Riem

Beautiful work! The contrasting stitching really works well here. If I may ask, what stitch length did you use?

Coming back to this post - a bit late. What the OP is essentially asking for is a shortcut and the intrinsic, unstated "rules-of-thumb" accomplished leather workers follow when they select leather for a project. Viewed from a different angle, this is a classic knowledge management problem - how to make highly tacit knowledge explicit? Not an easy thing, especially if you consider that very few people can ever tell you what exactly what they know, because knowledge is fragmented and we only know what we need to know when we need to apply that knowledge to a real world problem. Essentially, knowledge can only be volunteered by a craftsman or accomplished performer when s/he needs to solve a real world problem; knowledge cannot be conscripted. Is there an easy answer to the OP's need? Given the complexity of the craft, and the myriad of factoids that a craftsman stitches together to make decisions, the answer is simply: no. There are too many permutations to have a single, simple approach. My late 0.2c

Wow! Ne plus ultra work, Mike! Incredible detail. Have you regrown fingers yet?

Excellent design - I like how you fixed the straps for the handle to the sides. Is the handle one long strap? Looks like it. Great bag for a laptop... And as Wreford said - the waxed canvas is just difficult to get hold of, at least locally.

Very interesting piece! Quite creative combination with the strings on a strap - something I've not seen before.

Watching this one with interest... I have a few walking sticks, but none with a leather handle covering. I'll doubtlessly be so inspired by this thread that it will be one of my summer projects.

I like the colour - did you use an airbrush? Looks like a very durable piece.

Leuk werk, Marjolein! How long have you been working with leather? The carving and tooling on these pieces is superb.

Lovely to look at! Great edges.

Superb work! I'd be proud to have my access card in that!

Excellent work! I like, I covet...

Great progress between the two products. Was the leather pre-dyed or did you dye it yourself?

Wow! Hey Mike, this is so good you can give up your day job! This ain't 'leather work'. It's leather art!

Aaaah! A leather project that doesn't require burnished edges... The cabin is cool. The baby grand is way... grand, cool! Great art, this.

Brilliant! I'm going to save this graphic and use in the near future...

Man, that's classy! And invoking Mjölnir might entice the real @Mjolnir to come a-peekin'... Just saying!

Welcome here - says a greenhorn. It's a friendly place, this. And a place for learning. You seem to like hitting stuff? Good - you'll be right at home here!

Luck, eh, great luck! Although with products like that, you can bank some of that luck for a rainy day because the products will sell themselves...

The eyes don't bother me as much as the thin neck... With the size of that head, no wonder the little chap is bending over backwards... But you did a fabulous job replicating the logo and lettering, really! The value of such a once off piece, especially as a gift, is surely... priceless!

I value my mistakes. It's the only things I can truly call my own. Point is, if you can recognise it as a mistake, you can work at correcting it.

That's one raggedly looking dragon dude there! Is he sitting pretty atop a portfolio or will he be guarding a stash of cash as a wallet cover?

Best looking square corners I've seen in some time! Two pieces of feedback, but this in no way detracts from the overall product's appearance or quality. 1) the section that wraps around the centre pin will look great if it's skived down a little bit. 2.) the card slot's edge appears 'raw' in comparison to nicely painted edges. Still, a fine piece of work.

That. Sentiment seconded.

Great looking portfolio! That little man sure looks relieved to be free from the chains, eyes and all... The letter work is a real classy piece of work - is it stamped with a stamp set, or carved?