Kwaaked

I get these boxes and make, well, small stuff. Nothing especially leatherwork about it, I have a machine that handles the leather fine to sew it, and I have a grommet machine that does the other stuff fine. I don't generally mess with storage of the leather: I buy when I am needing stock and go to town. Also understand I am more of a fashion designer/seamstress so my methods are more in line to that rather then some of these fine folks that create awesome stuff. Bags, bracelets, buckskinning stuff, black powder accessories....you get the idea. If big enough, I make possible bags (and I usually get several from a scrap box). I sew by trade (fabric) and generally produce a pattern for an idea...in my case it makes no difference if it is leather or fabric and often I make items in both upholstery/drapery fabric and leather. For soft furnishings, these are fine. But they are not going to make real good leather art in most cases. However, when I get ready to work with it, I cut the strings off the leather pieces and toss them in my cabbage basket. Sometimes they are long enough for a tie for a bag, or an accessory part, but mostly it's just scrap. I transfer my patterns to oak tag, I trace off with a china marker and I typically work as I go. I put the patterns on it, trace with a china marker, and it includes the marks for fasteners, snaps and the like. Usually they get stamped at this point, if I use one for the item (some get tags) and then I can either cut them all out and clip the project pieces together with wonder clips or cut pieces and sew as I go. This creates less waste for my buck, plus I can see if it will actually fit the leather I have or if I need to use something smaller, or larger, as the case may be when tracing. All of them wind up in the dump table during this process. Once sewn, the items needing additional work on my grommet machine get sorted into baskets next to the machine by type of work (all grommets in one basket, all Sam Brownes in another, etc. so I don't have to keep changing dies constantly). Back to the dump table for tags, then sorted by type to clear storage: small bags, small bags with bases, large bags, etc. Possible bags are put into plastic poly bags separately and then into a garment bag and hung on a rack. Clear storage so I can see when I am low on stock. I also don't sell these myself usually, I make them and it is my brand, but either my husband is the "face" of the items (who looks like Grizzly Adams and therefore more like my customers) or a friend who sells them at a flea market with his stuff (who also looks a lot like a Grizzly Adams) so they can find what they are wanting/needing to get. I don't look like Grizzly Adams, however.

Kid has been out of school with an ear infection...so tons of Katy Perry. I have had this stuck in my head for almost a week now:

Orange is my favorite color...and I love this!

I bought mine online,. but the dealer had a list of service people that could come to my area and did a video call of all the fabrics I would sew with and then some...so even if one isn't nearby the can always do the zoom calls.

I can also point out that in Texas in '85, '86 and 88 I was required by the state to take gun safety courses as a mandatory class (I should have taken it once, but I moved to three different schools...and all required I take the course to the county and state standard). My husband went through them in 9th grade in Tennessee about '83. When I took mine, I had shot a gun absolutely zero times. My grandfather made me wait until I was 12, 2 gun safety courses and the ability to tell you what caliber a gun was before I could shoot it (although he was pretty strict). Courses were available in school as an optional thing until the mid 90s where I was. When I was 40, I got a hunting license...and I don't even use a gun. The state of Tennessee requires you to show proof of a gun safety class if you were born after Jan. 1, 1969...since I was and I wasn't going to bother finding 30 year old school records, I retook it. Most people in the US that use guns have had some form of safety class, be it to hunt, mandatory in school or for a conceal and carry permit.

I have a Consew 7360RH-R SS in my shop and it's meant for lightweight to heavy weight. While I don't make jeans on it (18 oz and above), I can hem jeans just fine with it. It takes the standard 16x287 system, and I use upholstery fabrics to make tote shopping bags on it with no problems. (C&P) Heavyweight fabrics such as jeans can be sewn by changing the needle plate, feed dog, foot, stitch regulator, hook and needle bar. I have founds parts are pretty affordable for the machine (I have no had to replace anything, but I did look into this modification before I got my Singe #3). You might be better off talking to an industrial machine store and talking to them for recommendations in your budget.

Oh I love it! Cthulhu^ is the mascot here in the duck pond and I have both my 22 year old son* and 9 year old daughter convinced that The Old One loves rubber ducks (it's my business logo) and if you dis the duckies, Cthulhu will make your bath water cold, make it rain on your birthday and cause your video games to malfunction.. ^Not really Lovecraft's scary version, but more in the vein of Hello Cthulhu *My son may not really believe this anymore, but it's a long standing joke. My daughter isn't sure. Neither of my children is sure of my sanity, however.

I'll be honest, I would totally carry this around. I think this is really cool!

I just got a box in yesterday, and got it today because I was out of town. There is a nice variation of it, and a nice assortment of weights. A couple pieces don't seem to be upholstery leather at all, and I got a miscut of a jacket sleeve and several others that were garment leather. A few were hide on and I got several samples pieces. I'm quite happy with it, to be frank. What I want it for (learning/soft work) it's perfect. A few are more substantial, and there is some that can be used for garments or accessory pieces for duffel coats and the like and a few that are smallish, but long enough I can make bag straps out of them easily. i probably have a single palm full (literally, and I have small hands) pieces that are too small to do anything with, but they can be made into shapes and make mini flowers or the like. Edit: I also couldn't fit it back in the box once I opened it and went through it...I could squish it back, but the box was FULL>

My husband grew up here, he's an Iron City boy. We live in Loretto, and the business is in St. Joe (which if I tell you it's the old garage across the street from Hood's grocery, you likely would know exactly where it is). Thanks for the welcome!

I'll work on getting pics soon...right now my business is in literal shambles: we're remodeling the guest area, and everything is in the work area while we wait, and wait (and been waiting for over a year haha) for windows and doors to arrive plus I have a professional contest I am working on (nothing to do with leather work) strewn all over the work area I can work in. But I am learning to work with leather, so all I have are fabric prototypes and samples of small stuff, mostly techniques on scrap. I'm not sure where my photo stuff even is in that mess, but it's all supposed to come in here in a few weeks, so hopefully I can get everything reorganized. Welcome to you too Louis! Cottontop, I have a friend that lives up that way and it's a nice area. I kill watches, and have an antique manual one in the shop in upstate NY to demagnetize it and do some cleaning...and a battery one in the local shop for the same thing and a new battery.

It is a Singer 201. Not a leather machine, but largely considered one of the best Singer put out. My other machines...my day job is clothing alterations and sewing. Mostly I do bridal and formal wear with a healthy dose of everything and use a Consew 7360r-2ss for the majority of work. I also have in use a Singer standard no 3 for leather work and Carhartt heavy denim and work coveralls, 2 over lockers (one industrial and one domestic), 3 treadles (one specific for bespoke men's shirts since it does the right spi), a Singer 99 set up as a button hole machine with the attachment and a Pfaff domestic for lingerie since it is the only zig zag machine. I am a full set up shop with all the dodads for bridal and tailoring from busks (vacuum form to shape suit coats), steamers, grommet press and a small fortune in hot fix rhinestones plus stuff no one here would care about even less then this. Also why I knew about the machine and why it got off subject so bad.

Not too bad. Just a bit more fiddly then rivets or snaps because of the size. About the same as an eyelet cam for fussy.

Yup. Those are the ones.

The aren't dainty like normal hot fix or glue ons. Largish base, even for the small stones. Very much like the set ins in Western purses you find or on Ed Hardy jeans/purses. Gold Star carries the ones I use. I typically use them for heavier duty applications that get washed or have some stress to them: jeans, drag queen costumes, corsets, backpacks, denim shirts, jackets. I've added some to leather that I didn't make and use them on veils and fake Chanel jackets I do make for weight. Lot of ways they can be used.