DJole

Those are very nice-- what a thoughtful gift! And bonus-- you got to practice techniques! ;-)

How about the Japanese-made (and style) Olfa skiver, sold here for 15 dollars: https://www.rmleathersupply.com/search?type=product&q=olfa It uses replaceable blades, also sold there.

Oops! You didn't upload the picture!

Maybe Chuck at Weaver Leather Supply can help you out: https://blog.weaverleathersupply.com/the-leather-element-bullet-loops/

You will probably find Ian Atkinson's videos about leatherworking very useful as you start out. He also has an excellent video discussing necessary tools for beginners. Find the video series here: https://www.ianatkinson.net/leather/videos.htm

You mean just biting down and ripping a rivet out with your teeth is not how it's done?

What color was the belt? Did you dye it? 1) I have read that using shorter lengths of thread will help keep those light colored threads looking nicer. 2) Apply finish (Resolene, etc.) before stitching, to help keep the color down. 3) Use a cream or beige colored thread with darker leather colors. I have some Ritza beige, and I prefer it to the bright starkness of the white thread.

What he said... Except that you live in Canada, which means rmleathersupply can't ship them free to you. ;-(

I mostly use black markers for those hard to reach corners, and I have some colored alcohol markers for edges. I could use a brush, or a resist, but a fine-tipped marker just makes the whole process easier.

Not for this piece. This was my "learning to do zippers and piping" project. The bag you show there -- was it a turned bag?

I just finished this today -- got the second side stiched to the gusset and piping, trimmed the piping down, wet the veg-tan, and turned it inside out without too much trouble. Here's an oblique view of the bag:

Well, folks, thanks for the input! I didn't have to use temporary stitches or staples at all! I just finished the stitching, trimmed the piping down, dampened the leather, and turned it inside out!

Welcome to the forum! There's a LOT of information available and very experienced people around here who share a love for the craft.

Heh-- luckily, I anticipated that being a problem, so I made sure the zipper is open before starting on the last side! It will be a slow process, I bet.

That's an interesting suggestion-- some kind of temporary fastening around the edge. I could also just do a quick whip-stitch, like every 10 holes or so (I used a 4 mm stitching iron to make the holes), using cheap ugly thread, to test it out.

That's what I was planning to do, so it's good to have a vote that this should work out okay. It's still going to be a pain, even with wet floppy leather, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

Plan B is to make one side turned, and the other side NOT turned. ;-)

Here's the round bag I'm making. I'm using a piped seam (for the first time) and a zipper opening. I have the first side sewn on, zipper done and strap rings all completed. But before I go to the next step, side #2, I need to check if I will be able to turn this bag through that opening. Both the round sides are 1 to 1.5mm thick veg tan, which is the sticky problem here -- will I be able to get it flexible enough to turn inside out? Or do I go to a plan B?

Here's a picture of the inside:

I am working on a round bag, with tooled front and back, soft gusset and zipper opening. (The bag is about 8 inches diameter, and the zipper is 9 inches.) I've got one side completed, and now I'm looking at the geometry, second-guessing the idea that I can actually sew the other side on and then turn the whole thing inside out through the zipper opening. Here's are some photos of the bag so far: I am betting I'll have to get the sides wet so they'll be flexible enough to bend through the zipper hole. So, is it possible to make this a fully turned bag? Or is this going to be impossible?

I believe that the answer is to use round holes at the points of the triangle. Use the slanted holes up to, but not including, those points.

That's an interesting pattern-- where is that leather from?

That seems to be a special edition color, offered to the UK market. However, it appears that this Etsy seller has that color for the USA market: https://www.etsy.com/listing/969780544/limited-edition-tiger-thread-08mm?variation1=1891043779

We hired some people to finish our flooring project (and some other things that needed more experience than we have). I've been pleased with their work and their very reasonable pricing, so I thought I would make them some custom card wallets. Here's the two after the swivel knife work: And here's the front of one almost finished: And here's the inside, with my new Christmas gifted Brown Tokonole:

Awww....those are some thoughtful kids! Every time you apply your "signature" you'll think of them! ;-)