alfredleatherworks

On the sample card they sent me (image attached) they have a 0.02" (0.5mm), 0.03" (0.8mm), and 0.04" (1mm) thread size with 21 different colors currently. Also attached is a closeup image of the three thread sizes. I feel like the Maine Thread braided threads look and feel like a high-quality alternative option to Tiger Thread. My Tiger Thread is all packed up in my tool bag in the car so I'll try to get a picture of the Maine Thread sample card and some of my Tiger Thread side-by-side tomorrow and upload it for y'all.

I have not tried the Main Thread braided thread yet, though their twisted thread is all I used to use. I currently use the braided thread I get through Maker's Leather Supply here in Texas, and from the reviews I'm seeing here I might just stick with that. It's pretty dang close to Tiger thread from my experience. I had high hopes for Main Thread coming out with a new line of flat braided threads because I love their twisted threads so much...but if they are more round then flat that doesn't help me any. I do recommend MLS braided thread though.

I still draw my patterns out on paper with a pencil (example in the image attached). That being said, once I have my patterns drawn up I usually use the computer scanner and Adobe Illustrator to convert my patterns to printable files for ease of storage and reprinting. Some patterns I use a lot then get transferred to either bag stiffener board or (soon, I hope) acrylic. I grew up with computers, know how to use multiple drafting software programs, and probably could do the whole thing on the laptop...but I actually enjoy drawing things out with an old-school drafting set. For complex designs having a mold/mannequin and a lot of extra paper or fabric helps depending on the project you're attempting to design.

Hello, everyone! My name is Riley and I am the proprietor of Alfred Leatherworks! I've been a member of this forum since 2014, however it seems I have never formally introduced myself here. I am a disabled Air Force veteran, having spent seven years in the USAF as an intelligence analyst. Since leaving the military I have had a somewhat difficult time readjusting to civilian life, however in 2015 I began using my Post 9/11 GI Bill to work towards a business degree. In December 2018 I graduated from Texas A&M University San Antonio with my bachelors of business in business administration with a focus in marketing. My goals regarding my presence on this forum are to network, chat with other people who are as passionate about leather as me, to learn new tips and tricks, and to occasionally offer some advice and answers to other folks. I began working with leather as a small child in my father's taxidermy shop. He often had people bring in a whole deer and only ask for the antlers on a plaque back. The surplus of deerskin led to him learning to work with leather (and me getting an awesome deerskin backpack for school!), and by that I began to learn because if he was in the shop I was out there too..."helping", lol. I got in the way a lot, I'm sure, but I learned to love helping him make wallets, bags, backpacks, and all sorts of other neat things. Years later, while in the military, I found out a mentor of mine was also a saddler and I began spending a lot of time in his shop learning from him. I would never, at this point, call myself a professional saddler, but I can certainly do repair work at this point. After leaving the service I found another leather working mentor, this time specializing in leather garments, accessories, and leather quilting (apparently, a big deal in some parts of the world). I have a rather varied bit of leather crafting training, and more than a few years of "dabbling" and "hobby-crafting". As time has gone on I have chosen to try and start up a full-time leather shop as an enjoyable way to spend my day and earn some supplemental income since my disability stipend only goes so far.

Thanks for those videos! They were really informative!

OK, that has to be one of the coolest things I've watched in a while. Thanks for sharing that! I just might have to try this soon!

Thanks, Thor! The seat I'll be fixing/restoring is a Mustang seat. I'm still researching how best to do it. I love the seat, but the vinyl has cracked in several places, and torn in another (nearly a 4-inch long split). It's also my daily driver, as I don't have a car...so I've got to figure out how to do this as efficiently as possible. Your advice is much appreciated!

Looks good! Nice job!

That is pretty cool! I haven't the foggiest idea how you did that, but it is really slick!

Greetings from San Antonio!

This is a great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

That is amazing! I'm going to be reupholstering my motorcycle seat soon (a touring seat) and I'm hoping to do something fun with it...though I doubt it will be quite that badass. What weight leather did you use? And the tooling may have looked better before molding, but it looks great as-is! Well done!

