Handstitched

My Mother made profiteroles ( ' bite size eclairs' ) years ago when I was a kid....they didn't last long. She taught me about making a roux from those. Lovely Pork chops for tea later, but I cut the rind off , put metal skewers in, and bake until crispy in the oven , so we'll have crackling with our Pork . A'h the pitfalls of living in the Aussie bush with a sub standard power utility. We have no power atm . Theres cables running through the house ...including to this ol' 'compooter ' , tv's etc. . Like an electricians nightmare. ' Jenny' is the only "girlfriend" I have . She starts first time every time, and goes all day ....and all night, even when I'm asleep if the power stays off long enough, all on one full tank of fuel . We have no mobile phone coverage either as I type. Our local ambulance service gets nervous when that happens, cos they rely on it too. We still have the ol' fashioned land line in one room for emergencies. I'll try and take a pic of the second Fordson ' ornament' in our garden . It did go...once, cos I drove it into the garden , just to put those pesky Christmas lights on it eons ago, , but its been sitting there ever since. HS

Yeh man, thats basically it. You can put anything you like in a cheese sauce . My Mum taught me the bit about cracked pepper or nutmeg in the sauce as a kid . Like I put a lil' tiny bit of ground cloves ( or all spice) in apple sauce when I do a pork roast . Cloves are quite pungent. A similar roux is used for chocolate eclairs, something I have yet to master. My absolute fave sweet pastry/ guilty pleasure . Has been since I was a wee lad Funny how some things remain . On rare occasions, they might have tractor parades at a few shows. But I think this damn covid has put a dampener on a lot of events here. We're only just starting to get back to "normal" here in West Oz . I'm booked in for a few regional shows later this year, can't wait actually. HS

Bovine....Mooo....moooo.. Porcine....oink oink ....and yummy , but thats for a totally different thread. The milled bit is where its basically put in a machine and rotated , and dried . The lines in the grain etc. become bigger, bolder, softer, making it totally awesome but can't be cut with a (belt) strap cutter or burnished , believe me...and us....we've all tried it. You can try it yourself...until the cows come home ..ha ha !! sorry HS

Here ya go Chuck Tractors looks so sad & depressing when they're in bits. The water pump was away being rebuilt by a local at that time. The radiator on the ground looks rough, but still functional , and weighs almost as much as me . A new core is available, but costs a kings ransom . Got a mate with a ' hi-ab' crane to fit it back on. Just the carby to service/rebuild, fill it up with water, and cross my fingers it should start. When I win lotto, I'll give it a full restore. My ol' TEA 20 in the background . Damn fun to drive Theres another Fordson in my front yard, complete, but 'ornamental' . But I do plan to get it going again in the future. You can see the changes in the weather in both pics. I've always joked, we have 2 seasons here in West Oz , ' alive & dead' . Had a nice simple beef curry earlier. Just mince ( ground beef) , a few vegies, coriander, cumin, and a traditional curry powder , on a bed of rice. You can put 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder or turmeric in the rice as it cooks, gives it a nice ' golden colour' . A Pinot Noir, goes well with curry...or a beer I do love a good macaroni cheese, ( Mac'n'cheese) did one yesterday . Theres a gazillion versions of it. Got it down to a fine art now. Mine has bacon, cracked pepper,a sprinkling of Parmesan, nutmeg( or ' all spice'), in the cheese sauce, enhances the flavour. And with bread crumbs, lashings of grated cheese, bacon , and csabai ( spiced pizza meat) or Danish salami on the top ( optional) . The bread crumbs go on first followed by the other toppings. The bread crumbs gives it a nice cheesy crust as it all melts together . HS

Just looks like a (bovine) chrome tan leather with a milled grain.

Great minds really do think alike @SpiderPunk Is it going to be dyed ? Perhaps the dye will hide the marks? Thats quite an undertaking , look forward to seeing the end result. HS

thats quite a sight Just had a nice roast lamb, with an assortment of home grown herbs, crispy roast potato's , I used duck fat, makes em crispy on high heat , vegies, and gravy, I put the juices from the meat into the gravy, always do , and washed down with a nice cab sav ..and later, I'll be indulging in a few scones with jam & cream ......and right now , I'm enjoying a little tipple of whisky ....so there !! Life is sweet The brookies still look tasty @chuck123wapati Who needs restaurants when we have Mother Nature ? I can't remember the last time I actually sat in a restaurant, so long ago. With an ex ...I think HS

