rleather

I would say your first thought is correct. It is natural veg. The recessed parts are capturing the stain. Depending on the exposure or lack thereof , veg tan can change shades easily from light, dirt, water, oils in your skin, and on and on and on. But I have seen and used that very shade, or close to it, in the past. I'm not sure but I want to say it was a Calcutta, but don't hold me to that. If you look around you can find a "clean light color" veg tan. Try the folks (Rusty) at Springfield Leather. Kevin is still owner but has handed it over to Rusty. Talk to them and maybe send the pic to them. They have been good to me, good luck.

Simply amazing! I dare say truly a one of a kind piece of art.

Just type in tan kote in the search box, it will bring up several pages on the subject.

Lucky dogs! Great work, the colors really POP!

They appear to be background tools.

The triple(?)loop really frames your amazing work nicely. I can easily envision that same work on the back of your jacket. Well done!

Sent you an email.

Matty, nice pattern for the exterior, I like the twist on the standard skull design. What made me smile was when I scrolled down and POW! The interior design is beautiful. You don't see those kinds of pockets. Are they your original designs? If so there may be a future for you in making wallet templates,(the idea is that good IMO). What was the choice for the dye? Now back to the exterior, your tooling will come along with practice. Your basketweave did not leave a deep enough impression to stay in focus at the fold and other areas. It may have been a casing issue or the right amount of force, I'm leaning with the leather was too wet and didn't hold the impression as it dried. Your stitching is straight and a good distance from the edge. The amount of tension to use also comes with practice, and that will eliminate the pucker of the stitch. Your edges look good. You should be proud of this wallet. BRAVO!

In the close-up, it appears that leather is just natural veg. What you think might be a dye or stain it is the "burn" from the burnishing. Only a guess but the flat edges are achieved from the burnisher just as you would with a reg sander.

Thanks, Jeff, it's going onto the supply list.

Battlemonkey is spot on, you don't want to take on a more advanced project out of the gate. It probably would be frustrating and could cause you to give up. Take it slow and be patient. Coasters(aka rounders), keychains, bookmarkers, stick style hair barrettes, etc. Let us know how it goes, we are rooting for you!

Welcome ex-lurker from Lufkin! Once you get your first project under your belt I bet you will be hooked just like the fish in your photo. It is a very rewarding craft to take up. I have been hooked for 40 plus years. A shop teacher in middle school taught a segment of leatherworking. I am forever grateful for that learning experience. Little did I know off and on threw out my life I have been drawn to leather crafting. I hope it too becomes a rewarding hobby-business for you. Best of luck!

Hi Seansun, Welcome to the craft. You have the bedazzle - bling spot on, nicely done. From what I can see from the pic's you need to burnish the edges. Just take a wool dauber, or sponge, dampened with water, and apply it to the edge of the collar. You only need enough water applied to matt down the fibers. Then if you have an edge slicker or burnisher, in a back and forth motion cause friction or heat build-up along the edge. This will give you a finished smooth edge. When you are finished you shouldn't have any "flake off". I don't know what in the way of tools you have but you also can use the wood handle of most hand tools until you can get the proper burnisher. You have the artistic eye and you should be proud of those collars, I know your dogs will be.

An absolute priceless treasure!

Thanks, Tony for the tour. Living in Florida my goal is to make it there someday. Rusty did a great job as usual with the video. SLC is my go-to source for all things leather. Always good deals on veg tan. You guys are awesome!