Johanna

I am going crazy looking for more (better) pictures of the motorcycle Billy did in 1995. I will find them. Johanna

Floral Carving examples: The first two are pics of Jeff Mosby's work The third is Jim Jackson's. The fourth is 2-shews'. I've been packratting pictures, and I've saved a lot of the very best leatherwork I've seen. I am going to ask Jeff Mosby for permission to post some of his work in a separate thread. Check out his website and be sure to look at the inlay work he does. Wow! Johanna

Clay, are those embossed? Did you use plugs or leather dust if you did? I really enjoy looking at your work, and I'm so glad you are sharing. I don't carve, tool or otherwise disgrace perfectly good leather with my limited artistic ability, so I can appreciate the effort that goes into getting the depth and the end coloring to look natural. Here is Billy 2-shews' tribute to Robb Barr. Johanna

Clay, you assembling quite a collection! The "Roz" is Roz (Short) Kaohn aka "The Dragon Lady" and she is a talented leather artist! Her work is maybe more like sculpture, but it is incredibly meticulously detailed and designed. I doubt anyone could duplicate her creations. She is also a warm witty person who doesn't mind being asked questions like, "How on earth did you do that?" and "Where did you get that idea?", which is good, because she probably hears that a lot. If you ever have a chance to get into a class of hers, jump on it. Paul Burnett has written several books. Tandy used to carry them, but I don't think they do any more. The feathers are done with acrylics and a scalpel. Since we're on the subject of feathers, I guess I need to take some pics of Billy 2-shews' eagles. When I took them to the frame shop, they had never seen anything quite like them before. When I came back to pick them up, they were hung prominently in the store, and I think the proprietor was a little disappointed that the eagles were leaving. Oh well! They are delightful to look at in my living room. LOL Johanna

I love to wear these earrings when I get dressed up. I get lots of questions, and some people won't believe they are made of leather until they touch them. Paul Burnett has the coloring down so well that they look better than a real duck's feather. My late husband, John Henry, picked them out for me because he said the green in them matched my eyes, and he presented them to me after an IFoLG show as a surprise. I recognized them immediately- they had caught my eye repeatedly during the show. Johanna

A gift from a friend... Johanna

Thad handed me this butterfly at a show wrapped in toilet paper, and said, "Don't blow your nose in this!" I miss him terribly. He was a good man, and a member of the Pittpounders Leather Guild. Here is a write up from a 2001 PPLG newsletter. Thad went to heaven in 2000, and I will never forget him. Johanna

My medicine bag has seen a lot of miles, and a ton of sweat. It's time to make a new one, for this one is from an old chapter in my life. Does anyone else make medicine bags? I need inspiration! TIA, Johanna

Hey, Dave, that website you linked to is our very own Victor Tella. Where are you, Victor? Johanna

I remember you saying you had a webcam, Dave??? I could easily add any videos anyone wanted to share...hint hint...plenty of space... When I lived in Macon, the husband of the lady I worked with at the Tandy Leather store used to come in and fool around with knots and braids in all styles. He gave many an impromptu class in braiding and knotwork, and made it look so easy. He would try to toss his knots into the trash as he was leaving, and Judy would scold me for being silly, but I would always fish them out. I'll bet I saved dozens of his "fidgets". What kind of knots are these? I cannot imagine a keyring without a leather braid. (I would have taken a picture of my husband's if I could have found his keys!) I leave the tail hanging out of my jeans pocket, or tuck the tail to the top of my purse, for easy grabbing. The pics are a few Horace Cobb originals that I could lay my hands on right away. Johanna

From Murphy Whips Johanna

I still have to go excavate my sewing machine in the basement to take pics of it. I guess if I sell it, where will my beloved family put all the camping gear? Sigh. Here are two pictures from my files of leather workshops. Neither are mine! My shop area is in the basement, well lit with flourescent lights and east windows. I have a solid workbench and a dye table, and another 14' table I use for cutting and my family uses to pile their stuff on. Someone really needs to talk to my family about being slobs. The first pic is Verlane's bench, the second pic is a student of Peter Main's in his shop. Look on Peter Main's site for detailed pics of his shop, and Al Stohlman's personalized workbenches and cabinetry. www.petermain.com Johanna Verlane__s_workbench150.pdf Verlane__s_workbench150.pdf

