Boofy

Good points Rahere, sand is not an issue but dust is when we have drought like last year. I am doing a light weight harness first for summer. Then probably a better, slightly thicker one for the cold winters here. And yes she will clean herself constantly so I am trying to take that into account as well.

Hey that seems like a great site, thanks heaps Rahere!

Thanks Rahere, You seem to know the same workflow as I do. I am also hoping to turn it into an embroidery file to make on my machine so I can do different ones quickly with embellishments etc, maybe sell some eventually??? That will depend on the size of the pattern though!

Thanks Rahere, I am doing a draft pattern now, getting the little darling to sit still long enough is a bit of a challenge - bribery is being used to great effect! The harness in your post is a cool one too! I am still getting her shape down and will go from there! Oh that is indeed a good idea Rahere! I am looking into that as well!

Hi all. I hope you are all well in this crazy time! We have recently got a 10 month old rescue cat called Ruby. She is now an inside cat due to lots of traffic, bird life and stray cats in the area etc. I am taking her outside on a little nylon harness that I bought. It does keep her safely under control but it is a real pain to get on her and I think the thin straps might dig in as well. I am looking at trying to make a harness for her from leather &/or other materials. If people have made harnesses for dogs or cats, can they tell me what to use I do have some calf veg tan as well as some softer synthetic pieces, I don't know if they would rub or be too hot in our 100+deg heat at Dubbo NSW. Any ideas on patterns, leather or other materials, closures, lining etc would also be welcome. I like ones that you step the cat into (jacker style) rather than trying to get her head in a loop or tangle with straps like her current one. Ruby is a small slim cat so it would have to be rather narrow to allow her freedom of movement. This is her in her synthetic harness enjoying the weeds in our garden!. Thanks for any guidance.

Yes I have seen that mentioned elsewhere. I guess we all would like "one with the lot" I do have a brother sewing/embroidery machine that I can get a walking foot for to use on light soft leather. Not ideal I know but it will do for now for thinner stuff and I will work towards a 441 clone and trade the current machine in on a better one for lighter leather at a later date... Thanks for your help! Boofy

Thanks heaps Leatherisfun. Unless I punch a hole in the wall (hubby would have kittens!!) that standard table is out of the question I will be doing some soft leather bags, camera bags, teddy bear paws and accessories and eventually larger camera bags with stiffer 6-7 oz leather. So the 441 clones may be the way to go. I will still have to save up though...oh well I am going ok with hand sewing slowly at the moment. Cheers and keep crafting!

Hmmm this seems to be another upgraded version of the Premier P1206RB. Looks good... http://www.consew.com/View/P1206RB-7 I might have to rob a bank or sell a heap more teddy bears I think!!

Hi there! Thanks for your wonderful advice Union Level Leather. I guess I will keep saving my pennies a bit longer and go for a better machine like you suggest. I found that there is an updated model of the Consew RB206 called the Consew Premier P1206RB Walking Foot Sewing Machine . It seems to be the basically same with a few upgrades. I will look into this one a bit more and see if anyone sells it here. I saw it on Cowboy USA in Toledo for $$995 USD with servo motor and table etc. http://www.tolindsewmach.com/consew-p1206rb.html Would you mind me asking a couple of questions? What size is your table? the niche where this is going is not big so I will have to watch out for the "overall footprint" of whatever I get! Was it easy to set up an use? do you think a noob to industrial machines could do it without help? Is there anything that "annoys" you about it? Does it leave marks on the leather? What is the thickest leather you have sewn on it? Thanks for your help! It is appreciated. I won't be buying for a long time due to finances at the moment but it is wonderful to know what to look for! I hope you really enjoy your new baby and make lots of awesome gear with it! Boofy

Hi there. This is my first post. I have read a lot here on leather sewing machines here and I wish to ask about my situation specifically. I was aiming to get one for my birthday in July but 6 months off work with cancer treatment (going well nearly finished I hope) has delayed that idea for quite a while now, but, I thought I would pick your brains anyway and get my head around what I am looking at. I DONT want any fighting between cowboy/cobra/silrite/consew/juki supporters as I have a lot of respect for the sellers of all those machines who have given lots of info and free time to help others. I have hand sewn some light bags and put my poor little Janome Mystyle 18W through hell with a little clutch bag. (I like what Arthur Porter does in Dallas)I cannot hand sew for long as I have a damaged nerve in my arm from dialysis (yeah if I was a sewing machine i would be on the scrap heap by now!). I would also like to incorporate leather in my teddy bear making. I want to use at several layers of least 5-7 oz tooling Veg- tan leather in some products as well as other lighter leather at this point. (I would include pics of my stuff but the pc is not cooperating) I only have a small area (90cmL x 60cm W) so large machines are out of the question. I have looked online at (in no particular order) at the Sairite zig zag/consew CP2064/Cowboy (3200/3500/4500)/Cobra 3/4s/4P machines and have heard of Juki 441 machines as well. Can I also get the size of the tables/pedestals as they will have to be factored in to my little niche. I am in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I have heard of Cowboy and Cobra being in Queensland but not down south (must be too cold down here for them :^} ) So if there is any distributors down this way to deliver and help set it up, it would be really good. There are other places in Melbourne but they only seem to carry big machines. Ideally about $800 - $1000 for the smaller Consew/sailrite machines would be good but I don't know if they will suite. I would use that as a springboard to go from there to a larger one like the Cowboy/cobra or save up to get the larger machine cowboy/cobra at a later date. Oh and whoever gets my sale (eventually) I am dyslexic so I will ask a HEAP of questions. For that reason I would prefer new, although I saw a really cute Juki LU-562 with Dayton gear motor on a forum here earlier and thought it looked fantastic!!!!! Thanks in advance. Boofy