Handstitched

When it comes to tax time ( June 30 in Oz) , I just do an estimate of what I have . Theres no bloody way I'll be doing a stocktake every tax time. Theres full hides, half hides, scraps, you name it. And the endless assortment of hardware, templates, books and God knows what else ??? Imagine counting all that?? F**k that !!! The only thing I count is my H/D machine for depreciation . Basically, ' > this is what I've earnt, > this what I've spent ' > this is what my stock & materials are worth . My estimates have been quite good The last time someone tried to show me how to use 'excel' , I felt like throwing the computer screen across the room. HS

@Bert03241 beat me to it. Here in Oz , businesses have an ' ABN' ,'Australian Business Number' , and you can buy wholesale . But all depends how far you want to take this ? Theres heaps of info on this site regarding making money from your craft, keeping costs down etc.. HS

I quite like that I'd like to get myself a post bed, and one other, but I already have 4 machines and theres no space left. HS

This morning at our first market of the year, a customer, and his wife, came back to my stall with a belt they bought from me before Christmas. It was too small. Guess where they got the measurement? From an old belt .He thought he was a 35" ....he was in fact a 42" . So, he placed a order for one of the correct size, and I got HIM to put the tape measure around his waist, NOT over the belt he was wearing or phones, thick clothing etc. And it has to be comfortable, and it's not some kind of "abdominal restraint" ( a girdle) , and I politely instructed him not to use the measurement on his old belts and jean sizes. All good How many times has this topic come up? Over time, I too have become quite good a judging waist sizes just by looking at them HS

@Outfitr If time permits, and the client isn't in any hurry, I'd be making a whole new belt the correct size, and sell the shorter one to recoup your costs, and learn from the experience. I've done that rather than put a knife through all my hard work. Theres a lot of work in that , I just couldn't bring myself to cut it. I'd be very reluctant cut that lovely belt . HS

Sometimes the calipers, sometimes the groover, depends on the job. But for belts for eg. , the groover . HS

He was on point . And heres me thinking that working with leather was calming , therapeutic, teaches patience, fellowship etc. etc. " WTF am I doing so wrongggg ?????????? f*&king stoopid thing !!!!!" We've all been there a'hem HS

@AzShooter Yup, I...we , feel your frustration . Today I was lacing a m/c tank cover for a client. Nothing went right . The more frustrated I got, the worse the problem got. If it wasn't for a client, it would have been thrown across the workshop. So, I'll go back to it later. HS

As mentioned before , its not for everyone after reading all the info, but I'll stick to my own ( perhaps old fashioned way) way of doing things .Never intended to ' mass produce'. A bit off topic, sorry about that, , but the only Godsend for me is EFTPOS . ' Square ' . They have a multitude of tools that can be utilised to boost business. Never wanted it before as I was a ' cash only' operator ( bit of a technophobe) , but a friend got me into it, and now I rely on it. It was around 20 - 30% of my sales when I first started, but lately, its been 70-90% WOW !! I can thank covid for that, thats one positive I guess, (pardon the pun) . HS

Thanks for the info Nice wallets, but no way could I make 400 . I could make 4 at best in a week, in amongst all the other orders & stock I make. HS

Forgive the silly question, but what is ' Kickstarter' ? Sounds like a business support initiative, funding etc. ? HS

King Stingray-Get Me Out Stuck in my head now Aussie band, sung in native tongue and English. Check them out on ' YourInnerTube ' HS

That would make a nice restoration project. Love the foot pedal, " Made in Australia" HS

@garypl Don't be too disheartened . Still looks great. We've all had that sinking moment when we get to the end of a project only for something to go wrong . The expletives come thick 'n' fast. I once tried making an 'alteration' to a prize winning hand bag, but I completely screwed it right up , that ended up on the scrap heap. I too have have box under the bench where all the 'mistooks' end up. Some I re-visit, some just end up in the bin. @chuck123wapati I watched my good ol' Mum sew, knit etc as a kid, still does, taught me how to cook too . She made & repaired all our clothes on a Pfaff 60 , that I now have for light leathers. We owe a lot to our Mums HS

@RockyAussie Thats very handy to know. I've always wondered about that. I was so worried that if I backed off too much, it would fly off so fast and make a hole in my workshop roof. I got the pressure just right now anyway. My machine came from ' Qstitch' in QLD. They don't supply the clones anymore . HS

I agree . I think Uwe had one for sale a long time ago ?? HS

While it'll be a mission impossible, knowing who produced the leather in the first place would be a good place to start. It seems that it wasn't sealed properly during the manufacturing process. So dye appears on your hands as well ? That should never happen. HS

So the conduct of the judge is to be questioned? Amongst others. Lets hope the truth is revealed and theres justice for Mr Kotanko and his family. Peace

Thats very disturbing . It would be interesting to know what happened to the customer? HS

Racing Rats- The Editors Had issues with actual rats today , all sorted.

Trivial trivia: Borax kills rats. Had issues with rats invading chook pen recently . No luck before with other remedies, , but today success x 3 HS

The ladies love it I'm sure Make sure you use a conditioner. HS

Phew !! Thank goodness for that.

O'h for goodness sake !!!!!!!! Is this about a nice bag that the maker has made or the size of a bit of bloody paper ???? @imocow Its a lovely bag, I quite like it . I too have experimented with .. 'cough ahem'...... " bags with a similar dimension to paper", going by customer demand. Not too big or bulky . Looks like a one piece creation ?? . I have done two piece creations using kangaroo hide. Mostly 'one offs ' . Keep up the good work HS

@SheilaOrikawaAtelier G'Day from Australia, I saw the beer bottle top key rings you made on another thread, do you use an adhesive on the backs of those or any sealer to prevent scratching? I too re-use beer cans & bottle tops and incorporate them into leather. Thanks, HS