SaintJoy18

If the leather is thin enough you can use pinking shears

I think it looks great. Almost has an elephant hide look to it. Just remember, it's not scrap if you can put it to use!

That's one angry Jesus...

When dealing with straps you are taking into consideration tension, stress and weight distribution. "Lengthwise" stitching will reinforce the leather and support additional strains. By sewing across a strap you are creating basically a perforated tab that can't withstand too much weight and tension. Wallets aren't handling that much stress and weight across those areas so I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.

Yup! Operator error (i.e. end user abuse)

I was wondering the same...

It's a notebook cover for a "field notes" or 3x5 sized pad.

Did you use the dye straight from the bottle or did you dilute it in any way? If you went without diluting your pigmentation will be higher and provide a different coloration than intended. There is also the, as you mentioned, the natural color of the leather that will change your final product.

They're trading on the name that was developed over the years and don't give a damn about quality anymore. A sure way to ruin the name and push themselves out of business.

That is a fantastic process! I'd love to see an instruction video on this.

Using the cork ruler or straight edge will help a lot. I would also recommend making several light passes with the cutting blade instead of trying to go all the way through all at once. Too much pressure will stretch the leather leading to pulled "out of alignment" cuts, especially with thinner leather. Going a little outside the lines with multiple passes will give you room to have your glue up/stitching which will thicken the piece and allow you to even out your finished edges all at once.

Don't know if it was intentional but the brogue looks to me like a sea turtle. I really like this piece!

I like the way the carving turned out. I know this isn't in the critique section, but I would be careful with the design around the grip. It doesn't look like there is enough room around the grip and trigger guard to provide space to have a proper draw and firing grip. This could result in the shooter not being able to properly acquire the pistol in an emergency situation. Just a thought.

Those are beautiful. One question though... How are you attaching the body of the strap to the button on the heel band? You don't seem to have any slots cut in the body to accommodate them the way you do in the strap.