hello from brazil!

[cris]

hello, everyone!

i'm cristiane, a fashion student from brazil. i've always been fascinated with leather, but didn't have the courage to work with it, as it's one of the hardest things to sew, and expensive as well. one day, i've stumbled on a tooled leather piece photo on the net and was blown away. from that point on, i've searched everything i could find on the web about tooling leather and this is how i found this forum. i cannot thank everyone here enough for sharing your knwoledge, this place really helped me a lot, since there isn't anyone arround for me to learn from.

thank you very very much and nice meeting you all!

ps. forgive the bad english.

here's my first mask and leather corset, which will be part of my graduation collection for fashion college.

[rdb]

You should graduate Magna Cum Laude with that work!

Nice job, and welcome to the Forum. I love seeing what Design people come up with. It furthers the Craft, and that's a good thing.

How did you shape that soft leather into a molded mask? Is it batting, or a form?

[ArtS]

Cristiane,

You speak (well write) English better than most of us!

Your work is beautiful! I can see that we'll be learning a lot from you too!

Where did you get the closures on that corset? I've never seen any like that.

Welcome.

Art

Edited September 23, 2008 by ArtS

[Luke Hatley]

CRIS............welcome .....your work is awsum.......how did you do the cutouts ?

[BillB]

Cris,

welcome to the Forum. Very nice work. Now that you have made your presence know in a very stunning way, I hope you will join in and share with us your knowledge on fashion. It is also clear from your work that you understand the process of developing an item, making the pattern and producing a final high quality product. I look forward to see more of your work.

Again, Welcome

BillB

[Drac]

are you sure those are your first mask and corset? those are both stunning pieces! with the mask, did you overlay patent over vegtan? if so (or if not) what was your process of doing it?

[cris]

rdb- thank you for your kind words! the leather used is arround 3-4oz, i've shaped it using a bone folder, at the nose bit i tooled the fleur de lis design then used the ball point stylus on the back. the areas where it has ridges i gently tapped the leather with a mallet over the edge of a round object then allowed it to dry over a round surface, except for the nose area that i blow-dried it into shape.

art- thank you very much! the corset closure is called busk and can be found on corset making supplies. there are several in the us, i have purchased a few from us shops. this one i got on ebay. there are different types of busks and each for a specific need. if you need more info on it i'll be happy to help.

luke- thanks! the cut outs were made using a surgeon's scalpel #12 (it's the best shape of blade for this i think).

billb- thank you! any question regarding drafting patterns, sewing and finishing a garment i'll be happy to help!

drac- first mask and first leather corset (i've made fabric corsets previously). the mask is veg tan dyed using the vinegar mix and then a light coat of black dye, nf oil and finished with several thick coats of lacquer.

Edited September 24, 2008 by cris

[Drac]

cris

ah! the laquer is what was throwing me off. it made it look like you used patent leather. again, great job on both pieces! I hope to one day be able to do corsets too.

[TwinOaks]

Belo trabalho. Você tem o futuro brilhante com o couro.

[Davy]

Excellent work Cris . Attention to detail always makes for a perfectly finished product which is what you've shown us here . If the scalpel works for you , which it obviously does , disregard what I say next . I've found that bootmakers hand clicking knives can cut fine detailed cutouts better than anything Ive used . Not only that , you can shape the blades yourself to suit light leathers or heavy leathers using hacksaw blades with good quality steel ( the brittle ones are best ) Anyhow keep doing what your doing it looks mighty fine . Welcome ! Dave .

[TomSwede]

Hi and welcome Cris!

That mask with fleur de lis is awsome, there's some really good maskmakers here so your in good company and that corsette..WOW!!, don't see to much of those here but maybe that is because I don't frequent the adult area??

Nice introduction!!

Tom

[cris]

twin oaks - muito obrigada pelos elogios!

dave- thank you! and thanks for the tip! i chose to work with scalpel blades because they're cheap and easy to find here, clicking knives would require importing which raises the cost a lot. it's a big struggle to find leatherworking tools where i am, most of them i end up importing so i have to go for cheapest option whenever there's a possibility.

tom- thanks! the mask makers here are a true inspiration, i'm so glad i found this forum.

[leatheroo]

hi cris, i saw your corset over on deviantart and was hoping the maker was a member here..love both pieces..using lacquer on the mask is a great idea..welcome

[Kowboyboots]

Chris, the corset is beautiful, love it. I would love to see more of your work.

Good luck in finishing school, I give you an A+

Your English is as good as some of us that live here, LOL! (laugh out loud)

Kathy

[cris]

thanks, leatheroo! i'm a big fan of your work!

and thank you very much, kathy!