All that is gold does not glitter...

[Schno]

As a gift for a good friend, I offered up my services to create a slip cover for her sketchbook. She is an avid Tolkien fan, as am I. (He's the 'Lord of the Rings' guy for you non-geeks out there). I included her favorite poem by Tolkien which goes:

All that is gold does not glitter

Not all who wander are lost

The old that is strong does not wither

Deep roots are not touched by the frost

From ashes a fire shall be woken

A light from the shadows shall spring

Renewed shall be blade that was broken

The crownless again shall be king

The poem is written in elvin script along the borders front and back. I included the english translation on the back.

I really enjoyed making this piece and I'm looking forward to more work like this.

Your thoughts and critiques are welcome!

Edited November 6, 2009 by Schno

[Storm]

Super fine craftsmanship. Love the elvish and the poem. It all works so well together. That sketchbook should last a lifetime.

[NoahL]

That's just beautiful! I love it!

~Noah

[jana]

Very imaginative along with being impressive, your friend is extremely lucky to get this from you. I can tell that this was a labor of love and was well thought out before making it. I really like the way you made the closures work, thank you for sharing.

[KatieG]

Oh, that is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love it to death, and I bet your friend will, too!

Excellent work, I hope my knifework gets that delicate.

[csoty]

Super fine job!

[AndyL1]

That is fantastic! I really like the closure method with the swing locks. I like how you cut the centers out of the straps too rather than leaving them solid. Nice tree as well. Got a pattern to share for it?

Thanks!

Andy

[Schno]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. My friend appears to be very happy with it. She carries it with her a lot and hugs it whenever she sees me. It's really very adorable.

Here's a scan from of the tree from my tracing film. I grabbed the image off some website, so it may well be copyrighted. I didn't make any money off of this one, so I figured that would be okay. The good news on that front is that she then turned me on to a well paying gig for another slipcover project!

[teamroperdad]

You are one TALENTED individual. Very nice.

[wintermte]

This is fabulous. I love the writing. I have to ask, how did you do the writing? Is is just cut with a filigree knife and not beveled at all? Do you know of a book that talks about doing this kind of thing? I'm thinking of making something like this for my son for Christmas, but have never tried doing writing like that before.

Thanks,

Dan

[Schno]

Thanks Dan

I found a lovely little thing called a stencil cutter (which is really just a wood burner with a set of very fine tips). You can pick them up at art stores for ten or fifteen dollars. All I do is transfer the letters to the leather with tracing film and a stylus, then go over the impressions with the fine point of the stencil cutter. It goes through the leather like butter after it's had time to warm up. As you can see, it allows for very fine detail.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Schno

[HARVEY]

Thanks Dan

I found a lovely little thing called a stencil cutter (which is really just a wood burner with a set of very fine tips). You can pick them up at art stores for ten or fifteen dollars. All I do is transfer the letters to the leather with tracing film and a stylus, then go over the impressions with the fine point of the stencil cutter. It goes through the leather like butter after it's had time to warm up. As you can see, it allows for very fine detail.

Count me in on admiring that fine lettering. So, two questions; a) since I'm here in L.A. and you're in Van Nuys, do you have a commercial business where I might swing by, or are you out of your home, and, where'd you pick up that handy-dandy little stencil cutter? Joann's? Michael's? I'd like to look into it. Thanks!

Harvey

[AndyL1]

Awesome! Thanks for the tree. I've been searching for a good one with little time to draw one myself. This one is perfect! Cool little tool for the lettering as well.

Cheers,

Andy

[wyldflower]

Schno,

Absolutely lovely! Thank you so much for sharing ~ I am inspired!

Wyldflower

[wintermte]

Thanks Dan

I found a lovely little thing called a stencil cutter (which is really just a wood burner with a set of very fine tips). You can pick them up at art stores for ten or fifteen dollars. All I do is transfer the letters to the leather with tracing film and a stylus, then go over the impressions with the fine point of the stencil cutter. It goes through the leather like butter after it's had time to warm up. As you can see, it allows for very fine detail.

Thanks you for filling me in. I'm going to give this a try.

Dan

[RockSolid]

And there isnot even a Tandy Template for Elven Script!

Great Job!

[Crystal]

Beautiful job on this, Schno! I love trees and the clasps were a very cool detail. Thanks for the info on the stencil cutter. That will be something I will have to give a try someday!

Crystal

[ETW Grumpy]

That's really very impressive. Very classy of you to share the stencil cutter tip as well. Beautiful work.

[CitizenKate]

I have to add my voice to the accolades, Schno. That is a gorgeous piece of leather work, and you really have done justice to the theme.

Kate

[Schno]

Thanks, guys! The encouragement is much appreciated I'm very pleased to pass on the stencil cutter trick. With the wealth of tips and ideas that I've been able to garner from the amazing community here, I'm honored to be able to give something back!

I had some trouble with the leather stretching as I tooled the front side, so I've learned that my contact paper tactic doesn't quite cut it. I'm going to try the plexiglas/contact cement gig. There are few things as frustrating as things not quite lining up after you've done all the work on them!

Edited November 16, 2009 by Schno

[The Farmers Daughter]

That is STUNNING!I'm sure your friend will treasure it always.

[whinewine]

Thanks Dan

I found a lovely little thing called a stencil cutter (which is really just a wood burner with a set of very fine tips). You can pick them up at art stores for ten or fifteen dollars. All I do is transfer the letters to the leather with tracing film and a stylus, then go over the impressions with the fine point of the stencil cutter. It goes through the leather like butter after it's had time to warm up. As you can see, it allows for very fine detail.

Schno:

absolutely beautiful!

BTW,I did get the stencil cutter at AC Moore today- used one of their 50%-off coupons, & paid a grand total of $8.47 [incl PA state sales tax]. Basically I bought it for the 2 tips, as my other 2 wood/leatherburners don't have as fine of tips as the tips on this unit.

Again, beautiful work, guy!

russ

[TomSwede]

That is a sweet piece Schno!!!

Love the lettering, looks like that stncil cutter pays off!!

Tom

[SunshineNative]

Just a quick note to add my accolades as well. My initial reaction is HOLY TOLEDO! That is awesome!

MY oh my!

oh wait, my second and third reactions are the same!!!

Good work!!

[ghostrider812]

Dude, I am so impressed! I am very new to leatherwork and my stuff really sucks. LOL I havent gotten the nerve to post a pic yet. It's improved somewhat but not good enough. I have spent thousands of dollars on tools and I have burneds alot hours tooling, sewing and molding leather. It's work like yours that continues to motivate me. I look forward to your post.