MonicaJacobson

Okay, yes, the back is the same as the front - I just cut out a place for it, like installing a pocket zipper. It seemed the cleanest way of doing it to me, though it might not open as wide as other ways of installing it. I'll be interested to see how it turns out, too. I've never done a zipper bag before, or a gusset of this kind.

What do people use the shell cordovan for, aside from shoes? I've seen a few wallets and some watch bands, and that's all.

So... is this a legitimate way to put in a zipper? I'm doing a two piece gusset - bottom and sides are one piece, and the top, containing the zipper, is the last piece.

Cool briefcase, and a very interesting design. Yes, what exactly is the weight and name of the Horween?

That looks really slick! I love how everything matches, even the handles. Very nice looking!

Ha, slow week for you would be a busy week for me. Nice! I like the fox.

Those look very nice, Rohn. I've heard that one of the hardest thing to do is to make one thing several times, and have it always come out consistently nice.

Cool baseballs, and I really like the cartoon figures.

That looks great, Chief! I love the color.

That's a cool way of doing it! I like the style!

Wow, it's beautiful!

I'm not sure... But I haven't been able to try very many dyed veg tanned leathers. I've got a Horween Dublin black that is veg tanned and predyed, and it's like working with butter. It burnishes beautifully, but mine is only 4-5 oz. It is softer than normal veg tanned, and more supple, but still sturdy-ish. I don't really know how it would do at 9 oz or if it would suit your purposes, but I hope to find something like it at some point, since I like using heavier weight leathers.

They all look very nice. If you get into veg tanned, you don't necessarily have to dye them... I happen to really like the look of undyed (though sealed) leather as it ages. You can also get pre-dyed veg tanned leathers that are thicker. There are a few things you can do without having to get into dye. I know what you mean, though. Sometimes the dye looks really great, and sometimes it really doesn't look as good.

Cool!

Nice! I especially like your idea of having a tiny USA on it. Ha, I still don't have a maker's mark...

It looks quite nice!

Ha, thanks; we'll see about that.

I have the same problem with fabric; none of it, that is. I just don't have a place to keep a sewing machine set up right now. As it is, I move my leatherworking on and off the kitchen table every night. Fortunately, it's my kitchen, and since I am the wife, I don't have someone who will be annoyed at the stuff laying all over the kitchen and dining room. Fortunately, my husband isn't a neat freak. So yeah, like you, I think I'm leaning towards pig skin lining. Thanks for going into your process. I'm definitely going to try this style of bag sometime soon.

Thanks for the info, Bob!

Dan, that is nice looking. Very solid. I've been too intimidated by that whole shape and turning it inside, etc. to try it myself, yet. Great job! I wonder.. since you're already sewing on an edge on the top, you could probably drop a fabric (or leather) lining in there and sew it to the top with the edging about as easy (and with a cleaner look) than gluing on the covering to your seams.

Hey Joe, Don't buy from Ludlow - he's leaving the country and trying to sell his business (at least, so said a post on here in July, I think), and not even answering the phone or e-mails. At least, not mine. I was bummed - he was good to order from. .6 mm is $63 from Abbey England. I bought three spools of thread from them, and it ended up at about the same amount as Ludlow even with international shipping, and it arrived in 2 days.

It looks great! I love the design.

Those people who post really good first carvings are few and far in between. Some people notice things more, some people just have an eye for making what they want line up with reality. I started carving bone, etc. before I started leatherworking, and I was pretty bad. Then I got a bit better after I started leatherworking because I started to see what would work best. It's not obvious, and tooling takes a lot of decision making. My husband, who is a designer and very good at making great looking drawings, doesn't instinctively know how to tool. In fact, when I asked for advice when I first started, I ended up liking my own decisions better than his advice. I'm still only so-so at tooling, but I think half of getting where you need to be is discovering the style that you're best at. You may not be best at Sheridan. Or maybe you need to try Sheridan. Or you may be trying to tool patterns that are too small. Who knows.

Very cool. You're making us look bad!

Beautiful! They all look very professional.