In that long list, don't overlook Puget Sound Leather Artisans Co-Op (PSLAC) A place to find information on ALL facets of leather: tooling, carving, stamping, dyeing, lacing, braiding, construction, and repair in the World Famous RawHide Gazette -- a newsletter ALL about leathercraft. For more links and Leather Guilds: Anderson Leather custom braiding & applique Billy 2-Shews custom carving and portraiture Yolanda Bledsoe custom carving w/ Christian emphasis Phil Broc clothing and accessories Jan Herrbach leather artist Paul Krause custom carver & master bootmaker Deirdre La Blanc custom carving Jeff Mosby custom work, specializing in musicians Rod & Denise Stanger blend wood & leather for fine art AT Barr "Don't you buy no ugly knife!" Wayne Christensen Leather by WC Dennis Doaty Dennis Doaty Leathercraft Sandra Egli Trailwest Charles Byrd Byrd Custom Leather Rick Ellenberger C&R Crafts Ann McGrath The Magpie's Nest Robert Lewis Brush Country Leather Robert Ower The Leather Horseshoe Marlin Read Marlin's Mountain Leather Giovanni Zappetta Castleberry Saddle Shop Ann Waters Ann Waters Leather ARts/ Leather ARt Tours Holly Moore Wild Rose Creations Marion Kelton Something Uneek Kate Dubiel Katherine Louise Leather Decor Rick Conn Rick's Old West Saddlery Lillian Chaudhary Heritage Tack & Saddlery Debi Katsmar Your Design Vehicle Horsedodads.com Steve Derricott Gfeller Case Makers, Inc. Twister Anita Neilson Capricorn Leather & Crafts Robert Stelmack PSLAC Chris Check Artistry in Leather Jim R. Simmons Etowah River Leather Ron & Melissa Gray Hyde & Heddle Joe & Wendy Noecker J&W Leathercrafters Vance Hirst Sr. www.3dleatherart.com Dean D'Alesio D'Alesio Kathleen Hunter Onsite Tack Services, Inc. Paul Krause P.K.BootMaker Leather Images Takeshi Sato Leather Studio Sato Jack Schleuning JWLeatherworks Michael Lamy Lamy Unlimited Custom Leather Silva Fox Silva Fox Artistry J&S Old Western Store, Saddle Shop & Museum The Leather Connection The Leather Pages The Headwaters Leathercraft Guild of Minneapolis & St. Paul Leder-Gilde or Leather Art Forum Peter Main Dave Harrison Mark McMahon Leathergoods Pendragon David Morgan Association of New Zealand Leathercrafters Judy Denham, Tauranga, New Zealand kwinton@clear.net.nz Bluegrass Leather Guild Bob Kennedy Lexington Kentucky kennedysigns@yahoo.com Buckeye Leathercrafters of Central Ohio Allan Scheiderer Marysville, Ohio amsdgs17@urec.net Buffalo Trace Leather Guild Ray Bullock Frankfort, Kentucky newimagegb@aol.com Calumet Area Leathercrafters Guild Monica Nibbe PO Box 1593 Highland, IN 46322 Central Indiana Leathercrafters Eugene Cooper, President Indianapolis, Indiana rustycooper@msn.com Columbine Leather Guild, Inc. Len Rothfeld,President, Thornton, Colorado rothfeld@earthlink.net Florida Everglades Leather Guild Dave Barrow, President 418 Ponce de Leon Ave. knotter2003@aol.com Georgia Leathercrafters Guild Gerald Woody Cochran, Georgia gwoodyleather@mindspring.com Hoosier Leather Guild Diana Flewallen, President Fort Wayne, Indiana sundowneng@earthlink.net Illinois Valley Leather Guild James Todd Pekin, Illinois ronanna@heart.net Indian Nation Leather Guild Ann Newkold, President 10835 E. 15th Street Tulsa, OK. 74128 Leather Artisans Guild of California Brad Hamil: President Loma Linda, California bbhamil@dslextreme.com The Leathercraft Guild Robert Ambriz, President Westminster, California eatjer@email.com Lone Star Leathercrafters George Hurst Fort Worth, Texas lonestar@eaze.net Mid America Leather Artists, Inc John Vanzant Kansas City, Missouri graeme@blitz-it.net Nodoway Valley Eddie A Fidler Clarinda, Iowa ccogok@hotmail.com O-Mi-O Leathercraft Guild Carl Breidenich Port Huron, Michigan Ozark Mountain Leather Guild Robert Davy, President Bolivar, Missouri Pitt Pounders Leather Guild Chris Kearns Portersvile, Pennsylvania pittpounders@att.net Prairie States Leather Guild Don Berglund, President Gardner, Illinois dberglund@iols.com Red Cedars Leathercrafters Terry Berryhill Cedar Rapids, Iowa Teaberry1@aol.com Santa Fe Trail Leather Artists Steve Chambers, President Leavenworth, Kansas steven.chambers@worldnet.att.net St Louis Boots & Saddles Leather Guild Charlie Crow Chesterfield, Missouri cwcuerbo@aol.com Wisconsin Leathercrafters Guild Amy Brown, President Milwaukee, Wisconsin tjbcarver@aol.com Please advise of any corrections. Thank you! Johanna

