SUP

Love the Pinocchio idea and your Pinocchio face is really nice.

Badly made, I agree. Not worth a 10th of the price they charge. @RockyAussie is correct. People get blinded by beautiful web-sites and think a sophisticated website equals quality. Most of them are unaware that such websites can be created for very little (less than $50!) using WordPress, even by non-techies. And of course, people are unaware of what good quality is, in leather goods. So they accept such sub-standard goods, thinking that is how it should be. An insult to all the good leatherworkers everywhere, if you ask me.

I seem to be getting such emails as well - many are spam, phishing to collect confidential information like bank details and SSNs. The scams are more and more sophisticated these days. I always call the actual company and I have yet to find even one of the emails to be authentic. Yet, they appear absolutely authentic in the emails I receive. I view the 'raw message'. Checking that carefully, you can determine if the message is in fact from eBay or somewhere else. eBay or amazon or other companies will not send emails via google or yahoo or other such email service providers.

@fredk, That is a sound plan. If he agrees to pay the 1st deposit, I could follow that. Let me see what he says.

@dikman, Could not find your posted pic of the carved holster but don't sell yourself short. We find faults in our own work that others do not notice. I do plan to do some carving. Looked up a pattern last night. Maybe I will start today. @Chuck123wapati, that is exactly the conclusion I have slowly been reaching. You stated it very clearly. I really wish there was someway we could educate people about leatherwork. So many of them want it but seem to want to pay even less than what they would pay for the cheap goods from the East. I sometimes wonder if people give their senses of sight and feel a holiday while looking at hand-made leather items. Can't they see the difference in the leather used, the intricacies of the work, the talent of the artist? And yes, leatherworkers are artists. So much of the tooling and even the designing I see here is awe-inspiring.

Never thought of that. Will try it. Thank you.

@dikman, Yes I am not stressing on stamping. I spend a lot of time on this forum, where I learn so much and when I see the gorgeous things people make, I feel a little wistful. That is all. Once I start practicing I suppose I will get better at it at some point. I recently read an article about using a credit card or something similar to keep the stamps straight. Maybe that will help. About machines, I completely agree. I should get something suitable for my needs at a price I do not feel guilty about. I can wait. There is so much to learn first. Then I will know what I need. YouTube videos are such a blessing, I wonder how we managed to learn anything pre-internet that oldies like me actually remember! But see, with carving, I actually have to put a knife to leather to learn and it is a shock how awkward it is when it looks so easy in the videos. LOL Practice Practice Practice.

That's why the 2 colors. And liquid electrical tape. Did not hear about it before today. Must look into its uses. Uttam will be interested. When you use old purses, how do you get rid of the smell? That is one thing I have difficulty with. Some get clean fast, others not so.

Brilliant!

Very true!

@fredk That is something I could do. A single stamp I cannot mess up. A good use of some stamps I picked up for a song this week-end. I'll certainly try that.

@ALZilla, that is so true. The knives are not his. They belong to a person who was a life long collector and passed away some time ago. This person, John, is taking care of disposing of the estate. So even he might not have an idea about the value of the knives. They might all be the J C Penney type, for all I know. Getting a beautiful sheath ready for my husband is a good idea; only I am an absolutely novice at tooling. Everything goes wonky and even stamping is never in a straight line no matter how much care I take, so I need a lot more practice before I can think of making anything usable at all. I am a long way from making a beautiful tooled or carved sheath, unfortunately. All I make are simple sheaths. I can dye, stitch and burnish reasonably well, but that is about it. At this point in time, the more I think about it, the more I think that I am not yet ready to sell anything. I need to learn a lot more and be confident about it to some extent, before I can sell. And anyway, I got into leatherwork as a hobby rather than a possible profession. So that is something to think about as well. People keep talking about opportunity knocking. Hmm. Let's see what happens. It is still a month or two before John gets back to me.