I have been CRAZY busy with my college classes, and therefore not as busy with my leather working. Still, I've gotten a few new projects completed. I'm still working on the Glock 19 holster project, but it's for family and they told me to take my time. That project is nearing completion, however, and I have also made a new holster and mag pouch for my personal concealed carry. As always, critiques are welcomed as long as it's constructive :-) I used the gun as a starting point for the pattern, but then drew the rest by hand (with the help of a curve ruler) This particular mag pouch is for my trips to the range, and not daily carry...though it is comfortable enough I could do so.

Yeah, I thought about that after creating the holster. The one I'm working on now is going to be much more rounded. We'll see how it works out.

And now my newest project, a handgun and spare mag holster. Once again, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. My next project is to make a holster like the first one for a GLOCK 19 (for a customer) and then a holster for a .38 Snubnose for a friend.

So the holster is done now! I'm very happy with how it turned out! Not bad for my first attempts at wet-moulding leather. I'm very happy!

I did the mag pouch without a pattern, though I'm designing a pattern for future use. I drew up a pattern for one of the holsters I'm making (I'm working on two different styles), and I'll draw up the pattern for the second later tonight or tomorrow. If they work out well, I'll post those too.

So I am now working on making a holster for my Bersa BP9CC, and it is going well so far. I finished the spare magazine belt clip last night. It was my first attempt wet-molding leather, and I think it turned out well. Here's some photos so far:

Here are a couple photos of the Celtic knotwork belt I just finished. Shown with it is a belt pouch I also made, though that was a while ago.

So I've narrowed it down to either the Consew 206-RB or its Juki equivalent (I forget the model number at the moment). There's only a $300 difference between them in price, the Juki being the expensive one at $1700 + tax. It's for the machine head, servo motor, and table, so a pretty good deal for either of them I think. I am planning on purchasing through a local dealer who been in business for over 30 years, and seemed to be very knowledgeable (and friendly) when I met with them yesterday. We talked about what I need and compared machines against my needs and budget. I'm also happy to work with them since their technician can fix my machine, if I'm dumb enough to break it, without me having to crate it and ship it out for repairs. I'm going to get a final opinion from my mentor this afternoon, and then go buy myself the most expensive piece of equipment I've ever purchased (not including my car). I'm excited though. It is one more step towards getting my shop set up, and will be worth the investment in the long run.

OK, thanks for the additional info! Given the expense of a good sewing machine I'm trying to make sure I've done my research right the first time around. You all have helped me out a lot!

Thank you all for replying! And @Wizcrafts, WOW! I've read your other posts on sewing machines, and now this post...is there anything regarding sewing leather you don't know? Lol! I'm very impressed by the knowledge here on the forum, and I am very thankful that everyone is as helpful as they are. I'm going to talk to my mentor about the Consew 206RB, as well as take a look at what Campbell-Randall might have to offer. Since there are different bobbin sizes, is there a particular size I should be looking for? The bobbin size has more to do with the thread I use, right? Not the thickness/toughness of the leather?

I've seen the Consew 206RB show up in a lot of conversations on the forum, and I'm currently researaching it to see if it will fit my needs. I also keep seeing posts about servo motors and I'm not sure what they are (in relation to a sewing machine) and why they are needed.

I am about to start training with a local leather crafter who is going to teach me how to make leather garments. I'm very excited about this! He's given me some research to do on equipment, and I was hoping people here might be able to help me out. I am trying to figure out what type of sewing machine I should get for my new shop. Previously, I have always hand-sewen things, but that is no-longer an option. I've been researching companies like Consew, Cowboy, Jujuki, Pfaff, and Singer, but I am having a hard time understanding the pros and cons of the many different machines offered by each company (much less how they compare to competing company's equivalents). I have also spent a LOT of time reading the threads in this directory. It has been very informative, and I am glad I thought to come here and check out the forum. What I am hoping to get out of this thread-posting is a recommendataion of specific models of sewing machines that I can research and compare to each other to help me make a selection. I'm feeling a bit too overwhelmed with all of the info out there and I'm hoping some of you can help me focus my search a bit. I am primarily going to be working with light-weight garment and light-weight chap leathers, though occasionally I may work with something slightly heavier. What are some good models of sewing machines that YOU use and would recommend that would work with these types of leather? Thank you in advance, both for taking the time to read this long post as well as to reply. I look forward to hearing from you all! Respectfully, Paul

Cool! I hadn't seen it on the shelves there, but I'll go have a look again.