MonicaJacobson

Snubby, I'm torn. You guys gave so many good options. I'd like to do the kidskin, but it's a little out of my price range at the moment. And the pigskin on Springfield is supposedly spotty (so it says on the website). So I'm leaning heavily towards the 2-3 oz. veg tanned. At least I know it'll burnish.

Thanks, A2 - I think you'd have no trouble making bags. All that tiny work and attention to details that you normally do, you'd find bag making a breeze. I guess the kind of bag you'd make would depend on if you hand sew or machine sew, but the hardest part for me was making the monetary commitment to buy the leather needed for a large bag. Basically, if you buy decent leather and stay generic with your shape, you'll make two or three times what you spend on the leather. At base price. It'd be cool to offer a range of patches to go with it. Your Indiana Jones idea sounds like it would be awesome, people love rustic.

Very cool. I love the scorpion mixed with the flowers.

Ha, I love it. Very cool.

@Troy - I tried dying my pigskin with brown mixed with red, and while it worked really well on normal veg tanned, it was basically just red on the lining. Very interesting. But I love using it undyed. I, too, am just a hobbyist, a luxury I want to take advantage of. A lot of people have to make business savvy choices like cutting corners and time saving designs because they need the sales. @Chris - Yikes, that's the same price as Horween leather straight from Tannery Row. But yes, at some point, you start putting $200 - 350 just into materials on the the mid-range stuff (and by that, I mean 700 - 800). I want to get there, but I'm not sure how to start charging that much, or investing that much in each bag without knowing if or when it will sell. I'll look into the Shrut & Asch. I don't have a splitter, so I'll probably have to go another route, but it's good to have your review. I'll be interested to see what you end up making with the Skokoto Goatskin. Sounds cool.

Really nice. I like the mixes of leather. Oil tan is cool stuff, but it's even cooler with some veg tanned added for stiffness.

Thanks guys, yeah, how do you afford to line something with something pretty expensive? Don't you have to charge 600 - 700 per piece to make it worthwhile? Is that just part of getting to the next price tier? @Troy - I bought some veg tanned pig from Springfield, and I liked it fine, but I didn't like how it looked dyed and resolened. Suddenly you could see the hair follicles in a not very pleasant way. @Allan - That's a great idea. I might try that. It'd be useful for wallet pockets, too. I didn't really like using pig for wallet pockets - too crispy and dry.

What's your favorite lining leather? I've heard people use calf, but I've only ever used pig. Any ideas? Any favorites?

Really cool idea. People are used to the idea when it comes to snakes, I guess. My husband tanned a squirrel hide when he was younger.... but it slipped. He probably did it mid-summer. Chipmunks have beautiful fur patterns. Just wait, buying leather will become too expensive in a few years, and we'll all have to start working with squirrel leather. There's no way we'll run out of that.

I'd love to see pictures when it's complete. I've never seen anything made with bear hide.

I like the eagle wings even better. Or hawk wings?

Bob, this bag looks like it's going to be really cool. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Hmm... I'm going to start on it this week, hopefully. But from a cursory look at the pattern, I didn't see anything that held it closed. Am I completely blind, or is that how it's supposed to be?

If you enjoy it and make good stuff, you can make back the money you spend pretty fast. If you don't enjoy it, you can sell the the tools on ebay.

Ha, this bag is ridiculously nice. Great job.

Cool. Thanks for the detailed how-to. Someone should pin this to the tutorial page so it's easy to find.

Sweet, Rohn!

Nice! I can't even see the stitching. Very cool.

Ha ha, love the doctor who one.

Beautiful work! I like how the pattern covers more of the background, but I still like the lily one best. Maybe because it doesn't cover the whole background.

Those hat bands are pretty sweet! I don't think I could deal with such tiny pieces.

Wow. Coolest wolf carving ever.

Awesome!