@bruce johnson that is eye-opening, for newbies like me, especially. It is not a rant at all. You are perfectly right that we have paid for every inch of the leather, scrap or otherwise and I admire your late first wife who was so talented and imaginative at using up every last bit, even through the pain of illness. Very inspiring. Thank you for this post.

Yes. That is the sensible thing to do. Regardless of whether I buy a machine or not, a waiting list is needed. I am still reluctant to buy a machine at this point. I hate to spend unless absolutely necessary. Keeping friends and family happy can be done only up to a point. Maybe I should offer to teach them as well!

@ dikman, I agree. I doubt John will pay much for the time taken to hand-stitch. If was a couple of sheaths, I might have agreed to a lower price but so many? It will be maddening and it could end up putting me off leatherwork. I am more and more wondering about the whole thing. And I see your point about pricing - I feel odd too, quoting a fair price. One of the many reasons I have refused to make anything for anyone outside family up to this point. Of course, that I do not have sufficient experience to make more than simple moccasins, bags and knife sheaths is another reason but why say that? LOL

Those are pretty! I know of several young ladies who would wear them. Several not-so-young as well!

@Klara Yes, I am living in a city with everything close available by. I plan to continue hand stitching but may buy a machine in the future. Hearing that I do leatherwork, my daughter wants things made by her mum. I want to make things for my husband and her and her fiance (nothing as satisfying as having loved ones using things that are your labor of love) and family and friends are slowly dropping hints too! So unless I buy a machine to speed up things, I will have to keep turning people down. As for John, who wants inexpensive knife sheaths, I asked him why he did not make them himself. He said he had thought about it but then decided against it. Maybe I could offer to teach him.

Those are beautiful!.

@kgg, yes. I needed that starting point. Now I can keep looking until I am ready to buy. It is better this way. @Baliskner, yes $15 is fine for friends and family. Usually, it is just the cost of the raw material is it not? But for others, maybe leatherworkers should educate the public about the work that goes into making leather items. They seems to think it is of less value than the cheap merchandise from the East.

@fredk, that is a valid point! Sometimes in my enthusiasm, I forget practical aspects like space and weight of the item. I should remember that when considering a machine.

@kgg, Foot wear I only plan to make moccasins and slippers. I do not have the patience or the desire right now to start with making lasts for boots and shoes. Besides, we get plenty of them that are good. It is open toed slippers that I like and want to make specific types. So from what you and AlZilla said, an all-rounder machine might be the way to go. I am still in two minds though. I feel I cannot, in good conscience, spend so much until I actually am in the position to use it. Else it will join my Brother sewing machine and Rocketeer as a curio - all expensive curios - that I plan to use but never get the time.

@AlZilla, thank you for that post. It is just what I need. Will be immersed in that for a while now, I think. I will keep in mind about the cylinder arm machine as well.

That is very true. I have absolutely no idea about the types of knives. I think I will do that.

LOL. @AlZilla, you hit the nail on the head! That is exactly what I was thinking! What do I really need when selecting a machine and what will be 'nice to have' in case I need it in the future. And since I have only just made my first belt today, I have a long way to go and everything is 'in case I need to make..."!

@kgg, I gather the 3 machines you mentioned are manual ones? The motorized ones will be much more expensive. I know I have heard of Consew but there are so many of them. Also I believe Singer has some sturdy ones.. are they sturdy enough for leatherwork? I only plan to make bags, footwear, knife sheaths - simple ones. I know I will not make saddles, chaps etc. I have been looking up Consew to start. On their site, there are so many options, it is bewildering. Are there specific requirements that are a must when selecting a machine? I think I need to investigate the threads here about sewing machines. The thing is, hand stitching leather is, for me, a relaxing activity. The fragrance of the leather, the waxed thread, my large stitching horse, the rhythmic movements of stitching .. I do it when I am tired and it rejuvenates me. So a machine might take away all that. But needs must, I suppose. @Fredk, great idea to use it for holes for stitching. Sometimes that is more time consuming and a bit of a pain.