Johanna

Bear we are working to bring the board back to its usual speed. We needed to do this upgrade for the improved security, and we ran into a glitch where the Internet Explorer browser isn't playing nice with the new forum software. Other than that, most people seem to like the new features and flexibility, and we hope everyone will give us a little time to fix the problems before they consider leaving. We have tried to build a board that is easy and convenient to use, and serves the needs of our members. Our first priority is making sure the leatherworkers are happy! Your patience is deeply appreciated. Johanna tip: if you need a LW fix, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the drop down menu to click "lo fi" instead of our default "comfy" skin. It's not fancy, but you can see all the content.

Joet!!! You can't imagine how far a little encouragement and confidence from people like you means right now. We think we have figured out the problem with IE, and will be glad when we can mark it "resolved" so that people can start enjoying the nifty features the new format has. i will be setting up the Gallery area soon, and I hope it makes all you custom leatherworkers a couple extra $$ by promoting your work and getting people to your websites. I'd rather focus on the good that will result in the security updates and the couple of bells and whistles we can provide for our community. As anyone who has tried to write code for Internet Explorer knows, it's not a day in the park. Thank you for your understanding and patience- and not giving up on us. You've been with LW since almost day one, and I appreciate your support of what we're trying to do here- education, entertainment and fellowship. God bless and best regards, Johanna

No offense at all taken, guys! No one wants this board to be down, least of all me. I'm grateful for the feedback from all of you, and the help coming from all sorts of unexpected places. I'm thankful to Kate for her patience and diligence. With some hard work and a little luck, soon we'll have a new and improved board with some better security features and a few bells and whistles to keep you all entertained. Thank you for your patience- I won't quit until I get everything in order for you all. Keep the comments coming- good and bad, so we can make better decisions for YOUR board. Johanna

The hover preview was a mod, and I'll get it restored when I get some of the other issues sorted out. I like it too- saved time. Thanks for all your help today, Dick! Much appreciated! Johanna

It's getting better- don't lose heart. Johanna

You don't have to be a guild member to enjoy the show, but you do have to belong to an IFoLG guild if you are entering pieces in competition. Hope to see you there! Johanna

Russ, I'm sorry. We're working on it right now, and I am pretty sure we can get the kinks worked out and running smoothly again, despite the new features. In the meantime, use the lofi version at the bottom of the page in the drop down menu until things are right again. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but the security updates and other stability issues require that we update, and I'd rather do it it now than before the old board crashed. I promise we won't quit until we get things satisfactory again. Thank you for your patience. We really are trying to bring everyone a better board. Johanna

Use the "Today's Active Topics" right above the members online at the bottom of the page for now. We will get it sorted soon. Johanna

The server is converting 20,000 PMs to the new format, and when the task is completed, I expect the site to be running at normal speed and your inboxes to be restored. I could have taken the board offline while we waited, but you guys get the shakes when I do that. The upgrades are almost done, and I will be fixing the new gallery areas next. We needed to do the software upgrade because we ant to increase the content we can bring you, and we are growing every day. The older software is not as capable of handling the traffic and modifications. Keep letting us know about any bugs if you find them- it helps! Inboxes and speed are being addressed right now- thank you for your patience! Johanna

I'm moving this to "Show Off". I nearly fell out of my chair! WOW!! (Maybe John can translate: thatissofreakingawesomeIdon'thavewords!) Johanna

They're not gone, we just didn't put them back yet. They have to be converted into "conversations". It's putting a load on the server which is why some of you are experiencing slow load times. We picked this weekend because we hoped we wouldn't inconvenience everyone when they got to work Monday morning. We still need a little time, things are moving along well so far. Johanna

Aaron, I hear you! But LW is growing every day, and the upgrades are necessary to insure that the high traffic doesn't crash the board or worse. Don't get too excited about the general appearance yet- no skin has been installed. Anyone missing the "view new posts" can use the "Today's Active Content" link right above the members online today list. Bear with us- when we are done, I think you will all be pleased, and we will be ready for more members, content and options. Johanna

I'm not seeing the old PMs yet either, or the calendar, or the ads...LOL give me a little bit to see what we can sort out yet. Johanna