Rod and Denise Stanger combine function and beauty with every piece they do. Here is a step by step they shared of a chair in progress. They won best of show at an IFoLG show with this teapot. I'm a big fan of their work. Johanna

The Vogt family are silversmiths, and their website features their procedures for making hand tooled belts in 22 separate steps. I've never set any of my belts out in the sun to cure, but they are selling belts, so who am I to argue? This page shows one of their dealers and the prices that they are getting, which I thought were rather low for the quality described, but maybe they make up for that in silversmithing, I don't know. Sort Hides Cut Strips Level Strips Cut Tapers (end) Mark edges Wet edges Tool Leather Recut edges Cut Liner Stamp sizes, logos in liners Glue liners Trim Belt & Liners Stitch belts Skive edges Punch snap holes Punch end holes Set snaps Dye belts Sun Cure Hand Polished edges Wax polish Final Quality check On the website they expalin each step in more detail. How do you do it? I would dye a belt before I put the liner on. I would not wax anything, either. When do you toolers punch your holes, before or after carving? I always punched them before I did any stamping, inlay or names, and before dyeing. Just curious what you folks think. Johanna

I am waiting for a custom graphic from a friend, and I put the stagecoach in as a placeholder. I have received many comments about it, so I thought I would let you see the awesome work Rick Bean does. He's a member of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, among other things. These pictures of his work were taken by Peter Main. Thank you, Rick, for sharing with us. Johanna

Joe, thank you for the encouraging words. I want to make this board suit the people who want to use it. If you are logged in, and you look at the bottom left of the main page, you will see an RSS button. Right next to that is the drop down menu option to change skins. The only two I have are the original blue and the new mocha, but I can add others, if someone has a suggestion. I did get some mail about smileys, so I added some. If you want to see all 35, click on "more" as you are composing a reply, and a new window will open up, displaying all. If you want to set the full smiley menu to reopen at a certain size, hold the control key down as you X out. Right now it is set to open small by default, so that you adjust the size to your convenience. If there is a smiley you want to see, or you have a favorite you want on your menu, I can add it. Johanna

Well, Do you like the new mocha skin for the board, or do you prefer the old Luna Blue? Your opinion matters. Johanna

