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I built a stitching pony out of scrap wood and a few pieces of hardware I got at the store. It was under 10 bucks US and I think better than the deluxe tandy version.

One item I noticed - on the first picture you didn't have your beveler in the swivel knife cut. Look around the ears, you can see the knife cut and the beveler marks outside of the cut. The second image you showed had the bevel marks in the cut, which is where they should be. Whenever you have a knife cut, make sure to use the beveler in the cut. Think of it as a line you make to show you where to make a smooth bevel. It takes practice to get the beveling right. Also, you can clean and smooth the beveled edges with a modeling spoon.

thank you!

Thank you! I'll have to play around with the plumbers torch and shiny metal. I prefer antiqued or matte metals but can never find them in stock for some items.

I re-read this thread while looking for my next inspiration and have some questions - How has the bag held up since you made it? Over the years, did you find anything you would do differently with it or some improved construction ideas from your use of the bag?

This is a small stirrup bag I made for my daughter, who needed a bag to hold her ever growing dice collection. The sides are sage green suede and the body is 4/5 oz vegtan. The dragon and die are painted with acrylic paints with gel antique rubbed across the entire piece to give it the rustic medieval look. I used eyelets for the cinch lace instead of grommets; the only grommets I found were shiny which I thought distracted from the overall appearance. There is a close up of the double loop lacing - I think it looks great but if you see anything I can improve please let me know. This is also the first piece that gives me hope I can possibly start this hobby job - I do this for fun and therapy (banging things is fun!) from my daily corporate job. Typically it is stuff for the family, friends and coworkers - but now I might start a stockpile and look at local craft fairs and gaming conventions.

In addition to Barge's, I've had luck with Tandy's Leather Weld. I use it for attaching linings to the insides of bags. Never had a problem with it coming up or separating, even in wet weather conditions.

It has been a while, and I need to get back into leather to keep my sanity I just completed this flask cover for my wife (she graduated from Sewanee). My applique lacing on the back didn't straighten out as I wanted, but I can still wiggle it around to get it flat. I did glue it to the flask, so the lacing is more decorative than holding it together.

That is an excellent bag, and I hope you have many years of adventures past law school with it.

I like the knot and the background changes. It was stated before it really brings out the knot and the design.

that is a nice wallet, Joe. you make it look so easy.

I never saw a hip bag before, but it is a cool idea. How did you line the bag, with fabric or leather?

I was thinking the same thing. Excellent pieces.

Thank you for the wonderful pattern and instructions. I plan to make one this month and will post pictures.

I like the bags. The rough-hewn tooling look goes well with the limited use of natural coloring on the bag and I can see a Good Sir Knight carrying some important dispatch in this bag. In my opinion, additional colors (greens, blues, reds) would detract from the simplistic beauty of the bag. I am jealous - free-hand leather skills are not in my genetic code. All of my designs are in CAD or drawings, printed on plastic tracing film to get it out of my head onto the leather.

Thank you everyone for the good advice. The leather was very supple and not very rigid. I did use an overstitch wheel, but didn't get a good stitching groove. In addition, I used a marker for my model instead of a dowel or other object. bigorange - I didn't have good luck wet forming this. It is bison and I was told it was chrome tanned. Is there another way to wet form this?

I found this bison on sale at Tandy and was just playing around with different ideas. My wife needed a new pen case, so I decided to make a case for a single pen. I am sure there is a better way to make the stitches work.

That is a neat design. Is it rigid and do you have dividers inside?

Really nice! Can I ask where you found the interior plans? My sister-in-law hinted she wants a new wallet, with a similar interior and one modification - she wants the ID card holder big enough to see the entire card (so she doesn't have to remove it).

i like the piece. I have a similar design I will have to post when I finish it - an extra belt loop but you have to have an object clipped to it to keep it secure (a mug in my use, for camping).

That is neat :-). Is the elk stiff enough to be a good sheath on its own, did you use a backing or is the inlay used for extra support? Sorry for the run-on question, just curious.

The old-school shoe styling is really cool. Thank you for sharing. I am always amazed at the creativity of the crafts-people on this website and sharing the work and ideas is why I keep coming back.

I like that design, it is quite appropriate this time of the year

that is an excellent bag, I agree with Ralph about sewing the handles, but your design makes perfect sense. I am guessing your sewing was by hand?

I found sometimes the process of making something will change the piece mid-stream - some imperfection shows up, dye doesn't finish well, etc. I really like the effect of the cloth on the surface.