immiketoo

If you due the center orange and carve "Bears" on it, it'll sell instantly

My only advice is to try practicing on another silk item first. See how it feels, what the pitfalls are and build your skill before you commit to your beloved garment.

LMAO!

Dude, that's LOADS better! I love your finish.

I'll go 100 and Pete can still pay the shipping...

Bob, this is good advice. While scared is a bit inaccurate, there is still a bit of trepidation about using my stitch groover on a mostly finished project. So, I decided to use a different technique for my freehand grooving and guess what? No problems, no more worry. Now, about 40 years of practice and I'll have it just right!

LMAO! I would hardly classify this as misuse of taxpayers dollars as the 30 seconds it took are far outweighed by the fact that we had been sitting there for over 8 hours waiting. Alas, boredom had set in and since none of us had eaten all day, we were a bit peckish. Maybe its all excuses on my part, but I HAD to have that machine As for being the leader, I only have two machines, the one in the aforementioned story ( All true BTW) and one of the Singer's in the arched wood boxes with the flip up motor that is very beautiful, but again, I don't even know if it works. I am saving for a Cobra class 4 so maybe this will be the start of a true fettish!

Five days? You are a VERY quick study! How can we get a peek at your book?

True. I have enough wood to make another one tall enough to be a floor model. Back to the drawing board!

It's way too tall, that's for sure. Or not tall enough if you look at it the other way round...

How long have you been leather working? You are a master.

Great tip!

Looks really good. I hate the one I made and I think a floor model is a better idea from the get go, but I didn't even know they existed when I made mine. As it is, I hate using it, mostly because I can't see that close anymore.

Mike, thats really nice work there. I'll bet that paddle is super comfy when it breaks in. Is the barrel end fully closed?

Looks great! I love your name change. Very cool. I'd also round the corners of your strap. They kind of glare at me. EDIT: On second look, if it was stitched in front like it back, it would probably be fine, just like you said. Un finished looking as is. It still looks great though. Mike

So wait, whats number 8 leatherkind? I have a funny story about how I aquired my Singer treadle machine. I was conducting surveillance on a house for a drug investigation with five other guys in a van. We were in a residential area and an old couple dragged this machine out to the curb and put a "Free" sign on it. This was at about 11 AM, and towards 4:30 PM, people started coming home from work, and the woman from up the street came by, hawked the machine and began walking back to her house, where she was clearly explaining her intent to grab it to her husband. I had already decided this was MY machine, although I couldn't do anything about it being in the van. I told the driver we needed to grab it, but he was reluctant to get out and grab it. Finally, as the woman and her husband got about 25 feet from the machine, I convinced my guys to help me grab the machine. We back the van up, and three burly dudes in police raid gear jump out of the van. I open the back hatch, they grab the machine and toss it in the back. The driver says in his best police voice, "I'm sorry ma'am, the sewing machine is wanted for questioning." We slam the doors and drive off to another surveillance location. I'll never forget the look of shock and surprise on the woman's face as this 30 second event unfolded. It was priceless! Needless to say, we laughed so hard we cried afterward. I still have the machine, but I don't even know if it works! Mike

Sweet. How did you make the paddle? Is there any reinforcement in it?

There is a huge difference between your current bag and the old one! Your floral tooling is really good IMO, and far better than the old brief case. The only thing I see is the inconsistency with the serpentine. It gets fat and then thin, but even that is way better than your earlier effort! All of this from someone who hasn't attempted a case yet, but it's on my short list!

I was really excited that they had glycerine soap and a bottle of neatsfoot oil with a built in brush. Plus, the people there have extensive leather care knowledge if limited to horse related stuff. Either way, it's nice to know I have an alternative.

)(*^#(*^$_@+&$! are my sentiments exactly! This is why God invented sewing machines! At least in your case, you can say, "Aww fork it!" Mike

Hey Mike, if he has added another 1911, he's been holding out on me, and I will have a chat with him about that! As for the uniforms, we have blues everywhere and we are the anomaly. I don't mind though. It's distinctive and most of the time, it looks better IMO. I am going to try and minimize the mistakes, but as you say, there's bound to be someone who can use them! Mike

This is probably common knowledge among saddlers, but for those of us who are into other leather areas, the local saddle shop is a great resource for things like saddle soap, neatsfoot oil and other leather products that we use. A huge bottle of neatsfoot oil is only a few bucks more than the little bottle Tandy sells. I was glad I stopped in, and if you live in an area where there are equestrian places, you should too! Mike

Ok, I've decided that I don't like my stitch groover. Its the one thing that can kill a project and I always mess it up. Especially on inside grooves that theres no edge to follow. ^#^%#%@$!