Johanna

I would leave the Java everythings. Sometimes they have to be installed sequentially when you reformat a computer because they are not cumulative. They aren't taking up that much space anyway. If you really want to get rid of them you should uninstall them, not delete them, and I wouldn't because some older site is going to start acting funny. Clear your temp files and move the slider down to about 80MB for "space to use", and if your computer is running well, delete all but your last restore point and turn the space way down for that one, too. (I use about 20MB) Those are two of the biggest space hogs on the C drive because Windows allocates so much space for them by default. Since they have to fill up to overwrite, it's better to keep them smaller. Less chance of corruption on the SR points especially. Johanna

Crystal- you can always post links here! http://www.streamlineoriginals.com/ Someone invite the man to LW please! I gotta go yell at my rotten kids. Johanna

I've removed "fast reply" from about half of the board. I had several people report they typed out wise and witty remarks, only to have FR vanish before they could click submit. Don't know why. The missing FR is part of a top secret investigative mission- please do not adjust your set (or remove your hat!) Johanna

Usually we call that patchwork stuff "scraps sewn together", but maybe someone will be able to help you find what you are looking for. Johanna

Little Feat is my all time favorite band. I've seen them live 20+ times, but I never saw Lowell George before he died. I have hunted down every recording he ever made though, I think! I like Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Raitt. Carly Simon, Crosby Stills & Nash, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and pretty much everything Jordan mentioned. I like blues, folk, rock, southern rock, bluegrass, acoustic, classical and some country, but in the car or cooking dinner I usually listen to NPR on the radio. My favorite Zappa album is "Apostrophe" and my favorite Pink Floyd one is "Wish You Were Here". Johanna

Ben just uploaded a bunch of pics of Billy's that he saved, so I guess I'll be redoing the gallery. That one I put up today is just left over from the site he used to have, and we never quite finished it. ArtS- PM me your snail mail addy. Johanna

Good idea, ClayB! That one is, of course, my favorite. Here are some of his pics from the old website. Remember kids, this is all done on leather! http://leatherworker.net/Gallery/index.htm ~J

Bill Stockil (aka Billy 2-shews) joined the forum this weekend, and you wonderful people immediately flooded him with hellos and questions via PM. He appreciates all the mail, but asked me to tell you folks what's going on with him, as answering all the mail is rather overwhelming to him at this time. Billy had a series of cerebral strokes that have left the right side of his body paralyzed and he is now blind in one eye. He hung up "The Assassin" (Billy's famous carpenters hammer) and has been recuperating in Europe, near the home of one of his sons. He said he is enjoying looking at all the projects and pieces on the board, and reading the posts, but that it's difficult and time-consuming to type responses. I offered to do that part for him, and he accepted. So- if you want to ask him a question or send fan mail, post it here or send it to 2shews@leatherworker.net and he'll read it. You'll get an answer from Billy through my email or PM, but expect to wait a bit, as not all days are optimum for him to respond. He asked me to tell you all how much it means to know that so many people care, and to thank you all for your good wishes. Your messages of concern and friendship are warmly received. Billy is glad to have so many understanding and caring friends. Here is a treat: http://marycombes.com/index.html Billy's wife, Mary, is an amazing watercolor artist. Her son-in-law did this site to display some of her work. Click the link and be prepared to have your socks knocked off. Thanks everybody for welcoming Billy back. We've all missed him, and I'm glad he's going to be checking in with us as his time and his health permits. Johanna

Smaller patterns and craftaids are in a fan file folder in a desk drawer, and larger patterns are rolled up in mailing tubes. Books...ummm are everywhere. I have some in the shop, some up here in my office. You are correct- the books are not standard sizes, so they don't fit neatly on shelves. I lay them longways on the bottom shelves. Of course, my shop has been dormant for a long time...I'd probably do things a bit differently if I needed to access the books more frequently. Hilly- I keep dyes on a very low shelf near the bench. Once upon a time we had them nice and handy on a higher shelf, and one day there must have been too much vibration from pounding on the bench...you can imagine that disaster as they came tumbling down! Always be sure to screw caps on tightly. Sigh. Johanna

