ArkieNewbie

Thank you for the kind words and tips as always! Yes sir, there are a few things I would definitely do differently on the laptop case. I made it after I had only been going for a month or so, I was even more green then than I am now. If I remember correctly the spot on that pocket is where I ran short on thread and had to start a new line. That case was auctioned off to benefit my daughters' home school co-op. I wish I could get it back and fix some things haha. But, I told my wife yesterday I am going to make it again but this time I am going to add a gusset and shoulder strap, and it will be for ME to carry my computer to work in. I agree about the strap also. I am thinking on the one I make for myself I'm going to opt for a Loxx fastener and lose the strap and buckle all together. I have also learned the benefits of the beveller in the past few months as well and the value of burnishing the edges of all pockets and pieces before assembly.

Afternoon Everyone, I am a new leather worker located in North East Arkansas. I got into this as a hobby about 7 months ago and I have loved it so far. I have made some minimalist wallets out of oil tanned and old baseball gloves, some valet trays, some purses, a wallet for my wife, I've done some glasses cases I shared recently on here, a laptop case, and a drawing pad cover I just finished up this week. I've just recently started trying my hand at carving and tooling and really enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has responded to my posts so far with tips and tricks!

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely try that. As I do more and more projects it becomes more clear that the little fine details are the hardest things to remember to do and to learn how to do well.

Thank you for that feedback! I do see what you're saying and I agree. Honestly the rounded edges on the blue one were an after thought after the rectangle patch had been sewn on and I didn't want to risk cutting and my stitches popping out. I definitely agree with you about the thinning. The only tool I have for it is a French edger. Not ideal but it gets the job done, but I do agree it could definitely be cleaned up. I definitely appreciate your comments!

Good idea Bob! I also liked @bvdv's idea about a round patch.

Really just a design choice, and I had the thought it would let it expand for for different size glasses.

So I came up with a design for glasses cases that I really like. I'm happier with my execution on the blue one than the brown one. I put a small patch of leather on the inside to cover up the back of the magnet snap and my stitching around it got a little wonky. I should have punched my holes BEFORE I put the snap on. And I also should have made that patch smaller so the stitching didn't go down so far below the snap. Let me know what y'all think!

I wonder if you could glue them up good like @Chux said and then put them in a round bullet mold to form them and dry. You'd probably have to coat the mold with something so they wouldn't stick. Then you could take a small drill bit and make some holes.

Very cool! I lived in Searcy for 15 years before moving to NEA. I love that area!

That is awesome! All of those lines must have taken forever!

Absolutely, Fred! I just got done making a drawing pad cover and every time I made a cut I would hold the piece up, look at it, almost throw it in the trash box, and then think, "Nah, that'll come in handy later!"

Wow! That is awesome Bert!

Thanks, Chuck! You're so right! There's beauty in most things if you can pull it out. Thank you!! I thought it had a super cool look to it! I had used a larger piece on the flap of a purse for my daughter. Added a nice contrast and accent. It was fun and super simple! Even the strap across the front was a piece of scrap. Thank you sir!

Good Afternoon Everyone! I have a short nap gray shearling skin that I am not sure how to use. Any idea or tips for using it would be greatly appreciated!

I have some odds and ends of an oil tanned side laying around and wanted to find some way to use it. Some might say this wrinkled piece might not be good for much but I love how it looks in this simple little change purse. What do y'all think?

Thank you sir! The dark oil tanned was the edge of a side I had laying around. Most folks would probably consider pieces like this "unusable" because of the wrinkles but I really liked the effect it gave, my daughter liked it too! I may go back and try to burnish the strap edges but it was a pretty thing piece of oil tanned. I'll give it a try though. With toko it seems I've been able to burnish most anything. I was pretty proud of the strap to my wife's purse. I really like the look of the folded over edges. Took FOREVER to hand stitch though. Those two stitches took longer than all of the stitching on the body of the purse. We moved to Paragould from Searcy a few years ago. I love it down around Searcy and Heber! Lots of pretty hills and great trout fishing! That part of the state reminds me of where I grew up in NW Georgia.

I made these two small purses for my oldest daughter and my wife out of some really nice upholstery leather I got from Springfield. What do y'all think?