Handstitched

Albob, I'm guessing that your aim is getting better with your coffee cups ? Besides, coffee cups are cheaper than cans / stubbies of iced cold beer Its no consolation , but " yep .....been there, done that " . I've made the devil blush a few times You have a ' bargain bin ' too eh ? Mine is actually an old basket full of ' mistooks' , shop soiled stuff , and and stuff that I've made that is .....well....... crap But, people seem to buy it . HS

G'Day chrisash, One suggestion, you could just simply try doing what I did, do some simple market research in your town / local community I looked around my town and thought, " what does this town need that it hasn't got ? " , with a horsey theme in mind. I also asked some horse owners in my local community . ( my town has approx. 1700 people) , 'who does this,who does that? where do you get that done? ' ...and so on. I soon got my answers. I also like to be a equine retailer in the future, but thats another story. It might give you some ideas ? HS

Thats interesting to know about pricing there. My customers drop off & pick up their rugs as I'm only about 10 mins from town . I can pick up & deliver locally if they need me to, but to another town is extra. The least I charge is $10 for a simple minor repair, and it goes up from there. The ones in the pics were around $60 - $80. Most of my customers give me 2,3, 4 rugs...or more to repair . During Summer & Winter, I can earn quite a few dollars as they come in thick & fast . HS

G'Day chrisash , Apart from various types of leatherwork , I also I do an assortment of leather repairs bridle repairs, stirrup strap repairs , alterations etc . , as well as an assortment of repairs & alterations to canvas , tie down straps, shade sails etc. In the early days, being the only leather worker in town, it didn't take long for the word to get around on the bush telegraph. In my small country town , there was no-one that did any of this locally. So I got all of the work. With a bit of basic market research I asked a lot of the horse owners " who does your horse rug repairs ?" Quite often the answer would be " I dunno" or " they get sent to Perth" , some hours away. So an opportunity came up. Long story short, an industrial machine came my way. I started doing rug repairs. Check the link. I do all my horse rug repairs on this machine, both clean ....and dirty. Yes, some rugs are filthy dirty when I get them , and I quite often smell like a horses butt when I've finished. Some would not receive them like this, but, ...as I am the only one that does this, and as I have a good rapport with locals and well known in town, its difficult to refuse both work ...and much needed income. There are no washing facilities anywhere, but some clients do try to clean them. This machine is serviced regularly, cleaned and liberally oiled frequently because of this. http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/81806-sewing-machine-reliability/?tab=comments#comment-548958 This machine has earnt me quite a few extra dollar over the years, and sure helps when the leather works goes a bit quiet. Perhaps one day, I'll be able to provide washing facilities as well. The market demands & circumstances where you live may be a lot different. But good luck with whatever you decide to do Hope this helps HS

Thankfully, it never got that far " New swear words will also be invented and tools flung if one....." .....forgets to fit a vital piece of hardware before gluing and stitching and assembling ...but thats another story for another thread . HS

Yes, just slightly to the right of the 'thread slot' , almost obscured . You can just see the tensioner 'passing' over the slot . But be gentle with it, its just a tiny little screw. I adjusted it using one of those ' precision' screw drivers. I only needed the slightest turn clockwise , and thats all it took for my old Seiko to work just nicely. I did that many years ago when I first got the machine , and thats how its stayed ever since., .It took me an hour of swearing and throwing tools across my workshop to learn about that "tiny little screw" Feel free to ask any of us questions, as I know how ' hair pullingly * ' frustrating some machines can be. * ' hair pullingly ' << new expression I've just made up Hope this helps , HS

I thinks its about time someone invented ' smell-net / taste-net ' , ' inter-smell' or an app where we can smell & taste produce That bread would have gone well with my lasagna and red wine tonight . as for the stamp bounce, we can't perfect all the time eh? It looks quite good otherwise. Ya man HS

What Brmax said This is off topic I know, but I still have all the components to put it back to twin needle, but I've never had the need to. HS

I have 4 machines , all in use , 5 if i include the old domestic Necchi Supernova ( not used much) yeh, I heard that, those machines were mostly part machines as he mentioned . But what a collection eh ?? HS

G'Day and thank you for your responses, ByNelson , I do appreciate the differences in market demand. These old bags get snapped up real quick here. But I hope you're able to restore maybe at least one of them and love to see what you'll do with the one you've cut up . The old leather has a lovely natural aged colour. There maybe enough leather for a nice purse , wallet or a clutch bag just looking at your pic. HS

That bag has ' restoration ' written all over it Ditto to the above. A good dose of oil, even re-colour it if need be to hide any scratches, discolouration etc. . But to cut it, and the others up for something else ? Nup Restore. heres a pic of a bag I restored and sold. HS

This project is getting closer. Had a good look on Mr Google, and Mrs Youtube . I may end up doing two . One to ' practice' and the other as a project. I would have made one made by now if it wasn't for the ' interruptions' I've had these past few months or more . Love the " Frankencow" hat What a great way to use up scraps HS

G'day, So many people come to my workshop or stall , walk in , and say " *sniiiffff* " mmmmmm I love the smell of leather" I can't smell it at all , with the exception of first thing in the morning when I open my workshop door. But after about 1/2 hour or less, it smells ' normal'. I get used to it. But my cuppa-soup & toast at lunch seems to cut through it quite well though I used to make fibreglass pools in another life, thats another story, but I soon became impervious to that smell HS

