Handstitched

I think you're right . IMO, I wouldn't be doing too much to it, no cleaning or recolouring etc. repair the lacing and perhaps any other minor repairs , and thats it. I'd be keeping the patina in tact as much as possible . Be observant of how the lace was done to keep it original . Good find HS

Depending on the size , key rings, book marks , , fridge magnets, small projects , or , belt keepers, we always need those, or something to practice on like @chuck123wapati suggested . I like to doodle with ideas on leather, so rather than use the ' good stuff' I use scraps, bellies etc. Lately, I've just been experimenting with 2 " round leather pendants with a design on a leather cord. So many ideas . The sky is the limit. HS

You're welcome friend That ' twirly little dance mid flight ' that I saw, I think my best interpretation of that was joy, like it wanted a drink. Its people like you and I that notice these things in Nature . HS

Some of the commentary on here is why I don't do "social media" because its not very social, and not very friendly . This site has taught me so much about friendship & fellowship , even from the other side of the world, I have valued friends on here just as I do IRL , even though we have never met, I value that It has also taught me to think outside the 'leather box' . Theres more than one application to a particular product, and , outside the recommendations in the instructions, and they work . I even used leather dyes to stain wood for example, and looks great, I've also used shoe polish on some leather products, and it works, go figure. If you don't wish to be helped or follow the advice given.. ....well... Dixie ..music is quite uplifting HS

As an example, I've used a water based wood lacquer/varnish on leather in place of ' Neat-Lac' as its no longer available here in Oz, or anywhere else for that matter, and it worked !! . So sometimes you have no choice but to experiment with other products and adapt . You'd be surprised what works on leather. HS

All I ever use on my 441 clone is 277 M10 thread top and bottom, sometimes mixing colours top or bottom and thats it. I use Schmetz #24 180 needles. The less time used changing threads etc. the better. This set up suits my application nicely . So far, I've never had the need to use different thread sizes . Yeh same here , When I was learning, I put a large F & R label on the lever in the early days to remind myself where the lever is, lol . All good these days. But, I do keep my fingers well away from the ' business end' . HS

I haven't been brave enough to try making shoes, but those look pretty good The only thing I have tried, but hardly call them shoes are baby booties made out of hair on roo hide using a one piece template. I guess I could try making the template bigger for ' bigger babies' HS

My first thought is to line it with a thin piece of leather, like pig skin , goat, kangaroo etc. I use roo leather for wallets myself . HS

Man, you've taken ' basket weave' to a whole new level Is it wet when you weave it? Must be hard on your hands otherwise. I've done 'secret plaits' on belts while its wet or moist. Applying dyes is a challenge too . HS

Just looking at those lovely bags sure gets the creative juices flowing . Is that ' Marty Feldman' in that ' Abby Normal' image? My dog is named ' Abby ' , she can be crazy at times. HS

Must be tough seeing those every day, lol

What a great way to start the day . So, as its was in the morning, does that mean it will rain soon? ' Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning' HS

Yeh , these birds love going under our eaves looking for a feed, heaps of bugs under them . I put some water out, my Dad was getting concerned as its quite hot here now, so I (carefully) put a few bowls of water out for our guests . What happened next was a little strange, one of the birds, Dad I guess, did a ' twirly' little dance (?) mid flight as I was pouring the water, and then immediately had a drink after I was at a distance, must have been thirsty . ' Mum' has been in the nest pretty much the whole time , occasionally leaving the nest. They're more entertaining than TV HS

I forgot to mention that these tiny birds hate crows. There were a couple in our paddock just now, and ooooo'h boy !! these few crows were immediately under attack , not just by 'Dad' but from a few other Willy's in the area ...needless to say the crows flew away real quick , quite a sight to watch . These tiny birds don't take any sh**t. They even fight against other predators mid flight. HS

A Beef Stroganoff springs to mind HS

I use my stitching (spacer) wheel to mark where the holes go, after stitching , I run the stitching wheel over the finished stitching on both sides . I think I got that idea from Al Stohlman . HS

I just use scraps of (trimmed) sheep skin cut into about 2-3" squares, for NF oil, dyes, and sealers etc.. A few fibres are not that much of an issue, they come right off. The NF oil that I have is a bit thick, so, I just thin it out with a little bit of metho , works fine Theres no way I'll be heating it up , too dangerous . HS

Mother Nature at Her very best again. We have a bird nesting in one of our rose bushes right outside our family room window, Dad spotted her, flying back and forth making a nest . The bird is commonly known here as a ' Willy Wag Tail', by name and nature, because of their long tail at the back and because of the way they move about . The pic is a sample pic, pretty much the same outside our window, I wouldn't dare try take a pic of our guest myself as ' Dad' is very defensive . The nest is about the size of a small cup . The size of the bird is a bit bigger than the palm of your hand , not very big , but they are very territorial . I tried to get a closer look the other day , but ' Dad' got really p*ssed off. I now know their ' defensive' chirps and their 'happy'(?) chirps. HS

Thats a beautiful example of a shield. I have a set of craft knives, just a cheapie set I got from a hardware, but it has several ( razor sharp) blades in different shapes etc. , ideal for doing just that. My beveling is good, but not that good . HS

We used to use a ' hot box' ( 4 reinforced foam panels with a roof and a few heat lamps) to keep our Gelcoats warm when making F/G swimming pools, otherwise they won't go through the spray guns . We also kept our waxes for the molds in there too . HS

That is so unique and well made Brass fittings rock Don't be surprised if she gets asked " where can I get one ? " You may end up with a few orders. HS

Like a line from a movie , " thats not basket weave......THIS is basket weave" . You must have had a lot of patience to do that @Frodo, I would have thrown it across my workshop , LOL , well done HS

This has been discussed quite a bit, but heres a few pics of the leather I get from my supplier in Perth, WA . I bought 4 of these recently. Torino 4mm D/B . I sometimes get shoulders. I use these for my belts . The only marking is a branding mark , ' JW or WJ ' .( I keep those in) , and a batch number right at the very edge , and thats it. I buy around 8-10 of these per year , depending on sales & demand. I've been with the same supplier for many years, I phone ahead being so far away , I tell them what I need. I don't even have to inspect the hides these days like I use to , they were all rolled up and packaged on the bench ready for me to load into my car. HS (PS: ignore the ' one way ' sign ....that I stole in my ' yoof' )

But I do , a lot , which might explain why I can't get a date A bit of deal breaker don't you think? HS

That looks so neat & tidy, and very smart My belts keep getting longer ( I've lost weight) , time for me to make a new belt for myself. HS