tashabear

Gorgeous! You should add a home decor section to your website!

Not on my bike, and when I'm traveling, I *do* want to take my bags in with me. I have a sissy bar and luggage rack that interfere with easy access to the bolt that holds my seat on, and lining everything up again on the rare occasions when I do remove the seat is a major pain. And since zippers are such a pain themselves (not to mention a point of failure), snaplinks are an ideal solution.

Hee! Yeah, that's me! Small internet, ain't it?

I had to look up gammon steak -- we just call that ham steak here, and I love it. I usually have that with cheesy potatoes and (decidedly nonmushy) peas. My mom puts lemon curd in between layers of a cake. I think of it more of a dessert thing than anything I'd put on toast. The most typical type of marmalade here is orange, but my third grade teacher (a lovely Scottish woman from Edinborough who fostered my deep and abiding love for shortbread) makes jams and jellies for fairs, and my mom loves her ginger marmalade. You make soup out of jerky? Everyone I know just eats it.

Niiiice. That would look hot on a messenger bag, too. I found an Instructable the other day on how to make a silkscreen, and I was thinking that would be an interesting way to color leather. Now I'm kinda wanting to try frisket. (After all the money I've spent on tools, I can't tell you how glad I am that I won't have to buy an airbrush and compressor...)

Poor little baby! Where is he now?

I'll keep checking my email, because I have other stuff in the works. If he does actually go for it, I'll be pleasantly surprised. If not, I'll put together the notepad cover anyway and post it on Etsy -- for exactly what I was going to charge him.

So gorgeous!

That's why I'm not fussed about the actual goods -- they're plain as plain can be, so even if I can't sell them they'll make nice gifts. I'd like to see that very much.

Well, not only am I not sure what that's supposed to accomplish, I don't have his mailing address.

I knew I jumped the gun by buying the leather, and I did spend the time making the pattern for the notepad. But I have a show coming up in January, so they'll both get used, and it was only $20 anyway. But I wasn't going to start making anything for him, especially the wallet, without a deposit.

It wouldn't irritate me so if he hadn't made a point of telling me about these expensive bespoke shoes he bought in Germany, making a point that he was in it for the quality. Did he seriously think I'd do this for costs? That's just insulting, and why I don't sew or knit for pay. No one is willing to pay what my skills are worth there, because at this point, I'm a lot better knitter than I am a leatherworker, and I don't think anyone wants to pay me $2000 for a handknit lace shawl.

Froghunter did me a good turn the other day, and referred a caller to his store to me. I guess the guy had been calling, asking about leather and tools and whatnot, and finally told him that he just wanted someone to make some small items for him. So Froghunter, being the swell guy that he is, gave him my contact info and told him that I'd be happy to oblige. The guy called me and we chatted, and he said that he was really all about the quality of handmade, bespoke goods, and that he wanted two notepad covers for a 3x5 spiral bound notebook and a trifold wallet. No tooling, just dyeing, but I'd still have to develop the patterns, cut everything, punch the holes, dye it all, and stitch it together. Not a big deal, but it all takes time. I told him that I'd have to do a little math, and that I'd get back to him with a price. I emailed him later that night and gave him the price, describing exactly what he was getting for the money. The next morning, I got an response that said he'd "let me know what he wants to do." Now, I've been brushed off before, and that's just what this smells like. I'm sure other folks here have experienced this phenomenon. What do you do? Do you just let it go, reasoning that if they don't want to pay what your time, effort, and materials are worth, you don't want to do business with them? Or do you poke at them a bit, and email or call a week or so after you give them the quote to see if they're still interested? I'm torn. So the question is: WWLWD (What Would LW Do)?

You're welcome! Whether or not you can document this garment being made out of leather is another matter entirely, but Kass provides full support for her patterns, and if anyone will know, she will. :-D

Wow. She's beautiful with or without the paint, but the airbrushing is super-cool!

Oh... Crunchie Bars, how I love thee. We don't get them in the States at all. As soon as the ferry landed in Nova Scotia when we visited this September, we made a beeline for the corner shop and stocked up. There's a British food store in a town southwest of me; maybe if it's nice tomorrow or Sunday and I get a bunch of work done I'll take a ride down there and buy myself a treat.

And your soda and candy taste better because you actually use sugar instead of this high fructose corn syrup crap. I'd eat that every day and twice on Sundays, as long as I can skip the tomatoes (hate the texture) and have maple syrup on the sausage. I love breakfast food.

I'm going to be a bit of a history wonk -- you'll find what you're looking for if you look within the Tudor/Elizabethan periods. Reconstructing History has a TON of great patterns, like this one: http://tinyurl.com/6rog2a Kass McGann, the owner, is a professional clothing historian, and all her patterns come with documentation.

Wow. Dude, that's HAWT. Now I want to make Wonder Woman wrist cuffs.

http://www.smallboxhardware.com/ Some days I wish I could get paid for my l33t Google skillz.

So all sweetened carbonated beverages are called cordials in Tasmania? I always thought cordials were alcoholic -- I make them by combining equal parts sugar, vodka, and fruit in a big jar. Leave it on the back of the counter, flip it upside down and rightside up once every day. In 2-4 weeks, you strain and bottle and let it age. Om nom nom.

Not on purpose! There are regional differences, even in Mass. I grew up in central Worcester County -- where are you from?

Nice! I have vinegaroon brewing in the kitchen; I need to strain it and try it out.

My grandmother called it tonic... I call it soda.

You guys pronounce it wrong, that's the problem. It's a "bubblah." Wicked pissah...