BM, I know what you mean about the speed , the old Seiko can be a bit fast at times, so I've learnt to 'feather' it or even turn it by hand, mainly around corners. I've just become so used to it now. But the fast speed has come in handy too as I have also done shade sails, shade cloths etc. HS

Nice warm rich colour and beautifully contrasted with the yellow thread. we all make projects that are sometimes too nice to use, ...like this one HS

G'Day I like it too and the thick thread, sorry chrisash. Nice image of the maker too.....in the guitar HS

G'Day Mark, The head part is a separate piece. They are in fact the ' oval' pieces, made by the supplier, used for making Cane Toad belt buckles, but without the metal mount. With a bit of a trim of the buckle piece , and a small hole cut in the front , it was then glued & sewn in. As the tanning process dries out the eyes, they are replaced with plastic ' goggle ' eyes. @Rockoboy later when I get some more skins, I will do a ' local beer' with Cane Toad skins HS

Pretty good for a first timer I started with absolutely no knowledge of leather craft whatsoever , the yellow pages, a handful of cheap second hand tools from one of only two leather craft shops in Perth, 3 hrs drive from me, I then later progressed to a basic seven piece set...and some boot polish . That was it, I was hooked. ' Health warning: Leather craft is addictive and may cause frequent & sudden bursts of creativity ' HS

G'day and welcome from ' across the ditch' Since you're in NZ and looking for tools : http://www.kellymidasclassics.co.nz/about_noel_kelly.php I only have a handful of these ( the ridgy didgy's ) , but about 8 sets of the Boss Buttons. Look forward to seeing your work HS

G'Day, Very nicely done indeed.That colour is stunning. So you call them ' growlers' ? Insteresting . we have stubby holders, or ' coldy holders'. I made a belt & a gimble for a professional fisherman some years ago, and apart from pouches for his knives, pliers etc.he also wanted a stubby holder with a belt loop. Well done, HS

G'day, The Ostrich leather looks so nice, lovely colour and texture . The braided thread will last ....for ever , that stuff is so strong. Well done HS

G'Day , thank you for your replies, glad you like them , Cane Toads ( Bufo Marinus ) were introduced into Queensland Australia back in the 1930's to combat the Cane Beetle that was affecting the sugar cane industry, and like all introduced species, they got out of control ....then they went nuts . Today, they are numbered in their hundreds of millions and are a feral pest from Queensland to the top end of Western Australia . Their toxic secretions can be deadly to natural fauna . Leatherworkers like me , love them . Theres no end to what can be made . Sizes vary , from 6" + up to 9" 10" and up, but the month long tanning process makes them ex$y . Assorted colours too. They can't be eaten, although some have tried, but only the back legs ...apparently . I'll stick to the lamb shanks I just had about an hour ago thanks No , not really rodney, just very fiddly . Each skin is different, their textures vary , so its matter of matching each skin, or piece according to the variations in colour and texture etc. and then gluing each piece to a backing. Once that is done, I sewed them to the backing...piece by piece. I used the Seiko for the more fiddly bits on the VB one , (even turning it by hand on some bits) , and then 'Brutus' ( saddle machine) for the main parts. I put a thin piece of lining leather just behind the logo to help it to sit flat , and to make it easier for the foam insert to slide in a bit easier. Toad skins are thin, however the area around the glands,( the two ' lumps' seen on the VB one) , can be a bit tough for a domestic machine needle. I used a piece of 2mm veg tan under the skins, making it ' chunky' , but quite robust. HS

G'Day, Made these this week. I have made these with heads before , but not with a beer logo. The one on the right , with toad head, has six 6" Cane Toad skins, & using off cuts / scraps for the straps at the back , and 2mm veg tan underneath , ' form work ' . The one on the left , ' VB ' is made up of scraps around the hole for the logo and arranged in some sort of pattern , and two 6 " skins to complete the rest on either side of the hole, as can be seen in the last pic. They are very fiddly , like putting together a jigsaw puzzle , but making all the pieces myself, but I'm really happy with the end result HS

G'day, Thank you Aven . Theres still a few things I like to do to the outside, mainly just ' pretty it up' and maybe give it a more " western look " , with a few ' horsey' & western bits & pieces , some signage , and some colourful potted plants . I want it to look presentable to my customers . I'll get there eventually. G'Day Rockoboy , yes, its insulated. Just go back and have a look on page two, I've put together a ' montage' of pics of my workshop. In one of them you can see the insulation on the walls & roof. It has made a difference. I have a kero heater ( which you can also see) , so with that and the insulation combined , its quite cozy . The air cond for summer is on the cards. I have two fans, but in 45- 50 deg heat on occasion, they just don't cut it, even with insulation BM, have you had a chance to have a play with your Consew machine yet? HS

G'day, Yes, Shelton Reynolds are still in business https://www.sheltonreynolds.com/ Also, I found this : https://www.industrialwebbing.com/velcro-brand-sew-on-tape/ I think they're in Florida? I have sewn velcro onto rubber bell boots, but just using velcro I got from a haberdashery supplier , worked just fine, but sewing rubber , was a bit...weird (?) I also repair horse rugs , I hear you about the dirt sand etc. I have sewn some pretty filthy rugs, but I also clean, service and oil my machine frequently. Hope this helps HS