Handstitched

I know its not possible for everyone, but I much prefer to pick my hides up directly from my supplier, even though its 2-3hrs drive to the busy ' big smoke' . I'll be getting some on Friday . I let them know what I need , I'll let them know before my arrival, they'll have the hides rolled out for me to pick & choose when I arrive . " Yep, I'll have that that that & that" . Rarely have I rejected one. After buying from the same supplier for many years, I have a good rapport with my supplier, that helps. HS

We'll make an ' Aussie' out of you yet , LOL If only that was all you needed on your passport to get into Australia . Something tells me you had a great time , the pics are awesome I've just been doing a few things in the back garden, get it tidied up , put some ( annual) plants in, re-planted all the hanging baskets with anuuals, and even planted a heap of herbs in large pots ( ground is too hard and dry here) . I know absolutely nothing about gardening , Mum was the expert on plants, so what I've planted is from what she told me , what she liked and a good dose of guess work. I've remade all the shade clothed areas , it gets incredibly hot in the late afternoons in Summer, now its starting to look a bit like a tiny shade house . A lot of my herbs, especially the Sage has gone nuts. I love using fresh herbs in cooking, taste better too. I'll have Capsicums ( peppers) in a few weeks , and strawberries in the next week or so. More work to do yet, but one step at a time That had me in stitches , f**k me Alcohol was involved?? Never !!!!! Why did they go to jail? Because the 'Moose' didn't have a drivers licence? HS

I think I saw a report in one of our newspapers regarding' mushroom leather', I only saw the headline with a pic , but I looked at it with a huge dose of skepticism and a sideways glance. Like you, theres not ' mush-room' in my line of work for that, I'll stick with the real stuff . HS PS: legs of lamb were on special today at our supermarket lol HS

Going a bit off topic here. I hear ya . For a few years a while back I was looking after my neighbors 4 horses , feed water etc. I did it as a favor . The owners lived in another town and rarely spent time with their own horses, to my annoyance. I was the most human contact they regularly had and we formed quite a good bond, they all waited by the back fence for me to greet them every night, with carrots One of the horses, ' Penny' was an absolute gem , the most friendly kind and gentle horse I've ever had the pleasure & experience of being with. But the the owners decided to sell her . Like having my heart ripped out . After that, our "friendship" was wearing thin, and the favors were about to run out. I got annoyed with their behavior and for their lack of care and understanding of the horses, and for the lack of interaction with them, and I no longer looked after their horses, much to my heartbreak . They eventually sold all the horses. I couldn't understand why they had horses in the first place. In hindsight, I should have bought ' Penny' myself, she would have been no trouble at all to look after. HS

You're man of my own heart . I so love doing the ' Celtic' / Viking patterns, they are in my top 4 fave patterns . They are fiddly at times, and make me go a bit cross-eyed , but so effective as you have shown . I can't fault that . well done HS

As a former pipe smoker myself , I quite like that. Perhaps make a few to sell , Christmas is coming up , just a thought , lot of Dads out there that smoke pipes HS

I can't answer your question completely, but I think hard rolled is when the leather is wet then rolled making it firmer . I'm happy to be corrected It'll be the opposite here where I am. If I told my customers that my products are made from horse hide, my name would be mud + protests !! They're a bit ' sensitive' here. But yet, cow hide and Kangaroo hide is acceptable ....hmmm HS

Update: I went looking for a vase in a discount shop , (Aussies know them as ' Red Dot' ) , no vases, but what I did find was chrome chain dog leads, 1.2mtr , made with exactly what I was looking for. So, as they were cheap, I bought x 4 only 3 bucks each . Worked out cheaper than buying from a supplier , even our hardware chain ( pardon the pun) doesn't supply it , they have everything else but...... go figure? I now know where to get my chrome chain supplies . Might get some more on Thursday as they also had some heavier chrome chain as well. Seek and ye shall find HS

Theres a special bond between man and their horse, when they pass away, the pain is overwhelming and the same as losing a loved one . Perhaps a pic may help those on here help you out. HS

But a little ' retail therapy ' is good for the soul ,..... but not your wallet , lol HS

....finally finishing a long term project with red (3mm) lace....you run out just in the final 3-4 inches of the project, ordering more takes 2 weeks. . So, I had some red 4.7mm, I got the ' thumb strander' out( under protest....I don't like them) and managed to cut a length of 4.7 down to 3mm....and finish the project. Pics later. HS

My friend ( that has the museum) dropped in yesterday, and I told him ' for goodness sake , don't ever break a needle because you'll have a such a hard time finding a replacement. Its only for display so I doubt it'll ever get used. But I will give him some info on the machine to go with his display. This may also be of interest: https://www.junker-home.com/de/en/discover-junker/history They are still operating , but I think the name ' Ruh' seems to have dropped off. HS

I take it you're back from your well earned break, hope you had a great time . The Elk sounds tasty . Summer has come early here and well and truly kicked in . Days are hot, but the nights are cool-ish , for now. HS

Farts keep us warm in bed , just don't lift the covers ...or light a match lol

I got a cheapie hair dryer that I use on my bench. Also handy for when its cold during Winter and dyes don't dry well. I also put it under my shirt when its cold in the mornings HS

Its not a good idea. Example: When I make knife cases etc. I wet mold using molds, templates and so on. In Winter , its cold and wet outside, so I put all my molded cases ( up to a doz.) next to the wood stove in the house, thats enough to harden the leather, or, if its dry outside, I put them in a sunny spot. . Its approaching Summer here in Oz, so just the ambient temps in my workshop is enough to harden leather. Leaving natural leather out in the sun for long enough will darken it anyway. I have never put my leather projects in the oven , and besides, I would not want my roast beef or my potato bake or anything else I've made tasting like the inside of my leather workshop ...LOL @chuck123wapati "dont cook your leather" , I prefer Beef or Pork , lol HS

New office chair- check, woo hoo , new PTO shaft for tractor- check ...wha..?? burger for lunch and a six pack for later - check , expensive fuel for car....hmph...check LOL

They're in the same place where all the missing socks go, cool hat Hope you don't smoke Rinse your mouth out with a beer Office chair update: a customer paid cash for a job I did, I can now get my new office chair, hopefully tomorrow woo hoo ! I'm sick of sitting on a pillow. HS

I'm a bit late posting, but they are simple and practical , great

Thats actually quite good Going a bit off topic here, I gave up smoking over twenty five years ago*, and a one point I smoked a pipe , and although I don't smoke now, there was a huge range of ' shags' flavoured rubs etc. and they had a really nice aroma to them , it made me feel ' sophisticated' , lol . Well done HS * ps: a 50 gram pack of loose tobacco for rollies ( roll your own, like I did ) is now up to $120.00 Au. back in the day, I paid $20, glad I gave up.

so thats where I put it ..lol . Those markings are so evenly spaced too. I wonder if it is possible to find out what type of animal the bone came from ? Great find. HS

Did you get an opportunity to ' sample' the contents ? Great job , the colours go really well with the whisky HS

What a wonderful piece of history , you did a great job. HS

Yup Very similar to Seiko's STW machine. I use mine daily, same age as me....almost 60 years old. Has never let me down in the over 10 years I've had it, ( touchwood) HS

I have one of those thumb stranders, modern one, but the same, I've only used it once perhaps twice, it can be lethal . Take care HS