Johanna

Skirting leather is heavy- 12/14 oz. It is veggie tanned, and can be carved. Carving leather is veggie tanned also, and comes in a variety of weights. Thicknesses. We leatherworkers don't seem to like simple terminology, do we? Johanna

I have noticed on some of the Yahoo lists that some members are using "grouply" which advertises itself as a way for you to "manage all your groups". Folks, they don't want to help you get organized- they want your account name and password. They want to spam your friends and associates. They want to read your email and sell your demographic information. Maybe they have even more nefarious purposes, I don't know, but DON'T FALL FOR IT! Grouply dot com is not a "friendly service". It is a scam. Do not be suckered. If you have already signed up with them, log into Yahoo and CHANGE your password NOW. Ugh. Another reason I dislike yahoo. It's such a pain to use that a creepy company like this can come along and convince sensible people to give out their passwords under the guise of trying to help. Grouply is NOT a part of Yahoo. Grouply is using social engineering to make identity theft. Google them for more info or click here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...09074408AAEdoHS Johanna

One our members drew some patterns for a fellow member, and when the person attempted to pay, she directed them to make a contribution to LW instead. I don't think it's wrong to ask- if someone doesn't want to help, they wll say, "No." It isn't right to just lift someone else's work and call it your own, though. I know members have shared patterns and said, "I made this, but Mrs. SuperKnife drew the pattern for me." It's also a no-no to photocopy Tandy patterns and share them because Tandy sells the patterns and they are copyrighted. No one may know but you, but it's still wrong. Just my two and a half cents this morning. Johanna

Oh, Art....I'm soooo sorry. You're gonna have 6999 problems. Which flavor of Vista? Have you considered early retirement? Tennessee whiskey? I can't imagine 7000 people complaining at the same time. Oh wait, I work here. I have had those days! At least they pass relatively quickly. Yours is going to be a prolonged agony no matter how well you plan the execution. Execution. There's an idea for the person who thought up replacing 7000 computers that work with MS Vista. The word on the tech boards is that Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. If that drive wouldn't have failed, I would have happily waited for Windows 7. I upgraded my mom and her husband to Vista. It's a lot like the thumb hammering, but at least I can drive over there in 5 minutes and fix it myself. Trying to talk my mother through computer procedures on the phone is more frustrating for me than her. Johanna

I feel your pain. My primary hard drive died a month ago, and now I've lost my XP Pro that everything worked with and am stuck with Vista, which I like, but it's not as functional. I'm having to send things to my laptop to get them done on XP. Let me know if you need help with data recovery from the old drive. Johanna

This was really fun to do, and I hope Jim invites me to shadow him again! Here is a pic of the tiny feather. Johanna

When you set the stamp, no matter what handle you use, tap it once lightly into the place that you want it to be. You will feel the stamp bite into the leather. Make sure it didn't bounce and is sitting in the impression. Now whack it! You can rock the handle now without as much risk of getting a double impression. Do you need a Hefty Handle? It depends. Some people like them. I find them easier to use when I am working with youth groups on stamping projects. Am I going to look for one to use with an alphabet set when there is a handle conveniently in the box? Nah. The alphabet stamps don't really need the bigger handle to press evenly. For the larger 3D stamps, a Hefty Handle and a Maul (not a mallet) is just easier, but it would be hard to tell the difference between the same impression done with a regular handle. Johanna

I second the goat reccommendation, but I would opt for cabretta (which is finished, not veggie tanned) because I am allergic to "raw" veggie tanned and it would give me hives. So would some suedes, after I sweated a little under the band. Johanna

Ed, I hadn't read the November edition of the Hides to Art until today. WOW! You did a great job explaining how you did this project. We are eager for you to do another tutorial we can publish right here on LW! Beautiful job! Johanna

That is a very generous and thoughtful offer, Scissormedic, and much appreciated. Thank you for thinking about LW! Not everyone realizes it takes money to keep the lights on and the coffee fresh. >smooooch< Johanna

See under the banner at the top of the page where it says "main page"? Click there for lists of suppliers, artists, tutorials, tips, tricks and other information. Johanna

Pretty typical Jack Justis work...clean, elegant and stylish. Top notch quality. Keep 'em coming, Jack. We like seeing what you're up to. Johanna

Admin got your message, but she hopes you reconsider. I agree with Tina- it's not lame at all. We all start somewhere, and your project is pretty darn good for a newbie. Even better- it SOLD! That says a bunch right there. If you still want Admin to kill this thread, I will, but I think you should give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. Johanna

Here's the deal: Verlane was a friend to me, like many of you, and I am not going to do anything disrespectful to her memory. She sent me a CD of this info before she died, but she was very vague about what she wanted me to do with it. She probably wasn't sure herself, and just wanted to know the material she had painstakingly put together wasn't lost. If her sister says, "Yes Johanna, please share that info with LW members!" I will be thrilled to do so. If her sister says, "We are going to publish that material and fund a scholarship in her name." then I'll be promoting the book, not undermining the family's efforts. This isn't a matter of legalities to me as much as courtesy and ethics. So, until I have the final word from Verlane's sister, I will not be uploading the CD to LW. Yes, you can see some of the material on DeeAnna's site and in the members-only section of the IILG, and I don't know whether or not they have permission to do so or not, but I won't be proceeding until I know her family's wishes. I realize it is valuable information, but you all can understand why it is so important for LW to do the right thing. Verlane entrusted me with a lot of her work, and I take that responsibility very seriously. Johanna

