awesome job ... love the creativity in design.

Looking good! Vancouver Island .... a little bit of heaven there!

Looks good, Nick!

Thanks for the comments, guys. Much appreciated.

This was a small, simple project but I really enjoyed the whole process, from design and pattern making through to the finished product. I used 3-4 oz. European veg. tanned leather, 5/18 linen thread that I waxed myself. Hand stitched at 7 spi. Finished with Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax. The edges finished with the Atoms Wax also - one was dyed and the other left plain. I used a Sam Browne stud for the closure. The 3 oz. leather was actually too thin for the stud, so I made and inserted a tiny leather washer at the back. I skived down a small piece of leather and covered the back of the stud so that the scissors do not rub metal when they are inserted and removed from the sheath. I made these for a friend of mine who is an amazing fibre artist. She's thrilled with the sheaths so even though my eyes go to the imperfections I am very pleased with the results and looking forward to my next project.

Thanks for sharing the links, jayjay. Much appreciated!

Drooling. Thanks for sharing!

Awesome looking machine. Thanks for sharing.

+1 You sure nailed that one! You customer will be very happy, I'm sure.