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Purchased a vintage powder horn that someone had started and abandoned after a crack was found at the open end. I treated, sanded, and polished the horn and then decided to make a cross-body strap and hook/loop to carry it as a drinking horn. I constructed and epoxied a base so the drinking horn could be placed on a flat surface while still holding some of my beer.

Just finished this backpack for friends. Its made out of upholstery-grade leather with a stamped name plate, pigskin lining on the flap, and a hard leather bottom. Hours of stitching and scratching my head trying to figure what to do next as I was constructing it. It was a fun project but I don't think I'll be doing another one (unless it's for the head of the house.)

I did not seal the horn. Per web post by Two Feathers--inside scraped and loosely smoothed, one day bleach, .38 cal. rifle bore, 210 shotgun bore, bottle brush, one day denture tablets, 3 days bleach and a lot of scrubbing to make sure it was no longer slick, but was very clean inside. Outside of horn was scraped, sanded, steel-wooled, compounded, and waxed.

Just finished a week-long project making a drinkin' horn for Keller Nights at the German American Society here in Omaha. I followed the instructions given by Two Feathers here: It isn't real pretty but I'm proud of it and hope it serves the purpose.

Just an idea for those of you who are looking for a dog collar that is kind to your pet and his coat but works very much like a choker if needed for control. The rolled leather is covering a short length of nylon cord and does not mat the fur of a long-haired dog like a Pomeranian or Husky--I made this one for our mini golden doodle. It allows me to let him run without the collar in the house and then wear it when he goes outside. I have also used the same concept to make a traditional collar with a buckle and tag loop for our pomapoo and our neighbor's pit bull. If sized correctly, it can then be removed using the buckle and then re-buckled and slipped over the dog's head to put it on. I realize that this collar is not a leatherworking masterpiece, but I am sure that some of you can improve on the concept and make some beautiful projects.

I put these together this past week. They're nothing fancy but not the simple sleeves that I've seen on the web that allow your beverage to sweat on the furniture. I did a hip flask recently that I completely covered--sides, top, and bottom so thought I'd be able to do these. The biggest challenge was fashioning a curved lacing needle and making the covers tight enough to stay snugly in place but loose enough to get the jars out for cleaning.

Yes. I liked the way that one turned out too. Kinda' looks like a buckskin. It was done with light tone antique gel. The black one really turned out nice but the "tan" Fiebings one turned out looking reddish.

I came upon an old leather key fob on the keys of a vehicle I was detailing this past week and asked the owner if I could take it apart to see how it was made and then make a pattern. I offered to put the original back together and then also make her a new one. I made 3 of them with mixed results. The original is in the upper right hand corner of the first picture.

A close friend wanted a holster for his Winchester mare's leg (it was my Christmas gift to him) and he had some very specific requests--make it fit his favorite leather belt, show a maximum of brass finishes, make it very secure for carrying the gun, match the color of the leather to the stock and forearm, and lastly make it look somewhat rustic. After looking on-line, I came up with this design. This time I tried to make templates but went back to my usual process of plastic wrapping the gun and having at it with my pieces of leather. The holster itself was lightly wet molded at the trigger guard and rear sight. I usually stain and smooth the back side of my holsters but because of the size and the idea of keeping it rustic, chose not to on this one. I'm a fairly green leatherworker having taken a beginner's class and then made a couple of purses and small handgun holsters for my wife, friends, and me and also have done some braiding and other small things. My biggest problems on this project were clearing the rear sight for ease of drawing and re-holstering and staining/finishing the leather to match the wood. My friend is still considering a brass and turquoise concho to be attached with a screw to the round part of the securing strap at the bottom of the holster. Any input and/or criticism would be greatly appreciated.