Johanna

http://www.taylortel.net/~stwood/index.html Thank you, Sidney! Johanna Basic_Turkshead.pdf Basic_Turkshead_Lesson_Two.pdf BasicTurkshead_Lesson_3.pdf Basic_Turkshead.pdf Basic_Turkshead_Lesson_Two.pdf BasicTurkshead_Lesson_3.pdf

I just got in from Indianapolis. It was a terrific show! Lots of friends, leather and fun! I will post a full report tomorrow, and put some captions on the pics for y'all. Here is the link for the pics I took: http://leatherworker.net/CIL2007/index.htm Our ClayB won two first place and one second place ribbon out of three entries. Not bad, huh? (**hint- you've seen some of the work here on leatherworker.net already!**) If anyone thinks that people in the IILG would be interested in seeing these pictures, please feel free to post the link on the iilg-leather and iilg-member lists. I don't mind. More tomorrow! Johanna

Is it possible that it froze during shipping? You did shake the bottle well, right? Gum Trag will separate after it's been frozen, and needs replaced. Johanna

The carving is beautiful! One suggestion for lacing, though- beat it. Beat it with the butt end of your mallet or a smooth cobbler's hammer, on the marble, being careful to to break the lace. Then take an edge slocker and roll it along the sides a little. It will smooth out the lumps and bumps. You are right about using small holes/larger lace for a better effect, too. Good advice for corners, too- just make sure they all match (judges take off when they don't!) Very nice, Dan, thanks for sharing! Johanna

Then email them to me and I will make each into their own page, with a link here to click. I appreciate you sharing detailed pictures of Chester Hape's work. Johanna

If you email the pics, I'll post them for you. admin@leatherworker.net To add an attachment "browse" to the picture you want, then click "add this attachment". You can "add into post" at your option (useful for when you want the pictures to appear in a certain order and with text in between) The forum software will create the thumbnail image. I wonder if they are hi-res pictures? If the file size is near 1000K (or 1 Mb), the forum software won't accept it. A quick way to resize pictures is an MS Powertoy called "Image Resizer" http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...ppowertoys.mspx Another program I like for graphics is Irfanview http://www.irfanview.com/ Let me know how I can help. Johanna

Water works fine, so does dye or Leather Balm. The trick is the friction created with the burnishing, and denim or canvas is great, so is scrap deerskin. I'm gonna have to try these Bickmore products. I've been hearing good things about them, and we're all going to be looking for alternatives when the California "hazardous leatherworking chemicals" paranoia sweeps the country. Thank goodness we can get by with tap water for many jobs, huh? Johanna

KD? She can do her own stuff. I can't do nuthin'. But a wall hanging with "JAMS" on it the next time you get bored...that would be cool. How many animals can you put in one picture? I like leaves, but maple better than oak. I don't mind scrolls and stuff, but I have more acanthus cabbage than I'm proud of. I don't have a lot of figure carving, and hey, who cares about initials anyway? Oh, shoot, I'd be happy with an oakleaf on a keychain as long as it had the magic ClayB signature. (Please let Clay get bored. Please let Clay get bored!) Johanna (you better not be tossing these in the scrap bin to pound holes on or something!)

I swear, if I ever get another HD, I'm going to need interchangeable seats...a ShirleyZ, a David T., and a Beeze for sure! I can get them to match my moods, clothes or whatever, but then my big butt will *gasp* cover them up! Aarrrgghhh!! Congratualtions, Shirley- you're only starting to hit the big time. You're headed there on the fast train, don't worry! And we can all say "We knew her when..." David- I'm headed your way next week. Want to grab a cup of coffee somewhere? Daddy wants me to fix his computer. (Surprise, surprise!) Johanna

Hmmm...The initials should be more prominent than the floral. Right? Johanna

Okay, I made a poll... Johanna

Beeze, I had the same first thought, "Shame to color it and hide the detail." Dan- maybe Neat Lac the elephant, rub some Leather Balm in and buff until your elbow aches, and then let the sun do some magic? Just an idea. If it were mine to finish, after the sun did its thing, I would make the edges look burned and put it in a wrapped wire square like that leaping deer I posted- so that the frame doesn't detract from the elephant, or the shape get lost. You do great work, Dan, and thanks for sharing. Johanna ps Dan, gotcha on the top of my list- you didn't miss anything.