I'm starting to work on the other side of the site. It will feature categories of leatherworkers, and people who are available to hire for leather jobs. If you would like to be featured, please let me know. I want to make separate pages for every interested leatherworker that shows their work, a brief bio, contact and website info etc and then list that leatherworker under the categories they choose. The search engines will easily find this site, then visitors will browse just to see the pretty pictures, and maybe your business will get more interest and traffic? If you want to be included, drop me a line or reply to this thread. Also, in order to keep the site "family friendly" for the search engines, we have a hidden "Adult Only" area with tattoo and biker flash, kinky stuff and any off-color jokes anyone wants to share. If you want access, just let me know. The ordinary guest won't be able to see that forum, and the posts won't show in the search function unless the member who is logged in has access to that area. If nudity offends you, then just disregard this whole paragraph. I am also making a pattern gallery for registered members. I have a ton I can scan and upload, but you might have something better or more interesting. If you would like to share, you can email me johanna@nktelco.net (don't any of you folks use your email addy in posts or you will be spammed like you never have been spammed before!) and I will add it. I hope you folks are having fun with this forum, and please let me know what we can do to improve it. Johanna

Tom, Because you are running Windows 98, I am surprised PhotoShop7 even works. I would lay dollars to doughnuts that even a legit copy wouldn't allow you to take advantage of all the features in PhotoShop because your hardware (graphics card, processor etc) won't handle it. PhotoShop is a huge and powerful graphics editor, and has a price to match. (about $650 , last time I looked) What exactly do you want to do with it? There are lots of free and cheaper alternatives until you upgrade your hardware. I have e-manuals in pdfs for every version from 4 on that I could share, if anyone is interested. Pirated software has risks- if you let it "phone home", it may shut down on you. (See the "activation" section in Help) The license agreement clearly forbids transfers or modifications to the software. I have PhotoShop, and I have a pretty snappy AMD 3000+ desktop. PS is so bloated (especially with the new Macromedia stuff) that I seldom use it for quick editing jobs. Irfanview is free, and does most of the same things. http://www.irfanview.com/ If anyone wants a manual, let me know and I'll upload it for you. (Too big to email) HTH Johanna

You may not be a leatherworker, but you are a great tech, and I'm glad you're here. You won't believe all the things these folks can do with dead animal skins. (Watch out, Monkey, or they'll try for your hide... We call those imperfections "range markings" and charge double!) Because of your experience with IPB, oh, let's be honest, because there isn't anyone else here who even cares what IPB is, here is your broom, start sweeping. I threatened to promote you, and I did. This is not like our other board- you can't call anyone a "dink" here. Explain tech things clearly and simply, and remember, all of these people have collections of hammers, and are not afraid to use them. They also have sharp knives in all sizes and shapes. If you're going to be in the forum, you need to learn Leatherwork 101. 1. Measure twice, cut once. 2. Always cut away from yourself. 3. Turn the work, don't try to be a contortionist. 4. You can always make it shorter or darker, but not longer or lighter. 5. Never do a custom order without 50% down. 6. If it doesn't work like it's supposed to, it's junk, no matter how pretty it is. 7. If you leave roadkill in the freezer, someone is going to get mad. 8. You can never have too many tools. 9. Your work is only limited by your imagination 10. If you can get someone to hold and smell the leather, it's as good as sold and last but not least, 11. Neat Lac (toluene) gets you high, but not in a good way. Get adequate ventilation or die. Thanks for being here, and I hope you enjoy learning about leatherland (and not the kind that we clean off people's computers). People from all walks of life are represented on this forum, with outstanding personalities and talent to spare, and share. I feel lucky to call many of them my friends, and I hope you feel welcomed by all, and enjoy looking at the good stuff. The fellowship here is what it is all about. Johanna :hug:

