SamTexas

Clay, Talk to Chan Geer. He flies with his on a regular basis. Of course no knives, or sharp pointy things, etc, only your stamping tools. They fall under the maximum lengfth of tools ets, but Chan can give the low down. Being able to carry them on will somethines make or break the 50 pound limit on your luggage too. Sam Texas AKA - Dave Smith

Hi Short BBL I have a 10 x 10 room that is carpeted and even though I am a klutz, have never messed it up. I like the idea about the clip together flooring and will check that out too. One thing I do have a problem with is ventilation. If you are using glues or finishes with very strong vapors, be very careful with any open flame or close confinement. Being in Texas we don't have basements, but I know some of friends up north have their heating units in theirs. That can be a real danger in an enclosed space. Good luck, Sam Texas

Hi Johana, 'Ol Dave Smith here. Take a look at the Executive Director. Ernie stepped down a while back and Edd Lucas is now the Exec. Director. Also, when you click on my name, it has the wrong email. It should be lonestareditor2@sbcglobal.net Have a good weekend Thanks ~D~

All, You may have seen the responses in the original string about the results of George Hurst's surgery. Just in case you didn'ty here's the latest. He did have a triple bypass and he came through it with flying colors. They will be monitoring him for any complications for the next few days and making sure he's resting. Which many of you know, ain't like George. God has answered the many prayers that have been offered in his behalf, but don't stop now. He'll need our prayers daily as he works toward recovery and getting back up to speed. Jane, Keven and the rest of the family are exhausted but doing well. Remember them too. God bless you all, Dave Smith

Leather Crafters, You may have read another post about George Hurst and his heart cath this morning (3/16). The plan was to put in stints if the doctors thought it would help. I just talked to George's son Kevin. The blockage they found was significate so they have opted to do a triple by-pass and are preparing to do so as I type. Please keep the prayers going for George and his family. Thank you, Dave Smith

Hey there Justwakinup, Have you looked at your tracks in the sand lately? Well look over your shoulder. Looks to me like they have plenty of company from your leatherhead padners. I saw where one even offered to let you work out of his shop. We are all here to help and support you. Somethimes we don't realize how many people really care until we hit the bottom of the hole and then look up and see how many there are. I know what you are saying about only one set of footprints and no one is carrying you. But rest assured my friend, the one who is wanting to carry you is just waiting for you to ask. From my own experiences, many times I've looked up and said where are you, only to find out the He was alreqady working things out for me. Then only to find out that He really was carrying me and I didn't even realize it. Did things always turn out like I wanted them to? No. Did things always turn out to be the very best for my life? Yes they did, without exception. Was it easy? Not always. Is it something you have done to cause all this? No it's not. Bad things do happen to good people. When this storm has passed, and it will, you'll be able to use this experience to pass along words of encouragement to someone else and tell them that they can make it, just like you did. Put your faith in God and pray for His help. Keep us posted on your progress. My prayers are also with you, Sam Texas

After reading all the replies, I am reminded of such leather masters as Chan Geer, Jim Linnell, and George Hurst. I have had the pleasure of being around these men and seeing how they react when copies of their patterns are being used in contests or items for sale. And these folks do get copied on a regular basis and I'm not talking about patterns or projects that were sold in a book or from a paid class. To a man they are delighted that someone has used their patterns or designs in a project. These men even give folks a lot of their patterns to experiment on. Their reactions go along with the old saying "imitation is the most sincere for of flattery". One of our goals as leather crafters should be to share what we have learned with others and therefore teach by our examples. Having said all that, I do have a problem when someone copies a pattern then claims it as their own. They should give credit where credit is due. Don't be ashamed to admit that you borrowed a pattern from this crafter or that crafter, or you used a basic pattern from whomever and added your own style to it. That shows that you had the good taste to use a proven crafter as your inspiration. If it's something that is a persons livelihood, by all mean it would be proper to ask. Just remember, when you put something out there on the internet, it becomes fair game for anyone who wants to copy it, whether we like it or not. There are and always will be people out there without any morals at all. Well, there's my 2 1/2 cents worth. Sam Texas