Handstitched

The young chap is a little young to run a butcher shop ...just kidding I feel your craving, I've looked everywhere for them . Nothing comes close. Now to make our cravings worse: bacon steaks cooked over hot coals, with fresh eggs, a few sausages, and black pudding ( aka blood pudding, or blood sausage....Scottish recipe) , and fresh hot damper ( Aussie bush bread ) , and perhaps a beer . Sorry HS

I always over order these days. I once only used to buy a ' few of these, and a couple of those' etc. But now I find I'm ordering stuff in bulk, buckles , rivets in the 1000's etc. Its a case of rather having too much than not enough . Nothing more frustrating than having one piece of h/ware, or some dye short for a customer order. . I also buy stuff that , at the time , I don't really need, or I don't think I need , but I buy it anyway, it may come in handy later. Some excess stock can be sold on at markets etc. You'd be surprised what people ask for sometimes. So, no you're not an idiot HS

Thats largely down to 'some' parents, they can be just as annoying as the kids. Hope they were sanitised ? Ha !! . On some items that haven't sold, I have marked some prices to make them "look" like they've been reduced. For eg. If an item is say, $50 , I'll alter the price tag and put "was $70" . A bit sneeky , but it has shifted some old stock. HS

@Frodo I've tried looking for those bacon steaks........no chance .I may have to go to some ' boutique' butcher . While on the subject of food, after Christmas, when the turkey & ham have done their dash, both the carcass & bones are frozen for Winter and then used for some really hearty & tasty soups. Yummo HS

@Spyros The only time I offer a discount is when a customer buys ' um , one of those, this...this...that, ...aaaand... a few key rings ' . I'll calculate the total, and perhaps round it down a few bucks . Or a kid with their pocket money may only have say for eg. , $4.50 for a $5 key ring, I'll let them have it for $4.50 . HS

perhaps make a nice bag with a piece of hair on skin as a feature, a throw rug , make a whole hair on bag ? A display on the back of the settee? Wrap it around yourself and pretend you're a Viking? Thats just silly... HS

I would like that same option for people that try no knock my price down . They must think if they can do that at a 'quaint little market run by some poor soul trying feed their family' on an o/s holiday, they can do the same to me......o'h no they can't HS

Here in Oz, we have ' Triple J ' , no commercials , just good music to suit all genres , from shoe gaze, rap, hip hop , sunny twangy guitars, to death metal and so on.. Lots of new & local material . New artists and musicians can go on ' Unearthed' so they can upload & 'strut their stuff' on the airwaves . They also have ' Live At The Wireless' live bands & artists playing in the studio. I kinda compare it to the late John Peel . The Peel Sessions , remember them? HS

I had two pints of Guiness for St Paddy's Day. I'm not Irish....but what the heck . Actually my ' ye olde' ancestry is Welsh..... I think. Which may explain why I eat leeks a lot ...??.. Just a giant spring onion really. I don't know a single word in Welsh, except ' Cymru' ( Wales) . It helps to have a gob full of snot to say it. The Guiness was yum btw HS

I price everything, customers like to see prices,( regardless of laws) and so do I when I shop . They can make a choice. I have swing tags on my belts, and on my stubby holders , knife cases etc. , but I put price tags inside purses , because the one thing people do when they pick up a purse...they open them ( but rarely close them) , and prices are on small signs for various other items. @Spyros from the NSW 'Fair Trading' web page: ' Under Australian Consumer Law, businesses must display clear and accurate prices. ' So, they could well be breaking the law . HS

The only name that comes to mind...in Melbourne...is Lefflers ? Yeh, I too tried to order stuff from them . I gave up trading with them years ago. The only leather suppliers I deal with now is Birdsalls, Mac-lace leather, Packers , Adelaide leather and NSW leather co. agent in Perth . HS

I saw " shrinkage" , and thought, ' yeh that happens as you get old'. I don't think I've had that issue with leather shrinking. But like you said, it depends on what is being made . If anything , I have noticed a slight increase after tooling. Its like tenderising a piece of meat . HS

Thank you my friend. We all need to let off some steam now and then , but its good to do it with friends that also feel so many frustrations I couldn't agree more. If I die, I would love to die naked covered in dark chocolate , cover my bod....o'h ....wait..?.... Damn my subconscious .... @chuck123wapati yeh, I hear ya. I bought some trophy type buckles some years back...they were crap, very tinnie, cheaply made. In the end I just sold them cheaply ( and was honest with those buying them) as it was financially unviable to send them back . Never went back to that company again. Lesson learnt. Peace HS

Each and every time I use my Juki 441 clone, I think of 'that time' and keep my fingers well away from the business end of the machine. Just imagine putting one of those needles through your finger ? The one on the left is the Pfaff 60 needle, the one on the right is the 441 clone needle . Ouch !

I try to remake leather pieces if badly damaged, rotten etc. but I hand stitch and I also match the colour the best I can . The leather often breaks right where the buckle heel and pin sits , whether its cheek straps, reins , bridle/halter components etc. For me, it has to be a good job as a lot of my customers are associated with equine clubs . It has to pass whats called ' gear check' ( safety check) in some clubs. HS

Thanks for your replies good peeps. There are many times we get attacked by the ' fed up & p***d off ' virus, so its good to just vent . @Spyros & @Tugadude A lot of my hides come from Italy . I'm just going to stock up while I can atm, as we don't know what will happen with freight, cost etc. in the future. I may have increase my prices to compensate . Our 'lil ol' hick of a town only has approx 1700 people...no bank, that closed down Nov. last year and nowhere to park right now due to the redevelopment . The journey just to collect the mail each day has doubled ( no mail boxes where I am) . The foot paths are all over the place, so its a bit like 'bush walking' to the post office each day. Feel sorry for the elderly & the disabled . Businesses are suffering as a result . I really can't see the point of it all. They should have left it the way it was....people were happy , not any more they're not. And , our 'lil 'ol hick of a town now has no mobile phone service . Its been down since yesterday , and the townsfolk are p***d off !!! That would be classed as seconds here. I guess it would be too costly to send it back . Feel free to vent some more HS