I was 28 when I met my first husband. He was twenty years older than me, and learned leatherwork in prison. He said, "I'm a leatherworker, baby!" and I said okay, whatever. I, like most American consumers, did not know leather from vinyl anyway. He decided to start tooling again, and I humored him. I didn't care- I was single, no kids, no bills and had a good job. If he wanted to spend time doing arts and crafts, fine. I couldn't believe the masterpieces he threw in the scrap bin. I was in shock that people reacted the way they did when they heard he had opened another shop. They were coming to our house, way out in the country, and leaving cash on the dining room table. If they weren't coming, and work was slow, we'd go to a bar or a biker event or a concert or whatever, and I'd wear the stuff he made for me. I learned how to keep sales slips for him, and I took the deposits. He used to joke that when he was in jail he kept three Mexicans busy doing his lacing, and I began to understand why. My husband earned his 40 page rap sheet by being a con man, and he had the gift of knowing exactly how much money someone was willing to part with, but he could back up his leatherwork. It was flawless- beautiful, functional, exceptional. I didn't even know how good he was until years later when we went to our first IFoLG show and people were aghast that I was wearing and using his leather. I was pretty casual about it even then, because, after all, if I wanted something, I just told him. I was floored at that first show- I quickly realized my husband was one of the top leatherworkers in the world. By then I had quit my job just to help him with orders. I did all the dye work, the appliqué stitching, lacing, answered the phone, did the billing, you know how it goes. My husband would turn the music up loud and work like a fiend in the shop, stopping every now and then to play his guitar along with the blues he liked to listen to, and we had a good life. Then he fell off the wagon and got arrested for a whole bunch of things because he always did go nuts when he was drunk, and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't keep the shop without him. So I went to work as a store manager for Tandy Leather. That's when my real education in leather started. He died about a year after he got out of jail, I guess, and I stayed with Tandy. I had to go to a bunch of meetings in Fort Worth, and I got to know another store manager who was from the same part of Pennsylvania as I was. He was "stationed" in DC, and I had already lived there and knew it would be a cold day before I went back to city life, so after a year or two of a long distance romance, he quit his job at Tandy and moved to Georgia. We ran a shop together, but it was more fabrication, less art. All those days of dealing with people wandering into the Tandy wanting to make something, and me figuring out how to do it so that I knew what to sell them and so they felt confident enough to buy all the stuff they needed started to pay off, and I even considered quitting Tandy, up until the time I discovered I was pregnant. Ooops. I decided to stay because of health insurance and a steady paycheck. That was in 1998, when they started closing Tandy stores. I started to show and word quickly got back to the district office. My sweet store was one of the first to go. We doubled our efforts at our own shop to make it, but when my daughter was eight months old, I realized I was pregnant again with what would turn out to be our son. Babies can't be around sharp things, poison things, expensive things...lol We came up to Ohio to help my mom while my grandmother was dying, and the kids' dad got a day job. A year later he unexpectedly died at work of a massive heart attack. He was 50, and the kids were 2 & 1. For the next few years, I didn't even unpack the rest of the shop. But after he died, I decided to learn something about computers, because I didn't want my kids to outsmart me with these new fangled machines. Maybe I was a little lonely, maybe it's the problem solver in me, but I think I found my calling. I am a comp tech. I am not an artist in leatherwork, I am a carpenter. I can't carve to save my life, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I can make just about anything, but my decorative abilities are limited. Now my hands are never funny colors unless I want them to be. If I go into the shop it is to play, and my running joke with the family is that I will not put another frog on a checkbook cover again. If I make it in the shop now, it's because I wanted to. I survived doing leatherwork by being able to do a variety of jobs, and making what the customer wanted, not what I thought was best. I was surprised one day to hear my first husband quote someone $10 for setting a simple rivet. He said, "They don't pay you for what you do, they pay you for what you know." Plus, he had the tools and the expertise. I started to appreciate the value of a good leatherworker- where are you gonna get your ball glove relaced, your orthopedic boot, your custom dog harness, your saddle, guitar strap, bible cover, wallet, biker gear, etc ? Wal-Mart? I see bad leather everywhere I go, and I have to resist the urge to say- "Can I dress up your Harley?" When I was green and new to the leather business, I didn't know beans, and lots of wonderful people were patient with me, and taught me what I needed to know. The Pitt Pounders in Pittsburgh and the Georgia Leathercrafters are examples of Guilds at their finest- freely sharing information and knowledge. If I don't know the answer to a question after 15 years in the business, I do know where to ask. I started this forum (with the help of some friends!) to encourage fellowship and education, and provide free publicity to leatherworkers who want it, on the main site. I don't want any leatherworkers to have to get day jobs to pay bills! I hope as things come together that people enjoy the forum part, and that the member profile part of the site attracts customers to browse through leatherworkers' sites so they can decide where to buy real leather goods. I would appreciate any suggestions from leatherworkers to make the forum better, and I thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement. The Internet is big enough for us all, and it's great to see leatherworkers sticking together to preserve the ancient art, and using computers to access all the resources available. I'm looking forward to meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. Best regards to all, Johanna