The ol' Fordson nearly finished , yey, just a few more bits 'n' bobs to do before I can start it, but very close. . Pics later. Thought I would treat it to a new set of plugs...no chance . I'll just have to give the oldies a good clean up, a bit rare they are . The newies were still available in Oz ...perhaps 10-15years go, (cos we bought some) not now they're not. Hope you got your transmission all fitted up & working again. Theres this sense of achievment when you pull something apart, put it back together, ....and make it go again,especially if its old....and I'm not even a mechanic, just mechanically minded .... and of course, the celebratory beer at the end And, finally catching up with a few jobs around the paddock , pruning over grown trees, cutting up fallen limbs etc. , Good for fire wood. Both the chain saws have been working hard lately , I ache a bit now . HS

Man, thats so delicious !!!! And the beer, yep I second that . That metal grill looks like the shelf from a fridge or an oven. Works perfect I did that when I did some satay chicken skewers a while back . One of Mums old baking tins, hot coals, and the shelf from an old fridge, it worked ! Turned out great . HS

Thats what I do on long runs, and go back a few stitches with the new thread, simple Once finished, I gently burn the ends of the thread, go over the stitches with a spacing/ stitching wheel. You can barely see where the join is. HS

Looks identical to my Seiko STW 28 B ,but a single needle, and same size fly wheel , ...and reverse I wouldn't mind that machine myself. You can't get piping feet for the twin needle machine. Good find that. HS

Thanks for that I just hope it helps, especially those that are just starting out. I've seen so many 'newbies' getting it so wrong, some just give up out of frustration.. Its just good manners for me to help them, rather than watch them struggle with their gazebos. A practice run the day before is good idea. I should also have mentioned, check for power and accessibility as @PastorBob pointed out,. Some venues charge extra for power. While most vendors take cash, a lot of marketeers these days now have wireless/ portable EFTPOS systems . I have a Square Reader, with a separate mobile phone. I take a back up battery , its a hand held jump starter, that can be used for starting cars etc. It has jump leads, different adapters for different devices, and USB ports , and its no bigger than a small lunch box. I'm in the habit of charging everything the night before . The wireless signals in some regional areas ( Western Australia), is sometimes lacking, so depending on the event, some organisers get a ' booster tower' . As for cash, get a float, have so many notes, coins etc. on stand-by for giving change. Theres nothing so annoying as customer giving you a $100 bill ...or the stall holder next door that keeps asking if you can change a fifty . That can be annoying . O'h, and keep your cash float & EFTPOS devices out of sight .Common sense really. I keep everything in my shoulder bag. Some stall holders have lost their entire days' takings , because they got a bit complacent. HS

I hope this is in the right spot. Couldn't see the subject anywhere else. Attending regular markets is a great way to get yourself known and to sell your products, as I have done for the past 17 years. Its also great for those that are just starting out, its an alternative to selling on-line. Some may even combine the two concepts and do both. But I soon learnt from my mistakes, what works , and what doesn't , and it does take a while to learn which ones are viable . There was no such thing as social media , so lot of my time was trial & error...and asking a lot of questions. In the early days starting out, I made a rookie mistake, I bought a cheap flimsy 3x3 gazebo from a hardware chain...its was crap . It folded like a piece of paper after a bit of a strong breeze. The second one was OK for a while , stronger, but not water proof. I then invested in a good quality reputable brand water proof gazebo, and popular with most marketeers , which is what I 'm still using today. Easy to get replacement parts & accessories for too. In Australia , its pretty much compulsory to have public liability insurance at nearly all events, especially outdoor events, very few that don't have it . I've lost count the amount of gazebos that have literally blown away because the vendor hasn't secured their gazebo properly, or at all, nearly taking out a few patrons as a result, and potentially damaging the stall & their stock next door. . Thats a massive insurance red flag, and a big no no !!! All organisers stipulate that all stall holders must have public liability insurance. They may also stipulate that your stall has to be secured. Some let you pay a bit extra and go on their insurance, but its best to have your own. But its also up to the organiser to decide whether to cancel or not due to bad weather , and up to the vendor to decide whether to attend or not . If in doubt, don't go !!! Its not worth the risk , injury, or your pubic liability insurance. I'd rather lose my stall fee & sales, than potentially cause injury, and damage my stock !! So, you decided to attend your first market? A few simple basics, from my own experiences & mistakes. do some prior basic market research, check & chat with the organiser, and chat with other vendors get a 'feel' for the venue, get feedback, check fees, schedules , conveniences , viability, set up times, set down times, stall locations, vendor parking etc. What equipment are they using? You may hear of other events, etc. Public liability insurance is a must( Australia) Get a good strong quality brand gazebo, with sides ( optional) and any other accessories to keep unwanted prying eyes out & added security and Mother Nature, and good strong tables and somewhere to sit Weights : get more than you need. Some venues allow you to keep your vehicle near the stall, use that as a weight as well . Metal pegs can also be used on grass venues. Also weights and/or clamps to keep any spinners, displays etc. from toppling over in a breeze, and potentially causing injury. Food & drink: you can buy food & drink at the venues which eats into your profits real quick ( pardon the pun), or, take your own. I take a portable gas stove and a billy ( bush kettle), water, coffee or soup, and sandwiches. You're there to make money , not spend it . While we can't control Mother Nature, we can take some simple steps to make markets so much nicer and to not ruin your day. Happy Marketing HS