What are the odds of having two impressive leatherworkers named "Clay" on a forum? Clay M. You explained the Sheridan "flow" very well. I remember Little Jon running his finger along the scrolls and swirls of a new pattern, and he was checking, like you described, the direction everything needed to go. The "flow" is really easy to see on woodwork designs that use the Greek and Roman acanthus designs, too. Clay, do you have a rule of thumb about backgrounding in proportion to the design? I remember being told it should be minimal, but I couldn't tell you why. Clay B. I really like the initials. Johanna

A gentle reminder to everyone: please get permission from the owner before you post someone else's work-pattern, directions, or, heaven forbid, anything that is copyrighted and/or for sale. If you are unsure, or want me to ask the owner if we can use it, send me a PM. I would rather err on the cautious side, than be discourteous or risk legal issues. Leatherworker.net intends to share leatherworking resources with the permission of the owners/authors of the materials presented. Any deviation needs to be reported and corrected immediately, and I appreciate everyone's help and cooperation with our strict policy. I would also like to thank those of you who have given me permission to construct The Gallery using their pictures. I hope your phones ring and your inbox fills up with praise and orders. I'll be making the announcement soon, stay tuned... Johanna

Exactly. All of the arrangements for an IFoLG show depend on the host guild. The host guild has the responsibility of deciding special competitions, printing certificates, having ribbons made, publicity, hotel contracts etc. All of the instructors and vendors are"volunteers". There may be some fees, but the fees help them to maybe break even, not pay for the break from the bench. The host guild tries to work with the available people and their schedule requirements when they decide the classes, and when they can, they like to have them before the show because that way no one misses anything, and there are less conflicts with people who want to teach or take more than one class. The hotel has to be negotiated with, too- everything from conference rooms to catering to rates for rooms. (Some hotels will discount or allow the free use of conference rooms for a set amount of guaranteed room nights sold) If you do go to a show, whether it is an IFoLG show or one sponsored by an individual guild, try to book your room at the host hotel, and make sure the hotel knows you are with the show. It may be $20 cheaper to stay across the street, but if the show doesn't make their room quota, they may face unexpected fees. No one teaches, sells at or hosts a show to "get rich". The goal is to break even, and maybe throw a couple hundred dollars in the kitty for the next event. The best thing about the shows, classes, competitions and leather aside, is the fellowship between leatherworkers. Lots of us have known each other for years, and there are always new friends to meet. There are cowboys and bikers and businessmen and artists and everything in between, and conversations are friendly and fascinating. Here is the link for the Lone Star Leathercrafters ( Hosts of the 2007 IFoLG show) http://www.lonestarleathercraft.org/about_us.htm And a special link for the show: http://www.2007ifolgshow.com/ Johanna Last year, at the IFoLG show in Butler, hosted by the Pitt Pounders and the IILG, Holly did a lot of the preliminary planning, Carol Higgins organized the classes, Blanche Byrne put together the biggest raffle I've ever seen at a show, and Pat Hay & Chris Kearns handled a million details to make everything go as well as it did. (Johanna stands on a chair and gives those folks a round of applause!)

Chatzilla is probably the way to go if you need to use Firefox, but I use mIRC in Internet Explorer. It seems easier. But nothing about IRC is ever easy. You are welcome to use this chat room (Live Chat link at top of page) and create private rooms if you wish, too. No additional software is required, and it works with FF or IE or whatever browser. The chat software on this site is pretty easy, but it has less features than IRC. But. that might be a good thing, depending on the level of experience of your group. You would have to do manual logs. I don't have it set up to keep logs on the server. (I figure that way everyone has their privacy!) Johanna PS Sidney, if you have anything you want me to upload on the main pages, I'd be thrilled. Did you have a look at "Knothead"'s site? (I'm a compulsive list maker, and so you can imagine how impressed I am with the archives!) I'm looking forward to learning from you knotters and braiders. You guys are only limited by imagination.