Is it obligatory to wear a hat to the show in Sheridan? Is that for men and women? If you don't have a hat on, do people think you are a waiter? Inquiring minds want to know. Johanna

admin@leatherworker.net I'll get them up for you. Just how was I supposed to talk to you, Brent? You were a busy guy all during the show! You even had your daughter working! Someone needs to give Carol a raise- I don't know what the IFoLG would do without her, and I heard she put that ginormous raffle display together. I've been to IFoLG shows with less on the table. It was a good time- I'm glad so many people turned out in support of the show. It's a leap for a guild to sponsor one because it takes money and volunteers, Calumet had it down to room 360 where show attendees could visit muchie heaven in the "hospitality room". I think my son would follow Gina anywhere after that. Monica handled a million details, too. Let us know when you hear what Prairie States is planning for next year. The opportunities these shows present can change the lives of leatherworkers- not in just what they can learn, but the lifelong friendships that are made. ~J

http://leatherworker.net/calumet2008showpics/index.htm These are pics Jane and I took from the guild display tables which included some of the competition pieces, and there are a couple of pics from the raffle tables (like the cool shoes!) I'm not posting the pic of my sister Tina and her charming husband until she gives the okay. Same with Roz- Roz was there as a vendor/teacher/judge, and she had a display set up. I just sent her a note asking permission to post pics of her pieces. My daughter got better pics of Roz's things than I did- probably because Jane caught the spirit of imagination better than us grown-ups ever could. Jane saw every detail. Johanna

Pete- sorry- I wasn't at home this weekend. The reason the pics wouldn't go into one post is that they totaled out to more than 1.5 MB is size- this is not Mac discrimination! ~J

Here are some teasers. There were three of these awrds made by Roz "The Dragon Lady" for best of category. She won the Masters. These are Tina's entries: I'll upload all the pics in the morning- I'm beat! Going through them tonight, I can't take cradit for the photography. My daughter Jane took quite a few good ones, and she must have been particularly fascinated by Roz's work. I'm going to have to ask Roz if I can make her a special page. She's an incredibly creative artist. She took the time to explain to Jane how she made the water effect, and showed her the "secret ingredient". What talent, and loaded with class. Yeah, I've been a Dragon Lady fan for years. Johanna

By the time we got here at 2 or so the competition room had been emptied for the workshops that went on all day. The entries that needed to be shipped back to their owners were packed up and put away, so I never saw any of the four pieces ClayB won ribbons dreamcatchers for. The other competition pieces were spread around the display room, mostly on the tables of the guilds they belonged on. I took lots of pics, but they are kinda unorganized becaue of that. HowardB (Brent)won so many certificates I lost count. Way to go, Brent! Alex Madsen, who served as head judge in Bob Beard's place, said there were 150 entries. That's quite a bit for a small regional show like this one. There are lots of raffle items going tomorrow- remind me to buy some more tickets! It's the raffles that provide the income to make these shows possible. Carol Higgins really stepped up to the plate and got people to donate quite a variety of goodies. There were a few conspicuous absences- Bea & Ernie Wayman are still in Florida, George Hurst and Hidecrafters didn't come, no Bob Beard...but- there were lots of familiar faces and quite a few new folks. I enjoyed having the chance to meet some new folks and catching up with old friends. Allan Scheiderer had Columbus IFoLG show packets available. He said Roz, the dragon lady, agreed to be head judge in September. She made the special award trophies for best of catagory for this show- wait until you see them! Titled "Revenge", it is a cow pounding a human hide complete with the workshop. Prairie States Guild is planning a regional show next year, somewhere in the southern part of the Chicago area. More details will be announced as we know them. Yes,I have lots of pics, but I'm headed back downstairs for the flea market/swap meet/ all night gab fest. Pics will have to wait until I get them off the camera. hahahahaha Great show, wonderful people- I'm very glad to be here. Hasta manana! Johanna

