Handstitched

@Frodo & @chuck123wapati Thank you so much to you both and for sharing The people in my local community have been very caring and supportive as Mum was very popular and well respected amongst the locals . It was just so unexpected , no warning, no symptoms . Chuck, when I was talking to her and holding her hand , I could feel Mum trying to hold mine, I take great comfort in that, and yes, they can hear your voice . Hearing is one of the last senses to remain. Frodo, it will take a quite a while. My nerves are still very raw. No-one heals completely from loss . And just writing about her and talking about her does help a lot. I went into her sewing room recently, her life is in that room , I stayed in it for about a minute, ...and walked right out again ,couldn't handle it. Too soon . That will take time . Thanks again, HS

In the early hours of Friday morning , June 16th, ( Aust) I lost my Mother, she was 89 . She fell ill Thursday morning, unable to speak, only managing the word ' headache' . Rushed to our local hospital and then she was airlifted to hospital in Perth. What was thought to be a a stroke , turned out to be a massive brain bleed , too dangerous to operate in a dangerous location, , an operation that would have had no benefit, the damage was too great.. So she was made as comfortable as possible . She was heavily sedated , not conscious , and not in any pain . I went to the hospital in Perth (Thursday, ( 3hrs drive) I talked to her, held her hand. Apparently they can hear your voice. I stayed as long as I could, but had to leave and look after my Dad . I got a phone call from the hospital in Perth around 4.15am Friday morning (aust time) to say my Mum was gone. The worst phone call I've ever received. . Thats how quick it was. The shock is huge. She was fine Wednesday night, no symptoms. We were both very close, plus we we did craft markets for the last 18 years. She was my best friend, not just my Mum. Peace HS

Is that Cane Toad leather? the texture looks very similar as I have worked with Cane Toad leather myself . Nice work HS

Off topic : have you ever been tempted to try and play it ? I have an English ' hunting horn' in my collection of ' stuff' . My lungs aren't up to the task of blowing it ..yet. HS

I so love that weave . I googled that, not much luck here in Oz . Thats one stamp you don't want to mess up HS

more info required

What a great idea. Is that an anvil on wheels I see in the background ? ...and you play a trumpet? HS

Is there a model number or pics?

The best gifts are the ones we make ourselves Thats very nicely done. I can't fault that at all . Maybe a matching monogrammed key ring with the same leather perhaps ? HS

Well, this is a first for me, I have never seen a bag made with wood incorporated into the design. I quite like it Perhaps some decorative upholstery nails or screws may also work to attach the leather to the wood, even as an embellishment? . And I guess the wood component could also be used as a template for a leather gusset? Well done @fredk "On this pen case I stamped after it was wet moulded to shape" . I have done that on some knife cases with the mold still inside. HS

All carved in using angled carving blades and the tip of a filigree blade. Every leather worker may do it different, but I start with tracing the designs, same as other carving, but for the small size of the designs, I start bevelling around the inside of the lines instead of outside using the smallest beveller I have , followed by the background tools and a modeling tool for the more fiddly bits including ropes, reins etc. The tools used are in the pic, although not very clear. I used an angled carving blade as well as a fine filigree blade ( not in pic) . A 'B 936' beveller, an A98 backgrounder ( a really old one) , A 104 for larger areas, a modified ground down stamping tool, and an F902 in some areas like mane, tail etc. a modeling tool ( no idea of the number) , a modified trimmed brush with only a few bristles on it and slightly larger one for larger areas...and an extra pair of specs & water based black dye. For those that wish to try this, one word : patience , don't rush it , and good light. Thank you all HS

This is my latest creation, a ' silhouette carved' belt. I haven't done silhouette carving in a quite a long time. The individual pieces are cut-outs, off-cuts from other stuff I make, ...I used up scraps , with a 25mm belt through the centre. This type of carving sure makes you go cross-eyed, fiddly as Good light and a steady hand helps. Apart from the black dye, I used a thinned out mix of 'camel & yellow' to get all pieces to match, although some pieces could have done with another coat . I modified a brush with only a few bristles on it for the black ...and two pairs of glasses . The idea was inspired by Al Stohlman in the ' Belts Galore' book, and the designs came from his book ' Inverted Carving' . Not a bad effort considering I haven't done silhouette carving in quite a while. Theres a few other pieces I did some years earlier , including my camera case on the right, showing the back. HS

I found some pretty good stuff in ' op shops' ( thrift shops) over the years . I've found some really good and unusual belt buckles too. I'm all in favour of re-using, re-purposing . Too much goes into waste. Well done on that HS

Yeh man, just a bit of ' me time' would be great

Yup ...and I've run out of peanuts, doh !! HS

We all know our own markets, but if I charged that much for a plain belt, I wouldn't sell a damn thing The line " tell him he's dreamin' " springs to mind. The prices are OTT . HS

I have yet to be inspired to get my fat a*** on my bike , lol Its still leaning against my workshop , where I left it ...some years back After it rains, and the sun comes through , I can smell the eucalyptus trees and all the other ' bush smells, . Makes me ' bush sick' , like 'home sick', missing home. I get that yearn to disappear in to the bush for a few days . HS

Assuming the handle is made of wood, they must have had a wood lathe type thingy to get it that shape ? Cool find There is info regarding how jousting sticks were made using ' leg powered' lathes during medieval times . But that was later in history . HS

@Gezzer You may wish to read the post ' scrap leather thoughts' by Bruce Johnson . You've touched on the very thing we're talking about, using up scraps. They look totally awesome btw HS

To me scrap = $$$ . Its up to me to turn that scrap into $$ ....if I had the time.. I used to give scrap away for free, not any more, now that I've realised the true value of it, now that the cost of a DB or DS or a side has gone through the roof...now . Look around your workshop, how much scrap can you see? ...and how much could it be worth if you had the time to turn it into $$ ?? whether it be a key ring, ear ring, book mark, a small purse, a little leather thing-a-me-bob , or whatever ? Coming up with creative ideas concentrates the mind....apparently . Each and every day I'm looking for ideas for doing just that. I might follow up on a few ideas later. Well done Bruce I am one of those individuals that turned a hobby into a business. In case anyone asks, it hasn't diminished the enjoyment of working with leather one single bit . If anything , its enhanced it . I am now taking on projects that I would never have thought of. My profile does state ' challenging projects' after all HS

Thats totally f***d up !! We can fly the Aussie flag or the ' boxing kangaroo' flag anywhere any time . But the irony of that is, on our Australia day in January, all the ' Aussie ' flags and just about every piece of "Aussie" paraphernalia that people proudly wear or display are made in China...go figure? But our govt. is cracking down on German WW2 symbolism , flags etc. HS

Amen to that friend I don't owe a single cent to anyone . Even my credit card is well and truly in the black . HS

They look great, and they'll last for ever the only thing I have that is horn related , is a cow horn, it has a bottle opener on it, got it from a market. HS

Yep, all of it Lovely work We can get Emu ( we say eemyoo) leather here in Oz, but it ain't cheap. HS

@fredk When I was a wee lad , Mum used to put out a (fruit) minced pie and glass of sherry . Had I been smart, I could have had that for myself in the middle of the night, LOL . The archery bracer & the book cover looks great, nicely done HS