I wanted to warn you now before the board goes offline temporarily and you all get the shakes. We are going to be down for a few hours while we add some new fancy features to serve you better. In the meantime, while the board is down, or anytime you have a free moment, please contact your favorite vendors and urge them to support LW. Ad details are here: http://leatherworker.../adnews/ad.html Call Jerry of artisansew.com, Kevin of Springfield Leather, Peter of Waterhouse Leather, Cobra Steve and Ivan Sampson, the rosewood burnisher guy, and tell them you appreciate their support of leatherworker. They have made the new improvements possible. But we have so many quality vendors who should be advertising here- directly to their target market, our 6500+ members, people like you! Please contact them and tell them how great LW is, and how much you would like to see their ads supporting our efforts to grow and bring education, entertainment and fellowship to all leatherworkers, their current and future customers. We support the leather community, but LW is growing so quickly that we need funding to pay for the expansions. In exchange for backing LW, our advertisers get exposure to the people who will buy, delivered directly to their website from potential customers from all over the world! YOU can help LW by encouraging your favorite suppliers and vendors to support LW, and you can help them to increase their sales and reputations. Sellings advertising during a recession isn't easy, but so far our advertisers have found their investments have paid off. I need your help to convince more of them. Here is a handy list of people and places to contact: RETAILERS: Tandy Leather Factory www.tandyleatherfactory.com Dana Jones djones@tandyleather.com Worth Jackson wjackson@leatherfactory.com 817-872-3200 Siegel of California www.siegelofca.com Steven Stiegel siegel.leather@gmail.com 800-862-8956 Hidecrafter www.hidecrafter.com Eric Edrich eric@hidecrafter.com 817-878-5797 Zack Whites www.eleatherworks.com Tim Cox 800-633-0396 Standing Bears Trading Post www.sbearstradingpost.com WC (Wayne Christenson) cowboywc@earthlink.net 818 342-9120 Brettuns Village www.brettunsvillage.com Churchill Barton trunks@brettunsvillage.com 207-782-7863 Fire Mountain Gems www.firemountaingems.com 800-423-2319 Chris & Stuart Crazy Crow crazycrow.com 903-786-2287 PUBLICATIONS Leathercrafters and Saddlers Journal www.leathercraftersjornal.com David Reis davidjournal@newworth.net 715-362-5393 Shop Talk! www.proleptic.net Dr. Dan Preston shoptalk@proleptic.net 207-495-3600 Smoke and Fire www.smoke-fire.com editor@smoke-fire.com 800-766-5334 LEATHER Hermann Oak Leather Shep Hermann holc@hermannoakleather.com 800-325-7950 Wicket & Craig Matt Bressler mbressler@wicket-craig.com 814-236-2220 SEWING MACHINES Tippmann Industrial Products www.tippmannindustrial.com Bob Tippmann bob@tippmannindustrial.com 800-533-4831 Cowboy Sewing Machines www.neelsaddlery.com Ryan Neel neelre@comcast.net (866) 507-8926 Raphael Sewing Machines www.raphaelsewing.com mail@raphaelsewing.com 866-415-8223 Super Suppliers C. S. Osborne www.csosborne.com 973-483-3232 cso@csosborne.com Ohio Travel Bag www.ohiotravelbag.com info@ohiotravelbag.com 800-800-1941 Feibing www.fiebing.com custserv@fiebing.com 800-558-1033 Standard Rivet Company www.standardrivet.com 617-268-3100 Chaylor Fenneli www.chaylor.com Keith Johnson chaylor@bigpond.net.au

That is what good leatherwork is all about, Spider! It looks cool, and it's practical and functional. I enjoy seeing your work. Thanks for sharing! Johanna

This thread is about the new machine from Artisan. If anyone wants to comment on the new machine, wonderful. If you want to spread rumors and take sides- please do it by PM. Thank you! Johanna

Artisan has been hard at work! Check out their latest machine! The Artisan Toro 3200 is complete with a twelve and a half inch throat and will sew 7/8 oz leather! Johanna

Kate and I are ahead of you guys. We are installing a link manager to LW, and you will get more details as soon as we have all the kinks ironed out. If anyone needs help with their web site, please PM me or Kate. Johanna

He last logged in about a week ago. Oh dear, nothing is wrong I hope. Sidney Wood. Calling Sidney Wood! Check in and let us know you are okay, please! Johanna

Kevin has been busy- check out his "new and improved" website! http://springfieldleather.com/store/ Forget Fire Mountain! Who knew he had all those beads and findings there too? I didn't! Memo to self: never give Jane (my 11 yr. old daughter) a credit card after she's been looking at Kevin's store online! She wants it ALL! They are still running the $4.79 square foot price for Hermann Oak Leather, too. The store has finished leather goods, sewing machines and splitters, and every leatherworking supply you can think of, plus they have top notch customer service. Springfield Leather tip #279 If you don't see it in the catalog, call. If Kevin doesn't have it, he knows where to get it. Johanna

PM sent. Thanks everyone for the kind words. Johanna

Rayban- the day to be there is Saturday. The competition and display rooms will be open to the public from 9am to just before the banquet that evening. I'll be getting in around lunchtime on Thursday, and leaving after the raffle on Sunday. Johanna

Click on a "Springfield Leather" ad on the top of the page or call 1-800-668-5818