corter

i wish i had something constructive to say, but that's just awesome! i'd love to see what it's going on... it looks like it's going to be the centerpiece of almost any bike!

that stitching is insane! I'm starting to think saving up for a machine would make my work much easier

for ref, mine are the same size in and out. it's the way i cut them that lets them stay shut/open

I finally want to step outside of making wallets and make a couple little tool bags for my bikes. I want to do something like the one I posted (a classic brooks design). I'm going to use 6-8oz leather, and I can pretty much handle everything on my own, I just can't figure out for the life of me how the sides area attached. Are there any good diagrams, or could anyone explain to me, how this is done?

the ring post is fixed, but the hanger dee swings up and down. the zipper- customer wanted a ykk, and wanted it big....who am i to turn him down i guess. The thing with my customers is they all like very hardy, long lasting things (thick selvedge denim, combed and chainstitched flannel, big leather pieces, etc.) and thus want big metal zippers in their wallets...huge wallets...etc. I love them too, so i guess it's a prefernce thing. I'm not sure what you mean about the stitching on the inside- hit it down with a mallet? like...just hammer it? i'd love to learn this, i think it sticks out a bit too. oh! and is there a good web resource for knotting? My braiding's getting nice and tight, but i'm just using hitch knots right now because it's all i know how to do/what my braiding book told me to do, i'd love to learn some stronger, more ornamental knots thanks for the input everyone!

heres some recent work that hasn't been either a bifold or a batch of 6 snap wallets. It's for a gentleman in France, so it's sized to hold euro notes vertically. I used some black dye (first time with black dye, really nice) and I also have a braided double reign with it. I'd love some input, this week marks 5 months since i picked up my first piece of leather and I think I'm on the right track but always looking to improve!

I agree, those are awesome. Extremely understated, but absolutely beautiful.

heres another custom order I had this week, finished it yesterday. I got to use some new hardware thanks to that website that was posted in tina's thread, and it makes the piece sooo much nicer IMO.

ya man, i really like that one too. everything looks spot on

well thanks guys! this is the first piece from the first full side i've ever bought, and I got it locally from the tandy store in east hartford, ct. It's not the top quality one (oak something?), rather the middle quality, however it was the nicest hide I saw in the store so I grabbed it. on sale for $3.99/sq ft too! 4-5 oz, and yes, it's staying natural because the customer wanted to tan and oil it herself. I'm in the middle of my next project, which should be a real beautiful piece, so expect that in the next few days!

heres one of my jobs during the leatherworker blackout, made a nice braided chain for it too. Just realized I lost my whole post count! all 15 posts hahah

did you use a computer to plot out your colors in that piece? it'd be like stenciling almost, do an illustrator file with 3-4 colors and cut/sew each layer down. awesome, i really like it.

haha, sounds like all hobbies are the same. at least this one's less expensive than photography was :D

i don't know if i'm going to start with a groover yet, i really like the stitching in my work right now being out there. i've been carrying a wallet for a long time without any stitching problems, i use it as a design element i guess. one day, i'll get one, just cant make it out to tandy right now

oh, cool. i like my overstitch wheel but i'll have to look at one of those next time i'm at the store. theres another one, i think my stitching and edging is coming along good, i got some beeswax so now the edges are all shiney and smooth too

thanks! what do wingtip dividers do?

yes! they have some, thank you:) if anyone knows of alternatives that'd be cool too

Ok, i'm having a hard time locating a specific piece of hardware and i'm hoping someone here can help! it looks like this: its a screw post, and it'll let you clip on a chain without a rivet. that's all i know, if anyone could help find something similar that would be amazing!

I bought some tools that have drastically increased to quality of my leatherworking this weekend, thanks to reading up on the boards. I got an edge beveler and one of those spacer wheel deals so my stitching is even, and I got some leather weld. now, i can glue my pieces down, round them, and lay out my stitching, which makes my work way way better! here's a little comparison of before/after with a simple cardholder. i'm working on 3 wallets right now that i'll post probably the end of the week when they're done. I'd love crit, i've only been at this a couple months so i want to learn before: after: Click here to see the new one bigger, you can see the details much better

ya man, awesome needle work. craftsmanship looks amazing

ya, that's awesome. I build guitars, i'd love to learn how to carve and put one of those on an instrument.

wow, thanks guys! after maybe 15 minutes of reading i've realized i have no clue what i'm doing. I: a) don't glue anything b ) don't use a wheel poker thing to lay out my stitches c) don't even know how to run a trench to stitch in and d) need to get an edge rounder asap Beaver: these pieces are meant to be tanned and oiled, I've done a little dye work too. heres a couple pictures of some of those pieces:

hey everyone! i'm so glad i found this forum. just wanted to introduce myself, i'm 20 and a design student in boston and i got into leather work about 2-3 months ago. I'm learning by myself right now, as classes are few and far between, but i've been keeping myself busy making little things. I'm addicted to hobbies, I ride bikes and paint custom guitars, and i pay rent as a freelance photographer, so I guess this is just another thing to add to my list. needless to say, leatherworking is something i've really grown to love, and I think i'm going to learn a lot around this board. Right now I hand sew and cut and burnish, but that's it. I want to learn how to do some simple braiding, round my edges, and maybe actually learn how to really sew something, instead of poke random holes with an awl haha. anyways,heres a few things i've made (go easy, I only started in september!!)