Hear Hear !! ' Australia Pigeon Post' I ordered a large amount of stock from Pennsylvania quite a long time ago , it arrived within 7 days. That was a record. Takes 2 weeks to get stuff from NSW. HS

Thats handy to know. But what about exchange rate ? its not very healthy atm, it keeps hovering around the high 60's and low 70's . Theres a heap of stuff I want get from the US , but the Oz $$ is so low, making it a bit unviable. HS

I started in my Mothers small sewing room ..it was pretty packed out with materials etc...and then my leather 'stuff' .I couldn't get in because she was sewing, and vice versa. Something had to give . A 20 x 20 workshop. But now thats too small now. When messing around with cars in an earlier life, I used to rebuild carbys and other car parts on the dining table...until it was dinner time....damn it, now I have to shift everything.So I guess I'm guilty for using various parts of the house and furniture for doing 'stuff'...other than its intended purpose HS

One of my ' frustrations' yesterday was with a telephone company, it was unresolved...until a few moments ago on the phone, again. They're going to refund me a $1000 bucks woo hoo !! Home made soup for lunch, using left over Chirstmas turkey, and a Guinness casserole and dumplings for din dins Life is sweet. HS

"....but wait theres more".. After a trying frustrating day in Perth today , ......I went to my fave bottle shop ( liquor store to you) on the way home back to the bush , I treated myself to a few bottles of ' Bombardier ' English Ale' to cheer myself up. Wheres theres good food, theres good drink, in moderation of course Nice traditional bold english ale flavour. HS

I second that friend. I've been on a ' prune-a-thon' on neglected over grown trees & rose bushes lately , with so much more to do. Also , just made a bit more progress on my ol' 51 Fordson Major tractor thats been sitting idle since Oct. last year, water pump. It has sentimental value, so its important for me to get it finished. I bought a ' Grey Fergie' ( TEA 20) to get stuff done in the meantime. @Frodo Those pics are awesome. Roses are in fact one of my fave flowers to carve in leather, that and Oak leaves & acorns. Thats a great idea about hot peppers. The butter makes good sense . I have seen these " Roger Ramjets" eating some arse burning & gut burning chilli's , and cream or butter is ideal for taking the 'sting' out. Not so sure about the "bit" down below though ? What goes in....... ouch !!! Ice cube suppositories ? God bless Johnny Cash HS

I have tried stuffed peppers, (capsicums here) . The bloke that cooked them was Bulgarian....I think....or was he Romanian...?.. ... but anyway... but they were delish. Meat was lightly spiced. Left overs totally rock \../ ...especially curries. They ' mature ' a bit. Thats just perfect...my kind of weather . I don't mind the hot stuff... but to a point. HS

So I guess your part of the universe is warming up now. We're experiencing the opposite. Chilly nights. Perfect camping weather...for me anyway . I wish. And perfect for open fire cooking . I have a nice brazier that I love to cook on , its tiny, but I love it. . Theres something about cooking meat on a wood fired BBQ or coals, against a gassy . Totally different flavour. I keep meaning to do a spatchcock chicken on my little brazier. If time lets me, thy will be done. I'll have to brush the dust off my lil' ol' spit soon too. We still have some left over Christmas ham in the freezer...sure to make an appearance again soon for soups. YES !!!

When I cut my belt loops, ( quite often belt off-cuts or scraps) I cut them using an ' English point strap end cutter' on both ends, instead of cut straight. The loop is attached the same as what you have done in the pic, but stitched in the ' V' , and then stitched across, the same as what @tsunkasapa has done on his loop. And, depending on the item, a sheath for example , the loop is a one piece . Also, for pouches such as leatherman type cases etc. I try not to attach the loop too low , otherwise the top of the case will sit too high for the customer*. Hope that made sense ? (*Some customers, and stockmen, like the loop length ways, horizontal ) HS

Depending on the item to be sealed. Either ' seal 'n' shine' on my regular belts, pouches etc. or NFO on the heavier belts items. HS

Another option, when I make loops, I cut them the same as I would with a belt tip cutter, just makes them a bit neater. Mine are either machine stitched or hand stitched top & bottom . With rivets, they will 'tarnish' over time, and may cause staining on clothing? HS

I've never made one myself. Might check this vid out myself. Hope it helps . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCxUzW0PKfk HS