Kevin- don't forget to add it to the calendar when you get all the dates nailed down. I think you'll get a good response! Johanna

Log into your gmail and change your preferences to open links in a new window. Or, do a System Restore to three days ago. Let me know if it works. Johanna

I can't believe I was dumb enough to click that link WITH the sound turned on! Johanna

BB- I like yours! I didn't realize how much Jon modified the top of the purse! How does yours fasten? Do you have inside pockets? I think yours is terrific, and I like the bottom with the soft leather better than the jeans style, don't you? It seems a little more "formal" (is that the right word?) or maybe "not casual" is better. Don't ever sell yourself short- you do nice work, and you are a lady of many talents. Soon, you will be able to add websites to that list! Johanna

I just got off the phone with Dan Preston, publisher of Shop Talk, the magazine for those in the leather business. He offered to send anyone from this site a complimentary issue if they email or call the office 540-434-9845 and request one and mention that you heard about the offer here on Leatherworker.net. This magazine is chock full of informative articles, ads for suppliers, interesting things to know and sales, deals and what's going on in Leather Land. You will probably want to subscribe- and if you do, please tell them Johanna sent you. Thank you Dan, for doing this for our folks! Johanna

Gotta love domain name speculators/extortionists...someone bought "leatherworkerS.net" and wants A LOT of $$$$ for it. Not gonna get it from us! Johanna

Hmmm...that's what we need...LW t-shirts with the URL on them....

The zipper on my cheap Wal Mart purse has given out, and I need a new purse. I've been looking around, but none of the stores have what I want. This is my favorite purse ever, and I don't use it for lots of reasons. It's made from an old Tandy Jeans bag pattern, and the bottom is sturdy biker leather. The top is a carved panel buckstitched onto the bottom. I could not buckstitch it when it was made, even with the pliers. I had to get the old man to do it. It was his idea in the first place, and he's already punched the holes. The top also has the wrong initial now. (Yes, I know it needs cleaned and oiled, but it's been hanging in the closet for years, okay?) It also needs repaired. Simple stitching, but why bother on a purse you aren't going to use? The things I like about this purse is that it's deep. I can get all my junk in there, plus a book and a lunch. It also has an extra long round braided strap that will either loop over my neck or my shoulder, and never pulls my hair. I have no idea why the old man did the strap that way, but I liked it from day one. I stood still for him to use a tape measure to get it exactly the right length, too. The magnetic clasp has always snapped shut, but I'd rather have a zipper inside. I like the outside pocket (just think- this was made before anyone had a cell phone!) Now, it's twenty years later...and I just don't think it's worth trying to fix this purse, even if I could carve, which I can't. I don't particularly want jailhouse acanthus scrolls anyway. What I want is a new purse, similar to this one, but I don't want to make it, either. I explained all this to Wade and he said, "Ummm, you know quite a few leatherworkers..." How would you guys make a purse like this? Would it require a second mortgage or could we work out a deal? Or do you guys think I should just go spend $15 on a new Wal Mart special and get a couple of years out of it, and hang this purse back up for nostalgia? I was kinda spoiled when the old man was living. I'd say "I want!" and he'd make it. If I didn't like it, he'd make me another. He enjoyed dressing me up with leather, and one look at my stuff sold more stuff when we were out and about. I have to admit I didn't realize the value of what I had until I started going to shows. But the old man did teach me to appreciate custom leatherwork! So I understand, this ain't gonna be cheap! Johanna

Eryk- I think I saw some of your work at the IFoLG show submitted as a member of the Georgia Leathercrafters Guild. That guild is near and dear to my heart. Welcome to LW! Help yourself to the coffee and cookies, and tell Jimmy, Horace and Woody and everyone else "Hi!" for me next time you see them! Johanna

I asked Bob Stelmack, editor of the monthly PSLAC newsletter, to add a banner to the newsletter as a member/sponsor, and he surprised me with such an informative introduction of our site. But then, Bob has always been great to work with. If you are not a member of PSLAC, consider it. Bob and crew have been archiving valuable leather info for years, and you can download it with an internet membership. PSLAC has an active schedule of workshops and get-togethers, and some sister guilds to play with, and it's the Rawhide Gazette, Bob's newletter, packed with pics and info, that is fun to read. You can click the link at the bottom of every page on the forum to go to PSLAC's site. LW is pleased to welcome PSLAC members here- feel free to use the chat room in a public or private room for any leather talking you want to do. Glad to have you all here! And thanks for all the kind words about LW, Bob. Johanna

Do you want a rounded one or the french cut? I have some extras, PM me with shipping details. ~J