Crystal

Nice job, Kevin! I'm really liking the liner. Crystal

Hey, BB! I like the horse head embroidery. Pretty neat. Do you use a stabilizer on the backside? How does the machine work? Do you have to work with certain leathers? ...a curious mind asking too many questions... Crystal

Just beautiful, Bob! Crystal

Yeah - looking good! I'm partial to the bag that is hanging in your last pic. Free hand??? Nice job! Crystal

Another cool mask! Is it all out of one piece of leather? I'm wondering how you did the eyelashes/eyebrows. Crystal

Hi Holly- I used Fiebing's deglazer on my last project - had alot of finger prints and tape stickies on it. Cleaned up well and the Fiebing's dye went on pretty even. I had a class with Jeff Mosby and he said he uses Naptha for cleaning. I haven't tried that. Crystal

That's just pretty cool! Love old maps and tall ships. Great job on all the detail on the largest ship - couldn't have been easy keeping track of all those rigging lines behind the sails! Crystal

This is my one try with it so far. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?s...amp;#entry61201 Crystal

Hi Tasha- I have only tried gold leaf once. I used Mona Lisa Metal Leaf Adhesive Size. Everything seemed to stick pretty good - just let it dry about an hour before putting the leaf down. And I am sure you already know that it will stick everywhere the glue gets accidentally put... . I put gel antique over top to tone down the brightness and had a problem with flakes coming off and ending up everywhere they shouldn't be. I ended up painting over them - they wouldn't clean up. This was on a bargrounded background, so if you are doing a smooth area you may not have the same trouble. I just painted on TanKote as a finish. Don't have a wear report, so don't know how it is holding up. Crystal

Thank you Karl and Ray! Crystal

Badger, I'm going to jump in on your topic here and ask a few more questions: Is creasing done for a decorative purpose or does it have a functional aspect? If you are stitching do you crease and put your stitches in the crease line (like when using a groover) or do you stitch and add a crease to the outside? Thanks- Crystal

Hey, Tom. That looks like me... Crystal

Nice collection of "Stuff" BB! The slippers look really comfy and 'tis the season for the ornament show off. I like the plane on the wallet, too. Crystal

Beautiful, HP! I am also a fan of the knife work on the inside. I think that is a very nice way to compliment the great work on the outside. Thanks for taking the time to explain how you put everything together! Crystal

Nicely done, Spider! I am extremely impressed with the "toss the paper" technique. I would not have been that brave. Crystal

No apologies necessary! I learned what a thief knot and a reef are - never knew there were such things! Thanks so much for the links!Crystal Thanks so much, Linda!Crystal

Thanks for the kudos, Schno! I got this backgrounder at the IFoLG show from Barry King. Oh my, all the pretty tools. I looked at his catalog and it is the size 1 Checkered Teardrop Backgrounder. Now - he lists in the catalog a medium and a fine... I don't know which this is. I only got one backgrounder and I was looking for overall size (wanted small) and I don't think I even noticed there were 2 grades on the checks. If I were to guess, I would say that I have the medium check. Oh- I love his bevelers, also. They have a very nice steep slope and do very well in tight spots. (I used all smooth bevelers.) Crystal

Thanks, Merrik! The history and the explaination along with the pics was helpful. This is turning into an interesting subject. Now you and 8thsinner have me pondering things to do with knots other than cuss at them when I end up getting them in my thread. Appreciate the extra info! Crystal

Thank you, Tina. Inspiration seems to strike me after seeing your work, so keep posting so I keep working! Crystal

Thanks so much Darryl and Kathy. This is my biggest project so far and am glad that it turned out better than I thought it was going to. Crystal

Very nice! That lacing is great. I didn't think about how hard that would be until I read Luke's comments. Great job! Crystal

Thank you, Clay. And thanks for the advice. As you see - I still haven't committed to a finish. I have a few products ordered and will maybe line them up and flip a coin to see what to use. Hey - don't knock the 12 spi until you try it! Wasn't that bad - a little blood - some sore fingers and wrists and hands.... I thought it would be faster than lacing - it wasn't. Crystal Thanks, Tom! I glued the little pearls down with Loctite gel superglue. I hope they stay stuck.Crystal

Not sorry I asked at all. Now you have me wondering how do you tie a theif knot? I am still trying to figure this carving business out. When I first started I got so frustrated that everything I tried to do seemed so flat looking - read alot here and tried to study everything and am slowly getting better at visualizing where you can actually get some depth and where you just need to create an illusion of depth. I've never thought I was much of an artist. I can usually follow directions and do repetitive things (quilting and crossstitch and such) so this has been and will be very challenging to me. Thanks for the knot lesson!Crystal Thank you, Caroline. I think that coloring is the hardest part. I got lucky with this one.Crystal

Thank you, Ray. If I used the marmite then everyone would be snacking on it. Crystal

Thank you! May I say the feeling is mutual - I can't even decypher braider speak let alone actually make something! Ahh - what is a reef knot? (See what I mean??) Crystal