Skull filled Biker wallet

[Big Papa Leather]

OK, here is a picture of the Tandy Biker wallet kit I just finished. I had posted a question about liners in the How you do that folder. But I ran with scissors and did it my way ;)Alright, the kit was done pretty much like it was intended, however since I did the liner I used a whip stitch and had to hand sew a stiffener to hold the top of the liner on the back cash pocket. It wasn't until I was finished that I realize that I used the blue eye skull dude so much. The only part not lined is the "bellows internal pocket that makes up the two sides.It was finished using the Eco-Flo smoke black stain. It has a fresh coat of leather sheen that I hope will dull some as the idea was to make it look a bit worn. I have never carried such a wallet, man it is thick! I doubt I could ever wear it out though....I don't know how long it takes folks who do this for money, but I'd be headed "fo tha poe hawse" in a hurry if I was making these to sell! LOL!Anyway enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Edited October 23, 2008 by scissormedic

[howardb]

Dude, very nice tooling. You have GOT to learn lacing though. It's not hard, even a monkey like me can handle it. I always dreaded it & when I first started figured I'd never do it. All it takes is time. For rank beginners (like me), I like the tandy book pictured here:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/product...number=61906-00

It's very visually oriented and not hard to follow. Each step, start to finish is clearly illustrated, including splicing, starts & stops, joining, etc. IMHO, it's the best for learning to lace. I still leave it open in front of me while lacing.

A nice double loop would have dressed that up a bit. Still, not a bad looking result. Liner's cool too. Good luck on the lacing!

Brent

[JustWakinUp]

Hell yeah, that's bad ass. I love the fabric lining.

[Big Papa Leather]

Yes, lacing is my nemesis. I am embarassed, as I am ex-Navy, Volunteered as a Mountain Search and Rescue responder, and am still active in repelling. But I can not get that double loop lacing to look right!

Allen

[GregGaub]

I'm no master craftsman, but I can share a tip or two on double-loop lacing.

1) Maintain the proper orientation of your needle. I do this by threading the lace through the hole, carefully pulling it through and avoiding knots, then I loop through the lace, again, carefully avoiding knots, leaving BOTH of these loose, such that I can literally put my finger through the loops. Then I park the needle in the NEXT hole, and carefully pull the two loops tight. Then I repeat. You have to watch the lace like a hawk to avoid twisting, especially if the holes are pre-punched or oversize for whatever reason. Of course, practice helps.

2) the easiest thing to make ugly is the final tie-in steps for a continuous lacing. Here, the trick is that you need to REMOVE SEVERAL holes worth of the start of your lacing so that the angles of your lace match up. Be careful with your tool as you pull the lace the last time so that you don't take too much of the loop you're going to use for the last step. If you allow it to get too small, you won't have an even looking transition from finish to start.

Other than that, and following the excellent Tondy book by the Stohlman's, it's all about practice.

once you get the basic double-loop, the two-tone is a hoot to do and looks awesome.

-Greg