makitmama

thanks- I coated that puppy on the flesh side with my conditioner, and put a can of paint on it to weight it down- it broke in the fold much better.

I made my DH a wallet- 4 oz tooled exterior, 1.5oz interior. Tooled, antiqued, and sealed with Clear-laq. I expected it to soften up, but it is still too stiff after a few days of use. I didn't oil in-between any of the steps- should I do that now? I have a leather balm I make out of beeswax, almond oil, and olive oil that I use on my lambskin, and I also have sno-seal...which I don't think will help any.

ok. Last summer I did a bunch of fabric, and then threw some leather into the dye bath before it was completely exhausted. I did not do a vintage style indigo that has to verment for a while, I did the indigo kit from Dharma trading company. They are great to work with. I threw in a handbag, an old belt, and some lacing. The lacing came out really dark, the rest was a true cobalt blue. I can't take a photo of any of it, because my daughters stole it all.

I've gotta get me one of these- soooo, what motorcycle gear does my husband need? you know how it goes- a toy for him, a toy for me

I have built in laser guides on two of my machines- a BabyLock embroidery machine, and a Bernina quilter. The babylock also has a camera, so that when I am lining up embroidery motifs I can be precise. I don't use them for sewing a straight seam much, as I have a lot of experience. However, for matching sewing and quilting patterns, nothing beats them!

I love to get fabric and sewing tools from Japan- I would not hesitate at these. I use EMS whenever possible for shipping. When I order off Taobao, I usually get my stuff within 3 weeks from ordering, and that includes time to my agent.

OK. I have an embosser that I use for metalwork and general crafts. I want plates like that! other topics will be great too!

I like the heavier, larger spoked wheel- it would make it nicer to treadle,also. I do like the finger that hooks on the handspoke on mine better, as it articulates. So when I use the crank on something with a solid handwheel, I can bend it to the correct angle. Price looks very high....

I have 20 machines on a rack in my dining room, two treadles and two heads on the front porch, 4 other treadles and cabinet machines in the bedrooms, my sewing room with two gigantic modern machines, and a shed out back with the consews and various parts machines. I have a vintage sewing machine addiction.

I have converted about a dozen vintage Singers to handcrank- these are not industrial singers, just the old full-size black ones. I usually buy a handcrank off ebay(they are chinese, not as nice as the old singer handcranks, but work ok), and then either cut a notch in the handwheel or put on a spoked handwheel. The spoked handwheels available new are pretty junky, and I always use a vintage one from a parts machine instead. the nice thing about these is that you get multiple stitches per turn, rather than just one. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SEWING-MACHINE-HAND-CRANK-FOR-TREADLE-ELECTRIC-MACHINES-/381115546846?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58bc41bcde

wish I had seen this thread earlier- I am a passionate restorer of vintage home sewing machines, and have ~50. Plus my two consews. If you need parts and have trouble finding them, or if you are looking for specialist repair information, then a great resource is the Vintage Sewing Machine forum on QuiltingBoard. http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage-antique-machine-enthusiasts-f22/%C2'> ......some of the threads have thousands of posts. these sorts of machines are straightforward, and addictive to repair. I love the close tolerances, and making a quilt on a treadle that is 100+ years old. I am sure that sooner or later I will run across a vintage industrial machine besides my Willcox and Gibbs(1890 chain stitch sewer) and drag it home. when you get this running, I want to see a video!

ok- I'm a leather neophyte- but could this be related to the droughts and generally poor condition of cattle in the midwest last year? I know people who slaughtered their whole herds because they couldn't maintain them...

I made something similar as a custom order- using a 'carpet-bag' pattern.

