JMixx

I am wondering if there is any relationship between the "punt" in the bottom of a wine bottle and the tendency of red wine to accumulate a tiny amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Perhaps that indentation alters the way the wine flows out of the bottle, and reduces disturbance to the sediment, preventing it from flowing into the glasses (or decanter)? Jennifer

Not that this is exciting to anybody else, but this is a photo of me giving that first project to its intended recipient...

Funny, I thought a "quarter horse" would refer to a horse with extra-wide and stocky hindquarters... Nyuk nyuk nyuk! But seriously, thank you all for both the information and the feedback. Nobody said, "Well that's *#@&," so I felt confident enough to give it to the intended recipient. Who appeared to appreciate the gift (or maybe was just being gracious). Either way, your comments were very helpful and encouraging. Onward! Jennifer

Nice texture! Do you know what kind/species of fish? I like what you've done with it. (Excuse me, Frog Parking Only. All others toad.) JMixx

Hello all! This is the first thing I've made that is an actual project, and not just trying out stitches, or goofing around with stamps, using scraps. I would welcome suggestions; please bear in mind that this was made with a Tandy stitching awl, a scratch awl (for some of the thin lining leather), and no stitching clam, pony, or horse. I am "making do" until I can get a better awl and (probably) a pony. Can anyone tell me the functional differences between a clam, pony, and horse? (Other than the obvious differences in construction) Which is the most "user-friendly" for a beginner? What are the pros/cons of each? I'm guessing that any of them would be an improvement on my "two-rigid-cutting-boards-and-two-C-clamps" arrangement that I used for this cuff.

LOL! If he drove fast enough, maybe he'd stop. Wait... Oh, help me, "the measuring and fitting stages..." The horror...the horror...

Thor? Take thome athpirin! (I'm so sorry, I just couldn't resist...) Love the wrap on the handle! (Grip? Handle? You know what I mean.)

Do you sell your work? I have a friend who is absolutely bananas over dragons. I thought she had every dragon-shaped home decor and accessory that was possible, but not any more! Do you think it would be possible to cut the purse sides into dragon profiles instead of rectangles? (Even if not, I'm pretty sure she would LOVE a dragon-esque eye looking out of her purse...) Um, in case you can't tell, I think you're very creative and a talented artist. I don't know very much about leather-working, but I know a little more about painting.

How cool is that? The answers to my questions were here before I was! Kind of encouraging that other people needed to ask these questions when they first started, too. :-)

If you offset those ovals, so the narrow end of one row of ovals tucks into the gap between the narrow ends of the ovals in the row above, there's hardly any space left to cover. But do you get those regular ovals when you flatten out the football? Slicing up one 3-D image leaves you with one similar to the one below. I wonder if pieces shaped like the one below could be offset and "meshed." (If that makes sense...)

Sure! The first photo below is a leftover scrap of plastic canvas. The far-right photo is the first felted bag I used it for; because felted knitting has -ahem- "a mind of its own," I added "purse feet" (the metal disks you can see toward the top are the inside-the-bag attachments for the "feet" on the outside). The "purse feet" attach the inside bottom to the outer fabric, so everything stays put. The middle photo is the most recent example; to keep the purse feet attachments out-of sight, I used two layers of the plastic canvas, stitched together with the burgundy-colored yarn except at the corners; the bottom is attached to the outer fabric through the bottom layer only, so the metal disks don't show. P.S. If my stuff looks too amateurish, let me know and I'll hush.

I have a lot more experience knitting, felting, or sewing handbags, so I don't know if this strategy would transfer to leather bags. When trying to "firm up" the bottom so it won't "droop" or collapse, I have used plastic canvas available at pretty much any craft store. It's made to stitch through with yarn and yarn needles (which are indistinguishable from some leather stitching needles), and I have stitched over it with a coordinating color of inexpensive acrylic yarn so it can be placed in the bottom of the bag without extra lining or covering. For my sturdiest bags, which are felted wool (the fabric is about 3/4" thick after felting), I have doubled the plastic canvas for extra structure. And it is inexpensive.

Did you develop your own pattern? The next one should be really awesome; I think your "prototype" looks designer-quality (actually better, as it's hand-made).

I saw the word "rakes" and immediately thought of going to the local thrift store to look for used kitchen serving utensils; wide-tined serving forks, spaghetti servers, whisks... I love the color effects you're getting!

It's difficult to see one's own work objectively. Either that, or it is true that we tend to be our own worst critics. I will be tickled when I can get my stitching to look so good.

No worries! I'm open to any "rant" that may save me hundreds of $ at some point.

I like the design!

Thinking to myself, "They can't mean *actual* toads. It must mean a kind of leather stamped with a particular pattern..." Imagine my surprise. The "Cane Toad Bow Tie" really made me laugh out loud. *Disclaimer: the following is from YouTube. I don't know if YouTube tracks users, so you may want to research before watching if this is a concern for you.

Yeah, I may have to try a number of different places around here before I find what I'm looking for. I figured since Lowe's installs granite countertops, they might have scraps. Oh well--there are several other places I can try. Wish I lived closer to Ark/LA/TX. Thanks, guys!

Wow! That's lovely. With all the detail, I'm guessing you put in quite a few hours there.

Drat! I don't know whether it's a geographic thing, but I just got back from the Lowe's in my area. When I explained what I was looking for, they first looked at me as if I'd grown a second head (I didn't, did I?), and then showed me what they have: marble tiles of about 3" X 5" X 1/2". Back to the drawing board...er, hammering board?