ElMalOjo

Thank you. Hah! Yeah, it's a bit of stitching, but I kinda find it therapeutic...

Since I started wallet-making, I've only designed one style for women's wallets; here are the last two that I've made:

Sweet! I haven't gone back to my diamond chisels yet...but I also haven't had any clients want anything bigger than wallets haha. I figure I'll bring out the diamond chisels for the next handbag, as the 3.38's are just so fine and it would take forever.

Please do! I was impressed with the amount of templates they had available. I wish they had a better variety of thread available to purchase singularly, instead of by lot.

Nice! I'll check out Goodnleather. The main problem that I have with the Wuta's is their size - they're a bit difficult to hang onto!

Thank you!

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents on a set of chisels/pricking irons I picked up off of Amazon recently. I usually post to Reddit/r/leathercraft, but figured someone over here might be interested. I had not heard of this brand before (Wuta Leather), and knew that they were based out of China, based on shipping info/wait time. I've been waiting to pull the trigger on a decent set of European-style irons, so I figured if these were bunk, I wasn't out a whole lot of cash. You can find them on Amazon in two sizing options; I got the 3.38mm as I usually make wallets and handbags. I was asked how they performed, so here's the review: Wuta also has a store on Ebay, but if you order there, they have different irons available and have a "W" on them. These do not. Even though the irons do not have the "W" stamp, they appear to come from the official Wuta factory. So did the thread I ordered. They are nicely polished, sharp, and made of quality stainless steel (site says "white steel"). Only downside is that they are quite small, about 4" in length. They are quite sharp - this is with one punch of the mallet through 5-7oz veg tan: I've punched them through 3-4oz veg and 5-7oz veg and stitched with .45mm, .8mm (sorry that it's yellow and a bit hard to see), and 1mm threads. I would not recommend using 1mm thread, as it was difficult to pull through. I usually use .8mm thread in whatever I'm making and this was the ideal thickness to get the regular, clean stitch pattern that I like with the European-style chisels. So, that's it! I haven't owned any Blanchards or Dixons, so I can't compare them to much, but I'm happy with the purchase, and for the price compare to those brands, I'm really happy.

Client wanted a small red purse that had this exact clasp on the front, a short strap/handle, and that was about it. I had a hell of a time with the red dye, but I think it turned out all right. 5-7 oz veg tan, Ritza Tiger thread in .8mm red, Eco Flo dye in Scarlet Red (about 3 coats), and about 3 coats of Fiebings Leather Balm with Atom Wax, 2 coats of Resolene, and a spray-down of Saddle Lac. And she's a horse lover and trainer, so I added a little horsey heart charm for some personalization.

I'm in love. And speechless. This is so freaking awesome.

I love those colors! Very pretty!

I work off commission, only, since I do everything by hand and make my own patterns/designs and it takes a bit of time per piece. I don't advertise either, haha...it's just kind of a word-of-mouth deal, but I've got a wait-list a mile long right now

Thank you!

Thank you, so much!! Believe me, there's nothing quite so nerve-wracking as tearing into a family 'heirloom' and hoping that you're going to have a happy customer on your hands haha.

Thank you! And, awesome Always glad to further the music! PM sometime if you need some good suggestions; I'm betting that you've got some great, talented acts out there in AZ. Jess

Hi ya'll - figured I'd finally get brave and post some of my stuff. I mainly do custom purses, belts, and wallets. The client gave me an old pair of custom cowboy boots with his father's ranch brand on them. He wanted two purses made out of these for his wife and daughter - and left me with full creative control. I had already cut down and heavily reworked, cleaned, and conditioned one of the shafts to make the most use of the boot. After deciding how much of the boot was going to be useful, I had to come up with a pattern/idea that would display the most of the boot - I decided on a simple messenger bag-type purse. I used 5-7 veg tanned for the bulk of the purses/straps, dyed with gel antique Briar Brown to match the brown in the brand in the shaft. I edged the cut boot shafts with 3-4 oz veg tanned and dyed them and the center tie-down strap in dark brown to match the stitching in the boot (it's difficult to see, but there is dark brown thread around the collar and piping of the original boot.) (The back of the purses here)It was a struggle cutting the shaft of the boot from the heel counter and instep, and evening it out was a gamble - so as not to lose any more of the original boot than necessary. Again, I covered the edge of the boot shaft with 3-4 oz veg tanned leather and dyed it to match the stitching of the boot. I used the original pull straps from the boots to secure the straps, and also what was left of the pull straps as clasp-hangs. Thanks for looking!

I am so excited - I just placed an order. No shipping costs? Heck yeah!