almac Report post Posted January 13, 2011 i have been considering buying a few craftaids from TLF. are they really worth it? do craftaids have any advantages over tracing your own patterns? thanks guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted January 13, 2011 For the artisically challenge or new leather crafters, I believe they are the best way to start out. After a while, it will hinder your ability to develop your own skills. Unless you are an intern of some master who is providing you with lessons on your own designs would be my exception to the above statement. I own a lot of craftaids, but I have not use them in over two years since I started to try to learn my own designing. Just my .02 cents. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted January 13, 2011 Get a few to start out (if you are just starting out) just because of the directions. Get a few of the letter sets, you can always use those, even if you have been doing it awhile. Art i have been considering buying a few craftaids from TLF. are they really worth it? do craftaids have any advantages over tracing your own patterns? thanks guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
almac Report post Posted January 21, 2011 thanks for the replies. i was curious about them, because i see them on sale at TLF frequently... the belt craft aids are pretty cheap, so i guess a few dollars would be dollars well spent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
budd4766 Report post Posted January 21, 2011 I still use 'em where I can. Just for the ease of use. Only problem with them is, it's really tough to modify them if you want something slightly different than what they're made for. Like, you can't scale them up or down to different sizes. But, they're quick and easy, and if they fit what you're trying to get your project to look like, then they're great! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Billy P Report post Posted January 21, 2011 You can use carbon paper from an office supply and rub them just like on leather and then scale them as needed. I use them because I can hardly draw astraight line with a ruler. I don't use them alot, but I still use them. Billy P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mack Report post Posted January 21, 2011 i have been considering buying a few craftaids from TLF. are they really worth it? do craftaids have any advantages over tracing your own patterns? thanks guys. I agree with Kings X and a couple of others that I read. Once you have familiarity with the tools and what they do, the craftaids will be more of a hindrance than a help. And you don't necessarily have to be great at drawing to do some interesting stuff on your own. I use images from the internet that I find interesting, crop and combine them with other elements, resize that image on the computer, there's a lot you can do to express your own creativity (something I cherish) and not rely on the standard patterns that TLF has been selling over and over again for years. For me, the one exception might be western style belts,, but even there, I would want to perhaps customize with a name and unique font. If you're starting out, I would recommend you practice with them as it's faster to getting yourself to the carving and tooling. But, once you have your skills up, I think you'll find most templates unsatisfying for what you want to do. and that's my $0.02 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
