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Beautiful coloring on that! How did you achieve that effect?

Wow, props from Tina! That's like getting 'hey, nice shot' from Micheal Jordan Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! The spine was done with Eco-flo Canyon Tan, then dry-dyed with Bison Brown. The front and back were done with Fiebing's Tan Leather Stain. The area around the tree was done in the same manner as the spine, but with heavier dry-dye applications.

Great work! I love the coloring and the design. Those long, sweeping finger cuts were a very nice touch! Archery is what got me started in leatherworking. I learned to shoot from someone who had an ankle quiver, and I had to have one of those things, so I made one. These days I do a lot more leather than archery, of course.

Tom, Red and Black called, and they both want you to be their spokesperson. They say, "nobody knows us like Tom knows us". They're right.

Thanks, guys! The encouragement is much appreciated I'm very pleased to pass on the stencil cutter trick. With the wealth of tips and ideas that I've been able to garner from the amazing community here, I'm honored to be able to give something back! I had some trouble with the leather stretching as I tooled the front side, so I've learned that my contact paper tactic doesn't quite cut it. I'm going to try the plexiglas/contact cement gig. There are few things as frustrating as things not quite lining up after you've done all the work on them!

Thanks Dan I found a lovely little thing called a stencil cutter (which is really just a wood burner with a set of very fine tips). You can pick them up at art stores for ten or fifteen dollars. All I do is transfer the letters to the leather with tracing film and a stylus, then go over the impressions with the fine point of the stencil cutter. It goes through the leather like butter after it's had time to warm up. As you can see, it allows for very fine detail.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. My friend appears to be very happy with it. She carries it with her a lot and hugs it whenever she sees me. It's really very adorable. Here's a scan from of the tree from my tracing film. I grabbed the image off some website, so it may well be copyrighted. I didn't make any money off of this one, so I figured that would be okay. The good news on that front is that she then turned me on to a well paying gig for another slipcover project!

As a gift for a good friend, I offered up my services to create a slip cover for her sketchbook. She is an avid Tolkien fan, as am I. (He's the 'Lord of the Rings' guy for you non-geeks out there). I included her favorite poem by Tolkien which goes: All that is gold does not glitter Not all who wander are lost The old that is strong does not wither Deep roots are not touched by the frost From ashes a fire shall be woken A light from the shadows shall spring Renewed shall be blade that was broken The crownless again shall be king The poem is written in elvin script along the borders front and back. I included the english translation on the back. I really enjoyed making this piece and I'm looking forward to more work like this. Your thoughts and critiques are welcome!

Pretty please?

Try as I might, I just can't seem to find the right recipe of words to put into Google to find good swivel knife/finger cut patterns. You know, those marvelously symmetrical swirlies for which so many people seem to have a natural knack. Well, I ain't one of 'em. I start doodling and trying stuff out and it all ends up a big pile of... well, it isn't anything I want to disgrace a dead cow's hide with. So, my search is on and coming up empty so far. Any resources out there?

Thanks, guys! They're up to 39 now... they only need 11 more!

Hey guys, The great people at Standing Bear's Trading Post in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles are applying for a grant from American Express. These grants are intended for small businesses that have inspired through demonstrations of innovation, community and customer service. One of the requirements for review is 50 individual endorsements. Currently, as of this morning, they have 22. All you have to do to help out is go to their profile at the ShineALight website, register, and click 'Endorse this story'. Simple, right? Right! Those of you that know Wayne Christensen at Standing Bear's are well aware of his merits as a craftsman and mentor. For those who don't, here's what's posted on their profile:

Hey there, MH! Glad you like that design. I've been working on that table for a few months now and I really like it. The inlaid granite makes everything much easier to manage. The table is just a big piece of 3/4" birch plywood with a cut-out for the granite. The granite is secured by another small piece of birch supported by a couple of 1 x 3's beneath and shimmed up to level. It's perfectly sturdy and yields no unnecessary bounce. Since those pictures were taken I've added a spray booth for air brushing on the left side. ... and I've added a couple of dye spots to the table top But, all in all, it's been a good layout for me.

That's really well done! Great design and great color. I'm curious to learn about the molding and casting process. Are there any good tutorials out there?

Wow, that's really lovely! Well done!

Wow... more talent coming into Los Angeles! I'd definitely suggest hooking up with Wayne Christensen at Standing Bears Trading Post here in the San Fernando Valley. The Leathercraft Guild runs meetings out of there every other month. They also attend a lot of the local leather outlet events. That should be some good contacts for you. And I'd definitely like to make your acquaintance. I've always enjoyed your work!

Dag, those are awesome! What's the longevity of the soles?

Only a very little off topic (please forgive me!)... Ray, can you post a shot of the pointy end of that scabbard? I've been trying to figure out how to manage the tip on my first sheath attempt. I'm working on a blade not much wider than a stiletto, so I don't have a whole lot of room to work with. Thanks!

Hey Tom... do happen to have a link to that post? I'm working on a case that could use that kind of braid.