Sheilajeanne

The Indiana Jones bag is actually a WWII gas mask bag. My dad had one, which he passed on to me, and I found it very useful when I was teaching outdoor education. It's canvas with dome fasteners, and several pockets inside: https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=indiana+jones+bag&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyLDpBRCxARIsAEENsrK23Ji7_P7aaMz6Mr3TdzpxHgUbhLAp6dyVuArjjXevRFZ8_jjL3w8aAnk6EALw_wcB&hvadid=208428154976&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9000736&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9025011960869597833&hvtargid=kwd-302372876131&hydadcr=23338_10093183&tag=googcana-20&ref=pd_sl_865h16da4e_e The construction is very simple. The strap is canvas web with a slider buckle to adjust the length, and it is stitched to the outside of the bag with an x pattern stitch. As for the leather button, a wood toggle would also work, and actually look a bit better than the button. Or, of course, a deer horn toggle, if you can find one.

Windsor bag closure: a leather button and some lace: I didn't like the plain leather button so I replaced it with a fancy metal Celtic concho. This is a from a Tandy pattern.

936 is just a little smaller than 701. You do need bevelers of different sizes, but since the difference between 936 and 701 is quite small, I'd go for the larger beveler instead, if money is an issue. Yes, B60 is an undercut beveler, for lifting different areas of your designs. If you are going to do Sheridan style carving, where you are tooling leaves and flowers, you will eventually need one, though the simple designs you show above likely wouldn't need it. The arrows point to areas of this leaf where you'd use this sort of beveler: Edit: I probably should say this was our project for the third or fourth week of the beginner leather working course at Tandy. My tooling skills have improved since then! Bill, thank you for your patience with me...I will never forget you! God rest your dear soul...

I just found out the 4th World Leather Congress is taking place in New York City the weekend after next. New York isn't all that far from me, so I am thinking of going, but would like to know more about what to expect before I decide. It's free to register, but I am NOT a fan of big cities like New York, so that's one reason I'm hesitating. Also would have liked to have found out further in advance for the sake of booking a flight/accommodation. Okay, I HAVE driven to New York in one day, but I was much younger then, and it was one of the WORST trips of my life.... Another incentive is I have a cousin who lives in Great Neck, and she's not in good health. This could be my last chance to visit with her.

Holy crap, that's a LOT of cards!! Paper records are vulnerable to fire, water and mildew. Yes, you REALLY need to preserve those in some other form. I've been working on my family history, and pretty much an entire Canadian census was lost due to the records being damaged by a flood.

I've done a messenger bag from a Tandy pattern, and that was exactly how they dealt with the lower end of the gusset - there was a V-shaped notch in it to keep it from wrinkling. Never had a problem with the stitching!

Very nice! Is that a binding on the edge, or just very professional edge slicking and painting? HOw did you finish the edge of the gusset?

Too late to edit - the last word in that sentence, should, of course, be shaders, not bevelers! DUH!

You can do an awful lot with the six basic tools Tandy includes in its beginner kit. Most of what you see on that belt can be done with these tools, or very similar ones. The basic tools, which you can view here, are: https://www.tandyleather.com/en/eflyer/craftool-stamps-fullpage A backgrounder, for filling in backgrounds A104 A beveler, for beveling along the lines of your swivel knife cuts: B 701 or similar. Undercut bevelers are used for lifting the edges of petals and leaves, and are also very useful for Sheridan type carving, though they aren't one of the basic tools that come with the kit: B 60. A crescent shader- C 431 (has many uses - borders, decoration of stems, etc.) A pear shader - most commonly used is a cross hatched one such as P217, though there are also smooth and lined bevelers. A veiner, such as V 407 and a seeder S 706, used for flower centers, etc. Another tool that has been used on most of those belts is a mule foot, for example, U 851. If you are in to basket weave stamping, which is frequently used for decorating belts, wallets, ect. a basket weave stamp is a must. https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/learn/how-to-videos/tools/stamping-leather-with-a-basketweave-stamping-tool

tturtle said it was 6 oz Horween Dublin.

Our local Tandy store still has the Craftool Pro stamps available, but I imagine once the stock runs out, that will be it. If you can visit a Tandy store near you, they may have what you need. If they don't, and really care about your business, they may be able to order the stamps from another store that still has them in stock.

That was my first thought, too. The machines I used in Home Ec. in school had knee controls. I liked them much better than the foot pedal on my mom's machine.

A quick search on Google turned up this thread on Leatherworker.net:

Exactly, Tom! However, some of the designs posted are downloadable, and the photos are a good source of inspiration to leatherworkers of all abilities. I've already downloaded a couple of Al's wallet templates for possible future use. He WANTED people to use them - he was always teaching! Even in the scenes he did for the Tandy calendar, he'd leave part of the picture unfinished, and stamp the tools he'd used beside the picture to show people which ones were needed for finishing the picture.