"No One Will Notice!"

[troop]

As others have stated, your work is always beautiful. If it were me, I would probably carefully dye the rest of the thread on the back only with a small paintbrush to keep it from bleeding through to the front and then sell it on your website as an in stock item. You could still get full price as you would supply pictures up front and the customer would know exactly what they were getting (and would never know the difference). I would re-make another for the original customer because he/she is probably expecting white thread.

Just my .02

unless of course, your customer read this thread...then they would know it was a fix....lol. Rob is right however, if you dye sparingly a couple of coats it won't soak through. i too have had this issue and have a box full of minor little defects. but i always remember that even if i give it away at a discounted price or even for free. my name is on it and i don't want others who see the customer wearing it thinking that any defect is my standard.

Tony

[Bronson]

On a related note how are you dying the edges that you had it drip down the back?

I've started using the method that Al Stohlman recommends in one of his books and it works great. Get a piece of thick felt and put a hunk in clothespin or binder clip. Dip the felt in the dye and when you run it over the edge it conforms to the shape and dyes the entire edge evenly and with one swipe. No muss, no fuss.

Bronson

[dickf]

Man, you're never going to stitch that thing well since it's been through the oven and has bends in the wings - at least, not with the machine. I'd discount it and remake it, but that's just my .02

[particle]

Last night, I yanked out the stitching and re-stitched it. It was pretty difficult at first to remove the thread, as the two coats of Satin Sheen had helped to hold the thread in place. Plus, it was pretty hard to hold steady since it's so curvy now, which made re-stitching it even more difficult since it was hard to hold steady in my stitching pony. There was quite a bit of resistance at times, but I was still able to hand sew without having to resort to pliers. Turned out well, looks as good or better than before, and I can comfortably send it to the client and not have to make another one.

My wife walked into the garage and asked what I was doing. I cowered behind my bench (not really...) and told her you folks told me to do it!

On a related note how are you dying the edges that you had it drip down the back?

I use a dauber dipped in a little cup of dye. I burnish first with water to smooth the edge, then apply the dye in the direction of the grain so it goes on smoothly. I just had a little too much dye on my dauber and it dripped.

[Deanimator]

I know what you mean about perfectionism. I've got three holsters I'm reluctant to try to sell to strangers because I'm unhappy with the results of the EcoFlo dye, even after multiple coats. I suspect these holsters are going to replace the Don Hume 715Ms I have.

When you're hand stitching, I suppose you're selling higher quality.

[Mark Garrity]

Eric,

Looks like you solved the problem and this is concluded, but in the event of a similar future dilema, the question I always ask myself is "Would you want this one single item to be a representative sample of your work, if the customer that purchased it was showing that one item to a friend and potential future customer?" If the answer is "No" then time for a re-do, or in your case here a re-stitch. Beautiful work, by the way.

[particle]

Thanks Mark - I agree completely. I tend to be overly critical of my own work. In a business situation, this isn't always a good thing. Good for obvious reason, but bad if you are overly analytical and it ultimately affects the profitability of the company. I felt this was one of those times when it was best to fix it than to ship it out

as-is. My wife didn't agree, but I'm glad the good folks here did!

[abn]

I suppose I'm in the minority when I say that I expect every single thing I produce to have at least one minor flaw. I've learned to live with and even admire these flaws as tributes to the imperfect nature of doing handwork using natural materials. I call them "birthmarks" -- since everyone on earth is born with a minor blemish or two. That's what makes my work "human" -- if I were interested in perfection, I'd let a machine do my work for me. Now, I'll draw the line at major defects, like design flaws or functional problems, but I let some of the cosmetic stuff ride. Perfect is no fun... It's much more interesting to be unique.

Which brings to mind the story of a famous woodworker -- I believe it was Sam Maloof -- who produced a masterpiece dresser that was perfect in every regard. He finished it off by driving an ugly iron nail into the interior and smashing it down into a twisted knot, much to the dismay of his shop staff. That single act turned "furniture" into art. Something to think about I guess when considering the concept of defects and how they're seen by others...

[whinewine]

I suppose I'm in the minority when I say that I expect every single thing I produce to have at least one minor flaw. I've learned to live with and even admire these flaws as tributes to the imperfect nature of doing handwork using natural materials. I call them "birthmarks" -- since everyone on earth is born with a minor blemish or two. That's what makes my work "human" -- if I were interested in perfection, I'd let a machine do my work for me. Now, I'll draw the line at major defects, like design flaws or functional problems, but I let some of the cosmetic stuff ride. Perfect is no fun... It's much more interesting to be unique.

Something to think about I guess when considering the concept of defects and how they're seen by others...

Some artists always leave something unfinished or undone in their works- some sort of flaw, if you will, that sets their work apart from being machine made.

[abn]

Some artists always leave something unfinished or undone in their works- some sort of flaw, if you will, that sets their work apart from being machine made.

And I've heard the practice is fairly common in the Muslim world. The expert craftsmen who do the tile and glass work in the mosques apparently always add a misshapen or off-color piece into their massive designs... The implied message is that only God is perfect.