tashabear

Those holes are crying -- CRYING, I tell you -- for cabochons.

I don't think it was ever in the Uniforms reg; I don't remember. It's moot now anyway -- almost all the services have gone over to a roughout boot.

Oh, I hated Leather Luster -- at least in the cold and snow and salty roads of Vermont, it cracked and crazed and looked AWFUL, and you couldn't get it off. We weren't supposed to use it.

Niiiiiiice. I LOVE the red buckstitching along the ends of that inset. You should really be proud of this!

Oh, I can make Corfam shoes dull. It's one of my many Sooper Seekrit Sooperpowers. The stuff your buddy has is probably made out of Clarino, which is another version of Corfam; neither of which is a natural material. I don't think Tandy has it, but you might want to look for patent leather. Edit: Oh, hey, look what I found: http://tinyurl.com/45gyqh

I do like your cat, very much! I hope you do very well on your project!

What a beautifully fitting vest! How did you make the pattern? I'd love to see what the sides look like.

Your picture got flipped somehow -- looks like you're on the right!

Looks like an antiquing stain to me.

Okay, I'll bite: Why not? Is it like using ArmorAll on your tires?

Those are sponges. :-D (I bought that set -- still have the kits. Might make some of them up for Christmas.)

Oh, there are LOTS of different types of corsets. The ones that make the pretty pretty sexy curvy silhouette, though, are generally Victorian inspired.

If it helps, I think the horseshoe is out of an Al Stohlman pattern book.

I haven't (far too late period for me), but Drea Leed is one of the pre-eminent researchers on Elizabethan clothing working today. Lots and lots of people have used this pattern generator with excellent results. That being said: You will not get this silhouette (link may be NSFW*) with this pattern generator. The curvy silhouette is Victorian. Elizabethan corsetry gives a more conical silhouette, creating more of a straight line from bust to waist (this link is fine). Just didn't want anyone to be upset if this doesn't offer the solution they're looking for. *NSFW: Not Safe For Work

Spiral lacing is more period and uses less string... Easier to adjust, too.

Wow. Just... yeah. Wow.

Nice! I'd like to see a pic with her hands down, straight on, so I can see how the shoulders fit, but it does look very nice. Did you bone the placket edges?

Acetone is easy to get -- it's nail polish remover. Just be sure to check the ingredients; some varieties are now made without it.

I've never done this, but speaking as someone who's researched iron liquor as a mordant for dyeing textiles... yes, the rust is key. What you want is ferrous oxide: the rust. The vinegar opens the pores of the leather, and the ferrous oxide reacts with the tannins in the leather, turning it dark. I want to make some of this myself, so my current cunning plan is to get some steel wool, wet it down and let it sit for a couple of days till it gets good and rusty, and then let it steep in the vinegar.

Beautiful work! Very classy.

Try making an Instructable.

I'll play.... Laptop: HP Pavilion dv2500 PMP: iPod Touch Camera: Canon PowerShot SD200 Gaming: haven't gamed in ages Speakers: don't use them; I have Shure e2C in-ear headphones Phone: Samsung Alias HDs: really should find those...

I can't search there unless I sign up. Off-putting right out the gate.

Try a piece of rough fabric, like denim.

Meh. It's not that big a deal once you get the lacquer off. I had to rub the feathers off an eagle on my hat brass when I was a freshman in military college.