Sheilajeanne

This is one of my main go-to references when carving: https://tandyleather.ca/collections/books-patterns/products/how-to-carve-leather-book It shows things step by step. It's the sort of book you want to be able to see close up, rather than looking at a PDF. And $20 is not going to break the bank. (That's Canadian dollars, too, so even cheaper in the U.S.!)

Never too old to learn something new!!

I know, billy, and it does double duty - edger AND burnisher!

Tandy sells a glass burnisher, so it's definitely not a new idea!

Chuck, they're probably made with modern tools, but done in foreign sweat shops... And yeah, dubious quality...

Samalan, LOL! Me too - I'd certainly be poking a few holes in them!

He has likely been doing this all his life. I think if he had to go back to lesser tools (his original tools), the muscle memory would still be there. It might take him a little while to get the strength back in his hands, though - can you IMAGINE hand punching holes through that sole leather all day long? Mucho respect for this craftsman! And I would definitely buy a pair of shoes from him! They would probably last longer than anything available here in Canada!

And love he's using a scrap of broken glass to do the final edging and burnishing on the soles! No fancy stitching pony, either - just his bare feet! KGG, sewing machine embroidery? Hmm...don't think so. That machine he's using looks like a really old domestic - maybe an old treadle machine that's had a motor put on it. Okay, maybe one of the machine experts here could take a look at it, and let us know what they think...it seems to have no problem sewing the straps, but the leather on those isn't very thick. I went back and looked at that section of the video again, and I see a loose thread hanging off the end of one of the decorative pieces (3.40 on the video, and again at the very end of the video, when he's showing off his finished work.) I THINK it could be a crocheted pattern, done using fine yarn, then appliqued to the leather. The pattern looks like small circles knitted together. With the primitive sewing machine he has, that wouldn't be possible. So, maybe the women in the family do the decorative bits by crocheting or embroidering, and he attaches them to the leather.

This is how you do it when you don't have fancy tools! It was especially interesting to see him using a miniature metal hook, similar to a crochet hook, to both punch holes and sew the layers of the sandals together! He must have very strong hands, and that hook must be really sharp on the end! https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=320176276730786 Edit: does anyone know how he applied the decorative pattern to the shoes? The video doesn't show that part.

Wait - you even tooled the INSIDE of the belt?? Awesome work all around!

So, the top is zippered, correct? What is the zipper attached to? The gussets and side panels, or is it set into the top (separate piece for the top.) Yeah would be SO much easier to picture if you had your phone! I thought I'd lost mine once, so bought a new one. Found the missing phone between the car seats about a year later! Great timing because the charging port on the new one was about to pack it in for the SECOND time, and no way was I going to pay to fix it again! I swore, I looked between those seats several times and NEVER saw the durn thing, because it was standing on its edge!

Interior of the bag, showing attachment of panels and flap:

Frodo, I can't really picture this from your sketch. But what I am guessing from your description is you want the gusset to stand higher than the front and back panels, maybe so you can attach a strap that sits above the panels. Why would this cause a problem with attaching those panels? Your stitch line would just end at the top of the panels, wouldn't it? Not seeing the problem here... Photo shows the gusset on a messenger bag I did a couple of years ago. Not sure it shows what you're asking about?

Keith, that is some AWESOME work!! Nice to see just how the pros do it, even if it makes most of us feel like rank beginners!

I keep this chart on the side of my computer. It makes it very easy to convert: https://tandyleather.ca/pages/leather-buying-guide

Yeah, some dogs do like to chew on leather! Have had several leather covered books destroyed by dogs over the years, not to mention leather shoes!

Yes, some excellent patterns in the library, all of them free! Oh, I just saw a new one you may like (not a purse pattern, though!) It's new to me, anyway! https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library/the-good-shepherd-pattern-2641 Great for a Bible cover!

Fred, do you have pictures you can show us of this?

It may be possible the skin wasn't properly tanned, and that's why it fell apart.

Glad to know that, Johanna!

Yup, still looking good! Do you do your leather pictures just for fun, or do you sell them, too?

The other dog is gone now - she made it to 14 1/2. The black cat (who weighs just over 10 lbs) and the black shepherd keep me entertained by beating each other up a couple of times a day. I sometimes feel a bit sorry for the cat due to the size difference, then I seem him lying in the dog's crate and refusing to let her in... Or he reaches out and whacks her as she's passing by!

The meeces left the leather alone - what they got into was my supply of porcupine quills! Never would have thought they'd find those tasty! The next thing the mouse got into was a trap, and unfortunately, when it got caught, some of its blood got on a piece of leather, but that was very minor and just on the edge. Since I really don't want the cat having access to this cupboard, I keep a baited trap in it at all times, and check it often. And I've moved the quills to a drawer that I think is mouse-proof.

Wouldn't work in my house!

Have used the peroxide and baking soda solution to deskunk dogs a few times, and it's AMAZING! I'm sure it would work well on cat pee, but I'd test it first on a piece of scrap. Am glad I have a large cupboard for my leather, though I have to watch out for mice getting into it.