Donkeykong

That’s sad news. Honestly though, it’s December here in Ohio & there has only been one bad evening so far in regards to the roads.... and I live in the snow belt where millersburg is far enough south they don’t get the lake effect... In other news/comments... I got to spend a load of time hand stitching this weekend... tried a few different techniques & finally figured out how to get consistent good looking threads on the back & front using the “two needle method” (is this a saddle stitch?)... I found that I need to hold the thread on the top to the same side when I come around with the next needle and the /////// look appears on both the front & the back and looks really nice. I still need to sew a buckle/strap on, but I’ll be starting a new thread once I get there. I’ve been working in/out of Berea a lot lately. One of our bigger customers are moving from W25 to Bagley Road... which puts me really close to Tandy’s location....

Thank you for all the excellent responses, I did end up speaking with someone at Toledo, I'm assuming it was bob... he did suggest the cowboy 3200 based on our conversations, but as I'm getting my head around what I am wanting to do, I think I am going to end up with more than one machine... Wherein NE Ohio are you out of? You're right about both time/distances... I find myself in Toledo from time to time for work which is really nice... and even better is that I'm in a transit van with more than adequate cargo space This leather working community is super friendly/helpful. I think my next project will be a tool roll.... I'll make a point of posting it up here... planning on hand stitching, I think this will be this first "big" project that I'll be starting... the sewing machine is going to either be really high priority, or I'll see that I can work well without one. How do I get more info on the weaver event? It's certainly something I would like to attend... I see they have a store near Wooster? Is that Mount Hope? For the thinner stuff I'm looking at, would something along the lines of a singer 111 do the trick? Then I would need to get the cowboy 3200... or is the 3200 not going to handle the heavier thread? Is there a good guide to how the thread is sized? It looks like the bigger the number, the fatter the thread is? Whats the second number you are referencing? #277 (~#44)? I am assuming that there is an older or european measuring system and a modern/standardized one, or is it different for hand stitching vs machine? Thanks everyone for the helpful responses!!

Hi all, I'm just getting started in leather working and have been having some fun with it so far. For my first project I fixed my horses girth (the part that the belt goes in so it doesn't poke me in the leg while riding broke, and I decided it was a good as an excuse as any to drop $200++ in materials to fix a $60 girth LOL). Moving on from there I made a sheath for my round knife, and a mystery weave bracelet for my little girl. I'm quickly realizing that I want to get into a sewing machine for some of the projects I have in mind that are very stitching-intensive: I want to make my daughter custom chaps (she is tiny, and everything on the market is too long, or too small in the waist)... I want to make a leather bridle and eventually halter for my Shire horse... I want to make some tool-rolls for my wrenches at work... all of which will take me hours to try and hand sew. Having a farm it's going to be practical to try and start getting busy with this newfound hobby if every project is going to take me 12+ hours. I'll have to try and get a few pictures uploaded. It's been ages since I have been on a forum, do we still need to get the pictures hosted elsewhere, or can I upload them to this site? Anyways about the topic..... I am not sure if anyone has every heard of this place, but there is a used industrial machine place not far from me who happens to have random sewing machines. I see a few singers, a few juki and a pfaff. I can't tell if any of them are complete, or even worth looking at. Hopefully posting links is ok? I haven't seen anything against it: HGR Industrial Surplus If anything is worth going to look at, please let me know, the place is less than an hour from me. Some of the descriptions are wrong, but the pictures are not bad. I see they even have some cobbler machines which I would imagine have the power, but I don't see walking feet on them, so I have to assume they will not serve me very well. Thanks in advance!! Mark in Ohio