Make sure you C. Y. A. Here are some sample disclaimers- feel free to use this as a guideline and customize it to fit the relevant parts to your business neatly on your customer contract. Your Company Name | 80 Your Street | City, ST www.website.com All orders are subject to a 50% non-refundable deposit. Returns are only accepted for credit on account. No returns without this invoice. No returns after XX days. No returns or refunds on special ordered items. No returns or refunds on personalized items. All returns subject to a 10% restocking fee. Returned checks subject to a $25 service charge. Estimates are an approximation of charges to you, and they are based on the anticipated details of the work to be done. It is possible for unexpected complications to cause some deviation from the estimate. If additional material or labor are required you will be contacted immediately. Copywrited works are produced at the discretion of the artist. It is the customer's responsibility to determine if rights are reserved on such material and permission to use them must be requested from the copyright owner. It is the customer's responsibility to secure appropriate documentation if there is the possibility of conflict with ethics or law. We guarantee our work for life. Any defects in materials or workmanship will be repaired free of charge upon notification. We reserve the right to decline repairs without charge on items we deem neglected, abused or used improperly. Since leather is a natural product, some cosmetic blemishes or fluctuations in color is expected. Every effort has been made to ensure that your item meets our rigid quality standards, however, if there is a problem, please let us know immediately so that we can make arrangements to correct it to your satisfaction. In the unlikely event that your item should fail unexpectedly, we assume no responsibility or liability other than the replacement of the item. HTH Johanna

Rules for Straps ©Verlane Desgrange 2003 All the stress on a strap is lengthwise. Straps take more punishment than large pieces of leather. Because of that, straps need some special treatment. These rules are designed for the user's safety in mind and the longevity of the product Never stitch crosswise on a strap. It is an invitation to break exactly where the stitching is. This is the classic phrase: "Tear on the dotted line". Remove as little leather as is necessary to get the job done. That includes: Punch only the number of holes needed (but always an odd number so you have a center hole) Skive only if needed where the strap makes contact with hardware for a lap. You will lap skive the buckle lap, but not the exact spot where it wraps around the buckle. Use full weight around any hardware and skive only the lap end. Thin leather wrapped around hardware is always an invitation to break at that location. Doubled and stitched (abbreviated D&S) is never stronger than a single layer of quality leather. Many times D&S is a mass manufacturer's method of using up cheap leather in attempt to strengthen weak leather. Putting nylon between layers can make the final product too bulky for its intended use. Many times D&S products are too thick to be buckled properly. They can be difficult to use. Never stitch around the portion of the strap that directly wraps around hardware. Limit stitching to the lap behind the buckle or ring. The friction of the hardware will prematurely wear out stitches, leaving holes in the leather. Tailor the stitch length to the task at hand. Even though small stitches usually outlast larger ones, there is a time and place for either large or small stitches. Know which one to use based on use of the product. Never staple in a loop. It will pull out or the steel staple will rust the leather causing deterioration of the leather and great weakness in that area. Do not use steel or iron hardware. The rust will destroy the leather, greatly weakening it. Since the rust is on the inside of a lap, it can be hard to see. Never skive on the grain side (abbreviated GS). The grain side is where all the strength of the leather is. If you skive colored bridle leather and the skiving exposes the internal natural color of the leather, touch up the natural color with dye to make it less noticeable. Always skive on the flesh side (abbreviated FS). Punch buckle slots exactly in the center of the strap. If punched off center, one side will be thin and weak. A strap will easily break at that location. Punch the smallest hole that will accommodate a buckle tongue. Reverse punch holes in most situations. Reverse punch means to punch from the side of the strap the buckle tongue enters the strap. Holes are cone shaped and the entry location of a punched hole is always larger than the exit location. This means you'll generally punch holes from the flesh side location. ©Verlane Desgrange 2003