Handstitched

One piece of VT leather I was given was so stiff it could double as a card table . Too good to throw out, I made a handbag out of it. I oiled it, bent it worked it etc etc . Then I carved a pattern onto it. Although I had to belt the living daylights out of my tools, I Laced it etc. Looked quite good once I finished. So, as a bit of a joke , I put it in our local country show. Blow me over, I got the 'Blue Ribbon' Best in Section' I sold it within a week, HA !!! So if that is possible....?? HS

Wouldn't it just be easier to get a machine that does all those things? just sayin' HS

That looks familiar. My machine is also ( originally) a twin needle. So just wondering if a bobbin case from a Seiko will fit as well? HS

Burnt leather smells horrific Reading this thread, its has inspired me to change tact. With the scraps , I've been making little key rings( or dingle dangles) that some like to hang off a bag, zipper tag etc. , using small wad punches around 20 -25 mm. Quickly & simply stamped,Dyed assorted colours I sell them for a just $2 ea . Sold quite a few. Small key rings are cheap by the 100 . But I've decided to make them random shapes. Not everything has to be nice neat and round. An old ' Ye Old English' saying " theres brass in muck " HS

For us here in West Oz, we've had the complete opposite . For the last two weeks + we've had 40 - 45C ( around 112 F) higher in some places. Its been relentless. Too damn hot in my workshop, around 38C , even with fans on. And just last week, ...the power went off on Tuesday due to a summer storm . The power finally came back on late Wednesday arvo . Thank God for our generator that kept our fans going and our fridge & freezer. Its been a political sh**t storm , pardon the pun. Wanna swap?? HS

Looks like a cheese dip I once had Although I wouldn't want to eat it. HS

Theres been so many helpful ideas, but yep , but here in Oz, we call it ' grease proof' paper, different names for the same thing. Works a treat HS

Nice neat and tidy, and yes, that colour really stands out HS

We're also here to help 'The impossible we can do, miracles take a little longer' . Not sure where I heard that. Thats the one thing that working with leather has taught me, patience . Its been quite a long time since I threw something across my workshop HS

Thats a great idea , I like that I'll have to show my woolly leather creation. I thought the Joe 90 carrier was a good guess though, lol . You have to be of my " vintage" to know who that is. HS

There are times where the "simplest" of jobs often take the longest to do . We don't make mistakes , we create new ways of learning HS

Its to carry your own personal ' Joe 90' character in ? Think about that now HS

That looks quite good I wouldn't mind getting one myself, mainly for the historical aspect or for historical display . I have a collection of old ' stuff ' on display in my workshop. HS

One technique I used on fabric linings, I sprayed the other side with a few coats of matt sealer, as used for sealing drawings. It will go a bit stiff to begin with, let dry, , but then I was able to put ( brush on) contact adhesive on the fabric without the bleed through. might work better with a spray adhesive. Just a thought. But first test to be safe . HS

For me , a lot of guess work was involved, measuring, cutting, adjusting, shaping, marking stitch lines by hand etc. ...repeat. . I have learnt that what works on paper or a cardboard template, turns out to be different when used on leather. Just when I thought I had everything right, measurements etc. , nothing fitted the way it should have. I used a length of PVC drain pipe for the shape. Not sure if this is of any use to you. That link never opened. HS

Yep tis' that Looks like a drop feed, not walking foot , no reverse that I can see. Light to medium work, upholstery etc. # 69 thread , and perhaps a #40 HS

Great looking work You've also reminded me to get cracking and make some for stock . HS

I made one of these years ago for a truckie . Just thought I'd revisit the pattern . Getting everything to fit right was a challenge. Leather is just a 3mm VT , Ken Griffin pattern , on the body and lid, 1.2mm vt on the bottom. Theres a few things I could have done better ( I'm sure we all say that when we make stuff) . The lip of the lid could have been deeper,but I also had to make sure I didn't cover the pattern, and perhaps the pattern didn't have to be so wide. And I didn't have the clasp I wanted, so I use what I had. But, in saying all that I like it, and I'll learn for next time. HS

I have used Buffalo hide before. But what type of Buffalo I can't be sure ( I still have some left) . It was ' on special' on a suppliers web site. What I ended up with was good, around 5mm thick but it was waxy on the grain side, black chrome tanned . It made nice belts etc. But I soon realised why it was so cheap. When I made a belt or a dog collar, the black kept coming out...onto a customers dog All the sealers I have didn't work. I ended up using a water based ( wood) varnish to seal it as "NeatLac " was no longer available, and the equivalent to was too cost restrictive in freight from the east. ( can't be air freighted ) . HS

' Thor & Zeus got together for a one night stand. Thor gets up in the morning proclaiming his sexual ' prowess' . " I-am-Thor !! " " You're thor !! How do you think how I feel ?? " replied Zeus HS (C'mon @Northmount your turn, you started this )

' A nun in a convent that has taken up a vow of silence, is given dispensation by the Mother Superior every Christmas to speak a few words. " Sister, have you anything to say? says Mother Superior . '"Yes, my one of my sandals has broken , I'd like a new one. Another year passes " Have you anything to say?" " Yes, the nights have grown colder, I'd like an extra blanket please " Another year passes, " have you anything to say? " yes, my robe is getting thin...." " Sister!! says Mother Superior, in the past three years, have you got anything better to say , because all you've done is whinge , whinge , whinge !! " HS

A piece of of history went up in smoke in ' Elizabeth NJ' " ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Over 100 firefighters battled a blaze Friday at a New Jersey industrial park that was home to the Singer Sewing Machine factory for more than a century." https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/new-jersey-firefighters-battle-4-alarm-blaze-former-106131415 Thankfully no-one was in the building HS

' A bloke goes into a pub, sits down at the bar and orders a pint. ' Would you like anything to eat?' says the barman. The bloke looks at the menu and says , yes I'll have the ploughmans lunch please' . Here you are sir. A voice yells out , in a Somerset accent,, " 'ere , who too took moi lunch ?? ' HS

Just search for shoe polish recipes , or ' how shoe polish was made' . Just don't go for ' Mrs Beetons' shoe polish, it will most likely kill you as it contains sulfuric acid. HS

Will do The ones I saw quite a while ago , the wood was a mess almost completely rotten in some places. . It was case of ' head v's heart v's bank account ' Some more will come up one day no doubt. HS