AndyL1

HAHA! Thanks for WANTING! The design I found on http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php I have a membership on there and purchased a vector file from the site. The lines were very fine in the design so it was kind of hard (for me) to tool. I didn't really like it at first but after distressing it and texturizing it, the design really grew on me. I really like it now. I just really hit the stamp HARD and very deliberately with the mallet. I set the stamp fairly deep into the leather.

Well I didn't want my Brother-In-Law to get too jealous of my bag so I thought I would surprise him with one of his own. My sister and he are expecting their first kid too. I hope you guys like the tooling on it. I wanted something very rugged and sort of decayed looking. Maybe like something that would be found at an archeological dig. So, it is pretty rough. I was really just kind of experimenting with the design and the tools. I thing it came out cool. Also, I thought I'd try something different with the front flap and closure. I'm still working on the shoulder strap. Hopefully get that on there in the next few days. I think I succeeded! What do you all think? Comments, critiques? -Andy

Thanks AJ! Yeah the stitching can get pretty tedious. For me it's really not hard it's just that it can get pretty boring. I did a double stitch on the bag too so twice the work. Also in the shoulder strap. I didn't really make a pattern, just sketched out what I wanted in my sketchbook and took it apart from there. I can PM you the measurements for the pieces though. I've included some photos of the finished bag. I wanted it to look really rough and distressed. Tandy antique stain first to get in all the nooks and crannies, then used a semi-dry sponge to blot on some more permanent black stain. Finished off with Tandy's All-In-One mahogony.

Awesome. I will have to practice doing that. Tooling is not my specialty but I'm getting better. Thanks for the inspiration on something new!

Nice job! I love the darker brown bracelet with the hammered center. What tool/technique did you use to get that hammered look? -Andy

Hey no worries! i hear ya on being strapped for time. That hat is very nice! I could see a big feather sticking out of that thing. Do you have a tutorial or patterns on how you made it? It looks rather simple. I bet I could figure it out. What weight of leather is it? Looks kind of sueded too maybe. -Andy

Sorry about the late reply. Do you have some photos of your cavalier hat? I'd love to see them. -Andy

Do you think the letterspacing is too tight?

Since I got the leather bug in me a couple of years ago I decided maybe i should try and sell some of this stuff. So I thought first off need a business name and then a logo. Being a graphic designer, the logo part for me was pretty easy. I plan on gearing the business toward the Ren Faire/SCA crowd as I have a big interest in history and all that junk. :-) Anyway what do think of my logo? My business idea is kind of on the backburner now though with a kid coming and life in general getting in the way. For the near future I think I'll maintain my hobby as just that. Thanks for looking. Andy

Nice job! I really like the closure method... the strap coming from the back and bottom to a stud is very clean. Definitely post more pics when the oiling is done. Do you mean by "tan" it you are going to stain it a light tan color? Or do you mean set it in the sun? (Newbie question, sorry)

Nice work (as usual from what I've seen on the forum!). I like the Fleur De Lis snaps a lot. I have a friend that wants some bracelets with a concho on it of that symbol. Do you know a good source for those? Preferably a screw-back style....... Awesome job again. Black and red/burgundy is a great color combo.

Hell yeah dude! That thing is wicked! i love that wood-look tooling that you do. Nice style.

Thanks everybody for digging my bag. Some of the guys here at work tease me cause they call it my "nice purse"! HAHA! The hand-stitching is really a necessity. I don't own a machine and I'm not quite sure I'd know how to use one if I did. I'd rather do the hand stitch method anyway as there is something really satisfying about making things with your hands. I'm sure a lot of you guys and girls would agree to that! I think I'll be able to stain it this weekend. I'll post more pics then.

No doubt! Thanks a lot. That is pretty much what i was looking for. Awesome.

HAHA! You guys are scaring me! The good thing is my wife can use the babybag we got from her sister to pack more stuff into. I'll keep mine limited to just the essential for a quick outing. Which end is which? I've been known to having both of those things coming out of both of mine from time to time. HAHA!

Thanks Greybeard. I guess the flaws don't show up too well in the photos, which is good. They're hard to see even in person too. I had some lines carved in there around the top of the knot that I ended up not liking. So I gouged out the black lines to the left and right of the knot deeper and wider and stamped out with a backgrounder the other lines I didn't like. You'd have to see it in person. But I don't need to point out defects that aren't visible right off.

WOW! That hat is cool. A bit overboard for what I'm thinking about but a good inspiration. I think I can figure out how to make the brim. It's the "bowl" that your head sits in that I have to ponder over. I think if I look over some cowboy hats I may get some more clues into how to make something like this. I know there's guys out there that make these for a living so I don't want anybody to feel inclined to give out their secrets.

Yeah no doubt. I think I read on the forum somewhere that somebody used a piece of a diffuser from a fluorescent light fixture. The back side is pretty bumpy and pointy. I haven't tried it but I bet the pattern could look pretty cool.... almost pebbly

HAHA! Any chance to see a girl in a corset is good for me too!

Thanks josh! I used 5-6oz for the bag and like 8-9oz for the strap. And Greybeard, YEP! All hand stitched. The hardest part was doing the corners on the backside. Three layers of heavy leather and making sure the holes lined up right, plus it's got two rows of stitching so I had to do it all twice. I've broken four needles so far. I like doing this stuff for some weird reason though. It's pretty relaxing to me. I am a Graphic Designer by day so anything that gets me to unplug and away from the computer is great. Nice and LOW-TECH! I do use my computer for making patterns and tooling designs though. That makes things way easier.

Thanks Alex! Here's another photo of the bag open. -Andy

yeah I got busy and took some photos this morning! Here is a belt pouch I made last June. It was about my third time tooling something so I think it came out allright. I had a few design flaws in there that I tried covering up with my backgrounder. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Cheers,

Good job! Love the color combo. What does the character mean?

Time to show off what I've been working on. I have a baby coming along in a couple of months and I wanted a little something more manly than your standard diaper bag, so I decided to make a messenger bag. Here is the work in progress. It is all hand-stitched and my fingers are getting very sore from pulling thread! It has an open pocket sewn onto the back. I'm still working on adding the stitch detail in the straps and I have to make the shoulder pad still too. The leather is 5-6 ounce veg-tan calfskin. The strap is 8-9 ounce. The strap is actually two pieces joined by a buckle mid-chest. This way I can adjust the length of the strap if my wife wants to carry it.The rectangular "box" with the snaps on the back is actually a snap-in compartment that fits inside the bag. It snaps in so I can remove it if necessary. It's made to fit a baby bottle. I'm going to make a second one of a different size for my wallet and keys so they don't get lost under diapers and junk. The entire bag will be stained like the small snap-in compartment. I like it to look very weathered and worn out... sort of Indiana Jones style!The celtic knot disc is the first thing I ever tooled like a year ago. I like it alot and to show it off I am going to stitch it to the front flap of the bag. I was going to just tool something right onto the bag flap but I think a sewn on piece kind of adds another nice element to the bag. It is about eight inches in diameter. The whole bag is 15x11x4 inches.Thanks for looking! Any feedback is greatly appreciated.-Andy

Looks pretty good to me. To make a straight line for the stitch holes, I use a stitch groover. This will give you a perfect line to sew through. Making a groove will also keep your threads down below the surface of the leather, if you make it deep enough. If that is the look you're going after. I also use a four-prong hole punch to make mine so I get the correct spacing all the time. -Andy