Sheilajeanne

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.

Chuck, this is a copy of the original, and does not include the subtitles. By the time you've converted to Canadian dollars, and added the shipping, which is $21 for a DVD, it was costing close to $40 Canadian. Yeah, tried this already, from another distributor... Thanks for checking it out, anyway!

Wow, forgot all about this post!! Been dumpster diving, have you Fred? It was a great movie, and it's almost impossible to get it on DVD, unless you buy a bootleg copy, or are willing to fork over around $400 for an original. I tried buying a bootleg copy, then found it would be over $21 just for shipping, plus it wouldn't have subtitles, something I really need due to my hearing impairment. I can get a lot of stuff by lipreading, but unfortunately, the Scarecrow's mask prevents that, plus he disguises his voice, making him even harder to understand. (I know this because the movie is available on YouTube.) I first saw it as a kid when it originally aired as a 3 part movie on The Wonderful World of Disney. It stars Patrick McGoohan, who was a very excellent actor. I don't remember many things I saw on TV at that age. That should tell you just what a good movie it was! It was rather scary in parts, which is probably why it isn't as popular as the syrupy-sweet stuff Disney usually produces, then sells on DVDs, and now on their new Disney channel.

Toxo, are those snap fasteners in the center of the eyes? Very cool bag!

Too true!

My musical tastes are a bit all over the map, but #1 on my list is definitely the Man In Black, Johnny Cash. The first live concert I went to was the Monkees in Toronto. Next was Johnny Cash in 1968. I also saw the Beach Boys a couple of times at the C.N.E. (Exhibition Stadium). Have also seen live performances by Ronnie Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot, Pete Seeger and the Rolling Stones. As for musical taste, after Cash, I like Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Statler Brothers, John Denver and Rosanne Cash. For rock, I'll take the Beach Boys over the Beatles but also like the Stones, the Byrds, Moody Blues and Mamas and the Papas. Folk - Lovin' Spoonful, Peter Paul and Mary, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie. Arlo is okay, too. Jazz - I think Louis Armstrong was one of the best to ever blow a horn. I had the D.J. play his version of Moon River as the final dance at my wedding Also have a soft spot for Sammy Davis Jr, though not sure what category to put him in! He had SO many talents, and was definitely one of the top ten tap dancers of all time. The most jaw-dropping thing I've ever seen was a cancer-riddled Davis, unable to talk due to throat cancer and six months away from his death, getting up on the stage at his 60th anniversary tribute, and doing at tap dance that would put just about anyone else to shame. Have a look at the video below, starting at 3:40: Popular: Tom Jones still has the pipes at age 80. Have followed him since his earliest days. Also love some Dean Martin and some of the other great crooners like Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Sinatra. etc.

YOur stitching is so very even, it looks like it was done by a machine! Wow, what a lot of work! Is that a cross-stitch?

This video shows close-ups of that lovely green woman's shoe, and shows it looks like it was repaired several times: It also shows the modern duplicate that Chuck posted earlier.

Those books are REALLY pricey! By exploring the 'Historical Re-enactment' forum on Leatherworking, I've come up with quite a few useful videos. For the Roman period, this one is probably the best: The other videos mostly deal with Roman caligae, the sandals worn by the Legions, which, of course, are pretty impractical for our climate. And they also look like they'd be a nightmare to make. (Sorry, cutting narrow strips of leather isn't one of my favourite things!) Here's another page, with a number of good links to how to do the 'hands on' stuff! https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=making+Roman+shoes

Thinking and praying for all those that were in the paths of the tornados in the U.S. and praying our members are all safe! The news just keeps getting worse, as the known death toll climbs.