MonicaJacobson

Unfortunately, Tom, I got right to work on that and had sanded it all away by the time you posted your excellent suggestion. I'm really hoping there isn't a next time, but I'll be sure to try it. That's hilarious about your paint spill in your parents' house. Yikes, that's not a fun scenario.

Sweet belt! I want it!

I like the first set you sold even better.

I know, he's probably feeling smug about it not being him this time. I did leave a piece of leather on my table during the afternoon one time, and came back to find that he had been "leatherworking" with dye aaall over it. He was so proud, and I learned my lesson: never leave leather unattended. Snubby, I was struck speechless. Fortunately.

Love your carving job!

Quite awesome.

I agree. :D

Cool! I saw a few leather/kydex knife sheathes on BritishBlades, and the affect is very nice. Yes, I do think black is great to work with. The one black hide I've used was awesome. Very little waste. I hate being pushy, but I guess that's the only way to get what you want if you order online - make it clear to the supplier that you really prefer something carefully chosen, not just anything they throw at you. It's a little extra work for them, but at least they don't waste money shipping you something you don't want.

Thank you for the detailed reply! That helps a lot.

Nice!

Nice! Now I really want some of that leather...

Those look pretty near perfect to me. Great job! Is your piping empty, or do you fill it with small mm round cord? Just asking because I've been meaning to learn how to use piping.

Not bad! And seriously, that's a wretched amount of stitching to do without the proper tools.

Super cool!

Thanks, it helps a lot to know what other people find to be normal. I agree that it'd be silly to expect perfection, and I usually allow for 4-8 square feet of waste (or at least, places where I cut out straps or pockets because you have to work around scars or wrinkles). If I didn't mind taking sandpaper to the whole thing and purposely distressing it all to match, I would probably keep it. It would even be kind of fun, as I've been wanting to try distressing something. However, I was purposely trying to spend more money to buy better leather that I could charge more money for than an economy Tandy hide. So much for that. What do you make with bridle leather? I'd love to see some pictures.

Looks sweet!

I agree - I love your dye/antique job. Very cool.

I love your tooling pattern, and your tooling is looking great. I'm no expert, but I really like it. Sorry about your stain problem... sorry, I don't have any insight.

fanninator, I posted it here. And yes, the title was an accident. *head desk*