Not sure where to put this rant. Today I ventured out to the 'big smoke' for the first time in about 8 months + to get some leather . I've been avoiding heavily populated areas because of COVID . My supplier is over 2hrs away in Perth WA , they're also an agent for NSW Leather Co. . While I did phone ahead, and they are very helpful, didn't have everything I needed, except the few hides I regularly use , just enough to tie me over., so I grabbed whatever I could. I could have it couriered out, but I like to see what I'm buying. The remainder of my order is at least 1 month away as a result of massive floods in the east, one of the main rail lines connecting the east with west got washed out and has only just opened, and on top of that, we're still dealing with COVID. Operators can't work if they have COVID....putting all freight services under pressure, causing all sorts of issues. Shop shelves are nearly empty . Our state 'gubment' even changed trucks rules to allow triples into supply yards etc. to catch up. On top of this, thanks to Poo Tin 's war, the price of fuel has gone through the roof. 'But wait theres more', as they say in the ads ..... Many events, markets , fairs etc. have largely been cancelled...and ........my local regional town council decided to "redevelop" the main street ...and the carpark where I hold my regular stall, and what a major f** up its been. .......... Thats me out after 12 loyal years, with no guarantee of a return, thanks a bunch I'm working solely from home now , may as well be in lockdown . Dam it, time for some chocolate!!! **sigh** Sure hope things are a bit easier for you where ever you are ? HS

I have this sign on my stall: "We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.” HS

Hear hear !! I am so glad I found this forum many years ago , the members on here have helped so much and so many others . I've learnt so much , and it saved me a lot of time and money, and a lot of hair pulling frustrations . And , its still works on older computers like mine. HS

Thats my machine woo hoo !! They're not ' extra heavy duty' . But I do sew thin leathers on it using a #40 thread & Gutterman upholstery thread and a Schmetz leather needle , for wallets etc and small fiddly bits 'n' pieces. I have also sewn 2-2.5mm soft leather on it* . I have a full set of accessories and an orig. manual. And like all early domestics , they are pretty heavy but so simple to maintain. (* The thickest " material" it once sewed , was my Mothers finger, yep, the needle went straight through . I felt the pain as much as she did. Pulling it out with pliers ain't pretty, made me feel sick , hope you're not eating? . ) HS

Rrrrrrright you two !! stop it. Making me salivate.....geez !!! Yep, I second that !!! Every Christmas, Mum makes homemade piccalilli, a ye olde pommy ( engilsh) delicacy , and theres always a few jars left over after Christmas ....maturing in the cupboard . Goes so well with leg ham, cold beef or pork left overs, cheese, and another pommy fave, pork pies ...or on its own . Its choccas full of turmeric, so keep it away from clothing and formica/laminated kitchen benches unless you intend changing the colour...to yellow . Might even be good as a dye?? hmmmm? The taste from cooking on coals and open fires is phenomenal . That can't be replicated in an oven or a fry pan. HS

@Frodo What started out as a discussion about McSlops, turned into sharing food faves and something rather damn tasty .Sorry @chrisash . Perhaps the mods could start a food/recipe section , us leather workers work up quite an appetite and we gotta eat. I tried looking for bacon steaks here in Oz......no chance . I'll keep looking . The trout does look good though eh. Just needs a bit of fresh lemon juice. So thats what Chuck really looks like?? HS

Is that also called ' Craw Fish' ? . We have something that looks very similar. ' Yabbies' ( theres Jilgies & ' Koonacs' ) . The only differences were the claws at the front. Jilgies were a childhood fave in the creeks etc. *jilgies ,( pronounced Joogies ) Looks so damn tasty , and the corn ....etc I envy that Chuck . **break out the violins** I used to go bush quite a bit in the early days, catching food etc. . But working 7 days a week and, these days, looking after 2 elderly parents soon put a stop to that . But I do know how to do a nice BBQ roast, one saving grace But it made me laugh when I saw people in the bush take absolutely everything ...including the proverbial ' kitchen sink', like they were moving house . To me , thats not 'getting away from it all'...thats taking it with you. I traveled light, I only took what I needed, just the very bare essentials . Bacon steaks ??? Holy crap, they look so good. The closest we can get ( if we can find them) is ham steaks...not the same. Cooking on an open fire and coals totally rocks Now I'm hungry ... HS

I learnt something from 'Elmo' when he made an appearance on Oz TV some years ago . He said the ' Wasabi' is a " sometimes food" . ( never had it, but it packs a punch (?) ) . But the expression 'sometimes food ' has stuck . And junk food is a 'sometimes food' < spoken in Elmo's voice Nothing beats a nice home cooked roast IMO . HS

Forgive me Chuck for I have sinned. When I was medically lazy and couldn't be f***ed cooking , , I went to McSlops and had a burger , a large chips...(sorry, fries) , and a coffee . Sorry I have paid for my sins, I can't see my ..? .....feet ..anymore Theres no ' junk food joints' , tuck shops or deli's where I live, thankfully . The nearest ' McSlops' is over an hour away. Just as well, a food sinner like myself could easily be tempted More seriously, its good to see large corporates doing their bit. Will it work ? perhaps not. One can only hope . HS