The Christmas presents I made this year

[Spencer G]

I made the checkbook cover for a friend for Christmas. I only had about three days to finish it from when she vigorously dropped the hint, so it was a bit rushed. I am fairly happy with how it looks. However, I did discover that using the inexpensive Craftools on such a tight pattern is similar to trying to fly fish for trout with a rod meant for trawling for salmon. Since both sides are basically the same pattern, one is just slightly smaller that the other, I only attached one photo.

The pencil jars were also Christmas presents, and they very difficult to make. It sounds simple, "I'll just make a cylinder out of double layered leather." but it is most definitely not simple. Since the inside has a smaller circumference than the outside, the lining layer has to be significantly shorter than the outside. This means that to sew them together and have the end product be round, you have to keep it in basically the same shape up with which you want to end. They also just happened to be a little too small to do that on my sewing machine, so I had to do them by hand. I also made the letter openers out of 1095 steel with the handles out of buffalo and olive wood respectively. The buffalo horn one was finished the afternoon of the 24th (whew).

I would welcome and tips, comments, or, best of all, critiques.

[David Fields]

Those look really nice. Very well crafted, you must work well under stress considering your time limitations.

[pete]

I made the checkbook cover for a friend for Christmas. I only had about three days to finish it from when she vigorously dropped the hint, so it was a bit rushed. I am fairly happy with how it looks. However, I did discover that using the inexpensive Craftools on such a tight pattern is similar to trying to fly fish for trout with a rod meant for trawling for salmon. Since both sides are basically the same pattern, one is just slightly smaller that the other, I only attached one photo.

The pencil jars were also Christmas presents, and they very difficult to make. It sounds simple, "I'll just make a cylinder out of double layered leather." but it is most definitely not simple. Since the inside has a smaller circumference than the outside, the lining layer has to be significantly shorter than the outside. This means that to sew them together and have the end product be round, you have to keep it in basically the same shape up with which you want to end. They also just happened to be a little too small to do that on my sewing machine, so I had to do them by hand. I also made the letter openers out of 1095 steel with the handles out of buffalo and olive wood respectively. The buffalo horn one was finished the afternoon of the 24th (whew).

I would welcome and tips, comments, or, best of all, critiques.

Really nice work Spencer! were I you I would have cut/beveled deeper, continued the pear shaders further down the leaves towards the flower center, and used a vertically lined pear shader and smoothed out the ridge that the flower center made. I too like to stamp the center deep but I always blend out the ridge with a lined shader.

Make your veiner more pronounced radiating from the leaf stems. Maybe tip it more towards the tips so that they show about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way out to the leaf tips.

pete

Edited February 5, 2008 by Denise
combining posts

[Beaverslayer]

Very nice Spencer, what colors did you dye them?

Ken

[broncobuster]

very nice spencer. I know what ya mean about handsewing. did a dice cup for someone for christmas. all hand stitched. I guess they liked it didn hear back lol.

[Spencer G]

Thank you all very much for your posts. Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I was down at the WESA show in Denver yesterday.

Thanks especially to pete, your tips are helpful. As I said in my first post, all that I had for these projects were Craftools which are not designed for Sheridan style stuff, or in the case of the bevelers, not designed particularly well at all. However, I saw Barry King down at the show and picked up two bevelers and a flower center. Just from the doodling that I did last night I can tell that it is going to be extremely helpful to finally have some quality tools.

Ken, I didn't actually dye them at all. The checkbook just has a coat of Neatlac on it, and the pencil jars just have a little oil and some Skidmore's Leather Cream.

[bustedlifter]

Really nice and clean!

[LadyJ]

I cannot critique the work because I am not a leatherworker. However, I am a woman and an expert shopper and your gift for your friend really caught my eye. It is something that I would have enjoyed very much and imagine your friend did as well. So if we fussy shoppers/female types like it, that should be enough! hahahah