Handstitched

@tsunkasapa i am saddened reading about your loss , my condolences. I lost Mum few years back. I wish you and your family the very best . HS

Some of those buckles in the pics look a bit like bridle/ harness buckles that i have used. If they're strong enough for a horse, I'm sure they'd be strong enough to use on a restraint. HS

Just poppin' my head in to say G'day. I keep seeing the snow storms over there on the news. It looks very scary, and dangerous and seeing semis sliding out of control along the hwys . But here in upside-down land, we're having extreme heat waves, 45+ some days. I've been on a break over the Christmas period, I have so many (planned) jobs that I want to do outside, but it's been so damn hot i can't do them, that's time wasted , so many plants have died. But it's just cooled down.....a bit , until later next week when it heats right up again. Mother Nature can really test us at times. Now, back to food: it's corned beef for dinner tomorrow, mashed potato, veggies and a cheese sauce. Stay safe during those storms 🙏 🙂 HS

That's quite a beast, I wouldn't want to p**s him off. I thought crutching sheep was hard enough 😕 When we had sheep , only around 3 dozen, we used 'elastricators' to castrate the lambs, they look like rubber fruit loops , Stretched out to go over their ' bits' to fall off later. HS

@chuck123wapati my dad enjoys earl grey tea as well as Darjeeling, it should be drank without milk, but i put a little bit of milk in for dad. But they are quite aromatic. @Sheilajeanne when I was in 1st year high school, one of our excursions was at a sheep abattoir during a school camp, i don't know what possessed the teachers to do that, perhaps a dose of reality i guess, but I was fascinated, nothing is wasted, while other kids were almost passing out, lol 😆 I don't know why I mentioned that, it just flashed past reading your post , ha 😅 HS

I have a Q Stitch Colt, from Queensland, a 441 clone , and sews through heavy leather quite easily. As a test when I first got it, I put 5 layers of 4mm vt leather through it, , did exactly what it said in the ad, albeit very slowly. HS

When I do rose petals ,I like the natural 'rounded' look on some of the petals, so I use a small beveller along the line ( i have a fave), and then turn the beveller right around and go along the same line giving it that ' rounded ' look. Perhaps practice that ? HS

@chuck123wapati Food : Just watched sudden impact, Dirty Harry for the umpteenth time . (it's 45 degs outside and I'm hibernating with a few beers ) One line had me intrigued : DH: : " nobody , I mean nobody puts ketchup on a hot dog " Is there an etiquette to what goes on a hot dog over there? There is here. Here in Oz, a hardware chain doing a sausage sizzle, made a major faux paz. Here , we put the sausage in the roll first,followed by onions on top with whatever sauce, tomato, bbq etc. but they did the opposite, put the onions in first. OMG ! It blew up in the media A lot of fuss over piece of processed meat in a piece of bread . HS

2026 is approaching, i do hope the universe is kind to all of us throughout. I'm 'hibernating ' inside in the cool as its so damn hot outside, and will be for whole week, thank God for beer 🍺 Have a safe and Happy New Year HS

@chuck123wapati I use a spray bottle, it administers just the right amount of moisture, the leather stays moist enough throughout, but it did take practice to get it right. I did try using a sponge in the early days, but my carelessness caused the sponge to have a lil' spot of dye that ended up as a smudge on the leather HS

I use kangaroo leather, the hides are around .8mm thick. I don't bother skiving . I make those wallets with and without a flap . A some of the wallets people show me at the markets have just about everything but the kitchen sink in them, and are so thick stuffed so full, and they wonder why they fall apart . The ' minimalist ' wallets seem quite popular , fit neatly into pockets.. Good choice 👌 HS

@chuck123wapati Cinnamon rolls sound delish 😋 Even my dog had a happy Christmas, she got a long rawhide chewy thingy , " hours of fun ",...... it lasted an hour . She also had turkey, ham, potato's etc. I am now sipping on a nice ex$y whisky that i bought for myself, , a rare Christmas treat. Enjoy the Cinnamon rolls 😋 HS

After reading that, I must admit that my hands have toughened up over the years, pulling on thread isn't so difficult , but these days it's arthritis, carvers cramp, and my left hand seizes up holding a stamping tool,can be painful at times. I like dikmans idea though. HS

Wherever you may be let your creativity flow free in 2026. May you all have a safe and Happy Christmas 🎄 and a creative and Happy 2026 Let's hope 2026 will kind to all of us 🙏 HS

@Sheilajeanne should also include " and a packet of bandaids , sorry for the blood stains " HS

@chuck123wapati i've seen vids of semis getting blown over, looks terrifying, so I can imagine the strength of those winds. Had my last market for the year on Sunday, 21st, so now I am a man of leisure,sort of. Our AC is working perfect 👌 local installer too, did a fine job. I spilt a whole tin of contact adhesive all over my bench and onto my leg once. What a sticky gluggy mess it was too, along with a multitude of expletives Lesson learnt. HS

@beefy i have 4 machines, but i'd love 3 more machines to add to my collection. A long arm flat bed for canvas, horse rugs etc., a post bed, and a 132k6, but I have no space left HS

@beefy i have in old Seiko stw 28-b, twin needle that I have had for many years, i have yet to find a manual for it, so I just use a consew 226 manual as a guide only instead . I contacted Seiko in Japan to find out the age of my machine using the serial number, turns out it's the same age as me......not telling 😅 HS

@Sheilajeanne i showed that pic to my elderly Father, he was quite amused at the snow on the barby ( we put steaks and snags on ours , lol),while we were having our new air cond installed this morning, its working beautifully. While it was 40+ outside, it was a lovely 24 degs C inside. Bliss 😊 It's going to get hotter in the next few months no doubt . To be expected . HS

Even though I've only been on here a short time, so many speak very highly of him reading the many posts. God bless, HS

Well chuck, the hot weather has well and truly kicked in .40 degs + , today and next week, whatever that is in F's . Just as well I'm having our air cond upgraded tomorrow. Our local sparky is doing the installation. No doubt its getting quite cold where you are . Just 2 more markets to go and that's it until next year. Looking so forward to a nice break tbh. Stay safe, HS

Why would anyone want to throw that away? Even if it didn't work , it would make an awesome display piece in your workshop 😀 I'd be like a kid on Christmas day . Great find 👍 Hope you're able to get all cleaned up and working again. HS

@Mablung former, akubra, newbie, again, statesman. My very first hat was a statesman and is now a museum piece on display in my workshop. My next pair of work boots will from an Aussie company, also not owned by a mining squillionare HS

@chuck123wapati well done and well deserved . They look so good and will polish up nicely. There are times when we just love to treat ourselves. I'm contemplating buying a new( stetson style)hat for myself for Christmas. The brand/ company i would normally buy from has now been bought out by a mining squillionare . They can go and jump. So I'm going to support another Aussie made company instead, not owned by a mining company, a bit pricey, but so what ! My current hat is around 10 years old, stained badly, smells. and worn out and has holes in it and was a prezzy from a former flame and not a good look at the markets. Time for a change 👍 Enjoy your new boots 👢 👍 HS