Denise

Now, for more serious suggestions... Here is a thread with lots of discussion on the topic. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...t=0&start=0

Johanna, Jane looks absolutely lovely in that dress. She must have been so excited! Suze, thanks for putting in the huge amount of work it must have taken to make something like that. My mother could make anything just like you do. I didn't inherit the talent (or the desire) but I sure appreciate it when I see it.

Joanne, Go to www.dennislane.com.au and read the instructions for using the card system - where the cards should be placed. Take your measurements there. Dennis's system was derived from templates taken at these sites because that is a very commonly recommended place to take the templates. Also , if you have drawings from those places, anyone familiar with the DL system can more easily interpret what you have drawn. Another drawing a lot of people ask for is the top line. Some want a level on that (ie. draw on the topline drawing where a true horizontal line is.) And you can take extra templates between the ones in the above website if you want. It is not uncommon for measurements to be taken every 4 inches. Picture wise: 1.) A side view gives the best information about wither height, the relative positions of the withers and the shoulder, and whether the horse is built downhill or more level. 2.) A picture angled from the front gives the best view of the rock in the back. 3.) A picture angled from the back shows the prominence of the shoulders. 4.) A picture taken directly from the back an a bit above the horse gives an idea of the width of the back and how flat or angled it is. We find that if you put masking tape on the horse where you take you back drawings and take pictures of the horse with that on as well, it helps in a couple of ways. It lets us see exactly where you have taken your drawings from. (We have had drawings sent to us that were taken over the shoulder blade itself rather than behind it. Makes a difference!!) Also, having the tape on there helps me anyway see the curves better than just the bare horse. Shadows and light patterns along with hair coat colors can make optical illusions. Having a white strip along the horse reduces those. Just some ideas. As always, everyone likes things a bit different, but if you do all this, you should hit most of what people would want to see!

Ours came yesterday too. Knowing how long it takes to get magazines up here from the States, it was obviously in the mail before this thread started. Good magazine too.

These instructions worked for me. There was an additional step though. When I clicked that little green plus sign I got a yellow strip across the top of my screen telling me that "This website is using a scripted window to ask you for information. If you trust this website, click here to allow scripted windows." I figured LW.net was trustworthy so I clicked on the yellow strip and got two choices. I clicked on the Temporarily Allow Scripted Windows and got the box Art was talking about. The rest went just like he said. Learn something new every day!

Here's a couple links to threads with other thoughts, including how to go around corners and still make them look good. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...8&hl=fringe http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...1&hl=fringe

I've been thinking about your question. It won't matter what you say as far as George (using Suze's names) is concerned. If he can't tell the difference now, what you say won't change his mind and he will just defend his hero even louder. Anything you say about your own work may appear like you are being defensive and putting down Darin's work. That doesn't look good to anyone, even if they know what you are saying is true. The only way I see as being gracious and positive is to agree that Zeke is a great leatherworker. Then point out some of the strong points in Zeke's work and explain why it is so great. That educates those who don't know what to look for yet, and then they can do the comparisons on their own between your work, Zeke's work and Darin's work. Those who have eyes to see will see, and those that don't, won't. But the opportunity to learn has been presented and you haven't cut down anybody. In the long run, how you treat people will have a huge effect on your credibility. How you say something is often more important that what you say.

Ahh A perfect spot to use a quote I recently found: "Really, it does seem that a good deal of grief could be spared if people would confine their vociferations to things they know something about or at least to regions where their ignorance is not so conspicuous. Why fools are endowed by nature with voices so much louder than sensible folks possess is a mystery. It is a fact emphasized throughout history." Arthur E. Hertzler, MD from The Horse and Buggy Doctor, 1938. Doesn't help answer the question, but sure fits the situation.

They look a lot like the weights on the ends of the curtain pulls at my parent's house when I was a very young child. The rubber eventually cracked away so the metal hit the wall when you closed the curtains. Before that the rubber protected the walls. No idea if that is right or not. Just what they reminded me of.

Happy Birthday, ClayB. All the best to you and your family in the coming year.

Ron, When you sew the leather in the center, do you join the sides of the felt together or are you leaving a bit of a channel between them?

Here's the link to the thread about a free issue of Shop Talk: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...shop+talk\ We asked for it but so far all we have received is a card asking us to renew. We never subscribed before...

I was just thinking that Ebay wouldn't be wanting this to happen on their site either, so they might be interested in getting rid of the guy if it is the same guy. With all the traffic on the site, nobody there is likely to connect these three incidents. But if it was brought to their attention, maybe they would take some action. Small potatoes to them, but it is their name that gets dragged through the mud if this keeps happening...

I wonder if there is any way to track and see if this is the same person or not. Three people here with the same problem sounds suspicious to me. Trying to sell fake, very identifiable hand made saddles on Ebay. Can't be a whole lot of people stupid enough to do that, is there? And if it is the same guy, then they could ban him, couldn't they?

I combined the two threads so you can see both at once now. Nice work!

Just don't let them actually eat any of it. Cats and strings +/- needles = big vet bills all too often. Maybe you should make an exercise video and sell it for mega bucks as an alternative to those boring ones of people working out in gyms!!

Here is the link to that tutorial. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...ic=4067&hl=

ct Here is a very active woodworking forum. Hopefully you can find something on steam bending wood there too. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/

My sympathies are with you. It is always a tough decision, even when you know it is best.

I personally had no experience with dogs or cats eating leather when I was working as a vet. Gloves, needles, coins, hazelnuts, strings, rocks, hash oil, marijuana, chocolate, excessive fat off the turkey or roast, getting into the garbage, etc. etc. and especially bones of all shapes and sizes - yup. All can cause problems. (My advice was "no bones, to any dog, ever, period.") Most of the time dogs especially seem like they can eat anything and it won't hurt them. But that isn't always the way it goes. And when problems happen they are expensive, heart wrenching for the pet owner, and not uncommonly life threatening. So if you wonder if they should be eating something, they probably shouldn't. "Leave it" is a great command to teach a dog. Cats don't listen so well...

The website doesn't give names of instructors. Do they tell you who will be teaching if you ask? I think that would be crucial to know.

Gawa - try this one. Lots to look at there! http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;hl=workshop

You have to redo tattoos to keep the color?

I never have figured out why they play football in January and hockey in June...

The term "individually hand tooled" carries some weight. I like K-Man's idea of the educational area of your website. Concentrating on showing how yours are done (ie. pictures of someone with a maul and tool working on leather) is a positive way to demonstrate the quality of your cases. The lack of such on other websites will then be apparent.