wildrose

Really gorgeous work. I understand about the fingers though!

All sides having had their say, I'm closing the topic. I'm sure we'll see on the news how this situation develops.

Firefighters and First Responders aren't allowed at the WTC memorial event either, from what I've read.

Oh, I DO agree, no one's beliefs should be forced on another, esp. at a funeral. My point was, I don't think it's right to have to have a prayer approved by a third party IF the family has invited the reverend/rabbi/whatever to be there. Now, if the family has not approved the speaker, why is the speaker there at all? Isn't that like crashing a wedding reception and doing a toast? Just seems weird to me. But again, maybe I'm not understanding how military funerals are arranged.

Both of you have made valid points, and have managed to do it without this descending into a heated battle - which is always good! Debate is not bad when tempers can be kept down. On a personal line, I stand with Lobo.

MY point is that NO ONE should have the right to tell MY FAMILY how to pray at my funeral. And that funeral prayer should NOT have to have prior approval. I don't care if they're praying to Allah or the Goddess or whoever. Now, I don't know, maybe military funerals are run differently? But let me tell you, I don't think it's right to tell a family how to celebrate the passing of their loved one.

That is ridiculous. If the family of the dead wants to say a prayer, what is wrong with that? Next they'll be telling us we can't pray in church! (God forbid)

It's sad to lose such a talented artisan, but also I pray for the family and his friends. May God comfort them at this difficult time.

I'm speaking from experience here: I set up at an event, this was a while back, with bracelet blanks. As people came to me, I would stamp on their names and then used Fiebings Antique Paste to color them. It was messy and time consuming and I don't recall I've done it since (and I do know Fiebings doesn't make the paste anymore). Since then, I have often done bookmarks and other small projects where they can either stamp for themselves or I do it for them. Then I tell them they can take the piece home and color it either with paints, markers or even crayons (I'm dealing usually with 4/5 oz veggie tan). Rarely does a show go by that I don't get asked about making stained name bracelets or belts on the spot. I tell them I'd be happy to take their measurements and send the piece to them at no extra cost. I rarely lose someone this way. It also gives me the chance to educate them about the process (i.e. "why can't you bring stained pieces and just stamp the names on here?" Me: "because the stamp won't show as well once the piece has been finished")

Personally, I'd be happy to be the recipient of such a thoughtful gift. Every leatherworker has to start somewhere with their ability level. I teach kids alot, and let me say this is MUCH better than some beginner work I've seen. What you need to work on has been mentioned, so I won't restate it. It's all a matter of practice.

aside from that, Tandy (and likely others) were selling a set of stamps with the 5 military branches. You might try eBay? I bought my set from Tandy and it's been good for keyrings and such.

Here's an old picture, just to give you an idea of what I mean. (it's hanging in the front left corner of my booth as you face it) I'm sure the wood backing could be done in different sizes, of course.

as a suggestion: about 20 yrs ago, I took what is likely 6-7 oz, carved my business name in fancy lettering, stained it green (Fiebings), painted the letters copper (acrylic), and used contact cement and upholstery tacks to fasten it to a stained wooden board I bought at Michaels or AC Moore. I sealed it with several coats of polyurethane. It has held up the entire time, and I do almost exclusively outdoor events. The only damage has been water seeping between the wood and leather and that has actually given kind of a neat marbling look to the leather.

While I am not a saddlemaker, I would say this is probably the wrong place to look for a leather-free saddle (on a leatherworker site). Yet, perhaps someone here could refer the person to a suitable maker.

I've had leather get cracking on a bend/fold, but not the problem you've described...sorry!

Dream catchers, pictures, etc. All over the house. Some by me, some by other artists :-)

I have a few that I've done where the spine is a separate piece. There are various reasons for it, and a few advantages. But it does make for extra work, because it adds sewing time to it. Here are a couple of examples.

I use line 20 snaps, and I makes bracelets in 8 to 9 1/2" lengths. Sometimes I'll make them "adjustable" by placing two female ends of the snaps on the one end of the band.

I think of it like : Hmmmm, wonder if I could make that? LOL!

The new Wonder Woman, that was supposed to be a tv series, never got picked up. I think there was too much fan backlash. I'm a big fan of medieval/fantasy movies, so I get a leather fix pretty regularly from films. Also, old westerns.

We saw Captain America tonight, and it brought to mind that I often find myself watching to see the costuming and how much leather is part of it. I wonder what you've seen that you've said to yourself: THAT'S really great work! In this case, and I'll try not to give away major plot points, I really liked his "uniform" after he got together with Howard Stark to make "modifications" to it. I'm looking forward to Cowboys and Aliens too - and of course The Hobbit when it comes out.

Beginning Leatherwork at the Green Heron in Radford Sept.17 from 2-5 pm. Cost: 60.00+20.00 material fee. Register by calling Becky at the Heron. This is geared to ages 13+. Kids 7-13 yrs old require an adult with them (the adult doesn't pay unless they take the class too). We will cover carving, tooling and stamping, staining/finish and lacing/stitching. The result will be a folding id case/wallet. I would look forward to any of you coming!

That is soooooo incredible. My only question is: does the wearer have any trouble with the feet, i.e. walking "normally"? It looks like the parts near the toes would interfere with movement.