How long does it take you to tool a belt, and what is your shop rate? You have to price belts like anything else. Materials + (time spent X shop rate) X % of profit. I've always been amazed at how you carvers/stamper/toolers can take a crappy looking strap and hide every blemish in it with your tools. However, I can appreciate the difference of cutting into a high quality hide vs. trying to compensate for a non absorbent or spongy leather. Maybe someone can help you out with some straps? Johanna

This is going to be a fun time! Show info here Classes by Jeff Mosby, Paul Burnett, Chan Geer, Ava Gannon, Charles Crenshaw I'm going, hope to see you there! Johanna

This is from 2003, courtesy of Ernie Wayman, Pres. IFoLG IFoLG Guidelines IFoLG Suggestions (from the tips&tricks page of Leatherworker.net) When a guild hosts a show in the IFoLG they have discretion over the rules. When a guild hosts their own show (like the one the Central Indiana Leathercrafters Guild has coming up) they set their own rules. So there is no definitive rulebook set in stone (or leather). There is some common sense stuff- like finish your edges, no ballpoint pen showing, line up your snaps etc... Because of the training I've received from some of the best in the business, and having been a judge at Midwest Federation shows and IFoLG and a couple of State Fairs, I feel comfortable with evaluating a project. The first thing I look at is "curb appeal". Is it ugly? crooked? Then I examine the piece. Is it functional? Does it have all of the parts? By this time, I've gotten to "know" the work. Then the critical eye comes in...and this is where even the very best leatherworkers make "mistakes". And there is a gray area, too- did the maker intend to do it a certain way for a reason? Sometimes there are several ways to do something- is one more "right" than another? That's where experience comes in. If it isn't ugly, it works and you don't see unacceptable flaws (like filigree that went too far, for example) it's hard to be objective. And when you are comparing apples to oranges, and you know the makers (even though the names are covered up) you have to depend on the professionalism of the judging team. There are always a few heated discussions behind closed doors. At the show in Topeka a few years ago, a Head Judge had to mediate an angry dispute. And in the end, you are looking at a Ford and Chevy and trying to say one is better than the other. If you are judging, be prepared to defend your reasons. I think this is a great topic, and I'm going to leave it here so it gets the maximum attention. I hope you get the answers you are looking for about the competitions. It's easier to win the game when you know the rules! Unfortunately, there aren't any hard and fast rules in the industry, unless we set the standards for ourselves. One year the IFoLG talked about making a formal guideline, but I don't know if it ever was completed. I would be glad to put one together for their approval, but I'd need help from all of you to do it. I'll discuss it with Ernie in Indianapolis this month. Johanna

Hello, Clay M! I hope we get to see pics of your green man, too. (Everybody, let me introduce you to Clay Miller, one of the best leather carvers and all around good-guy.) Dale is awesome, and I'm trying to twist his arm to do an online lesson or two. He keeps mumbling about parenting, day jobs, current projects, the usual exuses. Clay, will you post your Green Man in progress? I hope you have time to be a regular here, too, Clay. We could all learn from you, too. Hang around long enough, I'll start bugging you for lessons, too. Seriously, I've admired this Clay's work for a long time. Click his link below and check out his site. He can do magic to cowhide. Please post some of your work in the "Show Off" section, Clay. (We encourage leatherworkers to shamelessly promote themselves and their businesses.) Work like yours deserves to be seen, admired and commissioned. Johanna

Oscar, please accept my sympathies for the loss of your mother. When my husband John died, in his things I found a wallet that he had made for his father, who passed away in the 70s. It was one of the first projects he ever did, and his dad obviously cherished the wallet. His mom said she gave it to John as a keepsake, and he did keep it, for nearly 30 years. It's not his best work, but I saved it along with his other things for our children, when they are older, because it meant so much to him. Again, I am sorry about your Mom. May God's hand rest on your family's shoulder during this difficult time. Johanna

I'm going to move this to the Saddlery section. Maybe this topic just isn't getting noticed in "off-topic". Please share your links with all of us! There are no rules here about having to take subjects off-list, unless they concern private matters between individuals. Blake, I edited out your email addy from your post because the spam bots will get it on the forum. Anyone can click your name and send you a PM or an email (if you have those options enabled) and the addresses can't be found by the web crawlers that way. Johanna

I added some new smileys tonight. If you have emoticons you'd like to share, email them to admin @leatherworker.net. If there are any you hate and want gone, let me know. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click "add reply" to a post instead of "fast reply", then in the smiley window, at the bottom, in the center, click "show all". If you would prefer not to see smileys, disable the feature in your control panel. Johanna

http://www.instructables.com/id/EU0DY6QKNCEZ7BHEZ0?ALLSTEPS Johanna

I counted 19 (that I know of for sure) from the member list. Come on guys, introduce yourselves. Oops, excuse me, there are three ladies on my very unofficial list. Johanna