Well, we made it! There are quite a few folks here, and some nice leatherwork too. I found Tina and her husband almost immediately- we just knew each other right away. She won four blue ribbons- anyone surprised? Ha ha! I've seen a few friends already, but classes are going on right now, and I don't want to interrupt anyone. I'm going downstairs to get some pictures, and I'll upload them poolside (of course, that's where my kids want to be RIGHT NOW MOM!) The award ceremony is at 7 Indy time, and I can't wait to see everyone. Woody & Jerry made it from Georgia (okay, I had to interrupt them!) I'm outta here...will keep you folks posted. Johanna and yes, that is the real Billy 2shews that registered today. whooo-hoooo Hi Billy! You know we love you, right? (no, he's not here at the show)

Oh, Roo- what a handsome young man! God bless the patriots from all countries. Thanks for sharing. Johanna

I'll be there tomorrow afternoon- wish I could leave today!! Usually I tell people to look for the short lady with the long hair, but I cut most of my hair off this week (it is now the shortest it has been in 27 years!) I'm looking forward to meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. Look for the lady with the two kids, Wal Mart purse and the camera- that will be me! Johanna

http://www.hidecrafter.com/

WOW!! Those saddles are beautiful! I don't know much about saddles, but I know leatherwork, and I am amazed at the workmanship. I see what you mean about the quality of the photos, and the angles used. I recognize all but one or two of the names in the credits- and I would be happy to ask all the makers for permission to use that guide as a lesson in representing work to the best advantage. Wow, just wow. I have no ideas what those pictured saddles cost, but I'm sure they are worth it and then some. If those pics can impress me so much, imagine how someone who knew what they were looking at would feel. I suspect they would be even happier about whipping out their checkbook. Johanna

Well, can I see it? admin@leatherworker.net ~J

Ben, If you think people could understand what you are trying to say better with the pdf, send it to me and I'll upload it. Presentation is everything, and I've seen some saddle sites that don't do the actual work justice. In order to justify the value in the customer's mind, and compete with other custom saddlers, good photography skills are important. Some makers could probably command better prices by using pictures and explanations as to why their work is superior in quality. Improving the marketing of their work would be a good investment that would pay off for years to come. Adding text to explain what to look for in a well-built saddle not only piques the readers' interest, but gives a site valuable keywords. Thanks for putting this together- this is the future, people. Marketing is done on the Internet now, and you have to look professional to compete. Johanna

We're not going to have a storefront! But I can see a page on the front of the site that lets a potential customer visit the sites of leatherworkers who can make or repair what they are looking for . I want to break the long list I have into some general categories, and then John Q. Public can browse the links for leatherworkers in business who can be contacted for purses, belts, saddles, armor, fireman suspenders or what have you. Number one, it might help some of you folks get some extra business. Two, it will help your site and LW in Google's rankings. Three, it will be easy for me to point people there when they ask me who can make a belt (or something else) for them. What can I say? I can't tell them "Call Moe, Curly or Larry", and not mention Tom, Dick and Harry, or the other 500 people who could do what they want. I don't want to say, "His work is the best, he's too expensive, he's good with scrolls-lousy with snaps..." etc. I'd rather say, "Look here to get some ideas!" Then it is up to the customer to decide from his options and contact that person directly. It's up to you guys to make your site represent you and your work in a way that will attract the business you want. And we appreciate the kind words about this site. We try hard to make it a place you will want to visit and participate in. I think of it as being like the back table in my old store, where people wandered in and out all day, drank coffee and swapped stories. We want to maintain that friendly atmosphere, where people can show off or get help, and everyone feels like they were among friends. Many of you have told us that this site feels like "home". That makes all of the work worth it to me- that you folks are getting something useful out of this site, and having a good time. If LW can help your business get more attention- that's a bonus. I hate to hear when a leatherworker has to hang up his hammer and get a day job. Johanna