I have a 1954 mail bag on my porch airing out before I make a cargo bag out of it. It is straightforward, and dated 1954. I do make hobo bags, and messenger bags. The easiest way to do one is to sew two rectangles together and box the corners, which makes the general shape. Then, add whatever straps you want. there is a simple messenger bag pattern on instructables that could be modified easily also- http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Your-Own-XO-Laptop-Bag/

Just for the group- I am a nurse, and have had requests for years to paint shoes. However I always hated the thought of putting all that work into shoes, as I thought the paint would come off. Well, I did 2 pair of shoes two years ago, and wanted to let you know the results. Pair number 1- suede Birkenstocks. I sanded and pretreated the leather. I don't have a photo of these after 2 years, as the color faded badly. Total fail. Pair number 2- black leather danskos- the owner had worn these for about 8 years before she gave them to me. I spent a lot of time pretreating the leather. steps: clean, treat with leather cleaner/deglosser, clean some more, sand lightly, treat with cleaner again 3 times. Paint white. Freehand design. Seal with Angelus gloss sealer(2 coats). As you can see, they have held up very well. My friend says she has worn them at least weekly since I gave them to her. There is NO cracking or fading. Amazing. The biggest problem I see is that now lots of coworkers want a pair....

thanks, JohnJ. You are exactly right. And since you are local- my husband did the 5 and dime yesterday since it was 72 degrees! I will try the velcro if he doesn't like the current version, which has a button stud.

yep, that is what I thought. But my analytical husband said 'my wallet doesn't come out any other time, so why worry about it?'

I use predominantly high quality lamb. For a purse >$500, I have used calf, and love deer-tanned calfskin. I do not use interfacing except for internal pockets/dividers, but put a small piece inside the folded leather for each snap or rivet. Because the lamb is so soft, I like to use glazed linen for the lining. I experimented a lot years ago, and found I could not put in good zip tops unless using 2oz lamb. I did a custom purse, and the customer wanted 'squishy' and 'soft'. I used regular quilt batting between the lamb and lining to give her the squishiness she wanted.

OK. I work exclusively in garment leather doing bags/purses. I bought my DH a nice tooled leather biker wallet with a chain, since he does lots of riding. On a 3 week trip last summer, he broke two credit cards in it. He also got some hip/back pain and had to move the wallet to a saddle-bag by the end of the trip. So I got him a different one, and it is too long to be comfortable for him. I am now trying to design his 'perfect' wallet. He wants: thin overall, good quality leather, no snaps on corners, room for folded bills, credit card slots, no zipper, and no bigger than 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. I got a nice piece of Horween, and have already made version #1 of the interior. my questions for the group are: Does a biker wallet have to have a closure? a snap, a buckle, etc from back to front. If it doesn't have a closure, will things fall out? he points out that his double fold wallet has no closure, but ALL the biker wallets have one- and I want to know why. Secondly, I use a lot of high-quality waxed canvas in my bags/purses. Does anyone have any advice about using it for the interior? We've been married nearly 40 years, and I love this guy- any input to help me make him happy would be great- and no, I mean happy about his wallet!

had a friend ask me if I could find anyone in the local area to do some work for him. All I know is that it involves an alligator hide and is small goods.

I started with nice black iron vintage singers. I have about 40, as I restore them. Then, I moved to a Pfaff 130 with a bigger motor from Zeus. I have a 15yo Husquvarna that could not handle any leather. DO NOT get sucked into ebay sellers that label machines as 'industrial'. If the seller of the husky you are looking at says that it can be used for leather, then ask for a demonstration. And when you test a machine, take along some stuff to stitch yourself. What you need to determine is what the gears are made of. You need all metal gears and shafts. With a metal singer 66(great for beginners), you will be able to realistically sew 3 oz of leather with a leather needle and upholstery thread. To sew tooling leather, or anything heavier, you will need a true leather machine. After 2 years of doing handbags with my vintage machines, I got an old Consew 226. PM me privately and we can correspond.

thanks- just what I needed.

or try some free easy patterns- I am all about free and easy! just remember if you are using a sewing pattern, that you don't need interfacing, batting, or overcast seams usually. http://www.mesewcrazy.com/2013/08/foldover-tote-sewing-tutorial.html http://www.molliemakes.com/projects/tutorial-tuesday-20-minute-tote-bag/

I did a double sided gusset last night. I used 1/4" double sided tape, clipped the daylights out of it, and let the bag curve up into the air. Trying to do it with the bag flat is harder. If the curve is extreme(like a shoulder), then I clip in the middle first and work my way out with clips to each side. Then I stitch very, very slowly.