Sunburst Color Belt

[Allan1972]

A friend commissioned me to make this belt for her husband(it is inspired from a dog collar I made).

It is light weight saddle skirting(about12-13oz) with 3-4oz deertan cow hide lining. You can probably tell it is hand sewn.

Did not know what to charge as this was the first belt I have sold, she gave me $100…..

Feel it was a fair price but I would feel better about it if I stitched it on a machine, would have saved 3- 4 hours work(I need a sewing machine, don't know how much longer my shoulders will last. It is a lot of thread to pull for an 8 foot run, about 30 feet.

Thanks for viewing

Allan

[MonicaJacobson]

Hey Allan, it looks great! You should check etsy prices for a basic ballpark figure. I would be tempted to charge more like $150 - 200 for something like that, but I'm also really bad at charging my friends what I should charge. Also, I haven't sold any belts at all.... so I'm not really sure what the norm is.

[dnd]

That looks great. Your price is right on. I sell lots of belts and I charge 75 for border stamp. I also know of someone with a sewing machine for sale. That will make your life lots easier

[Basically Bob]

I really like the belt and would love to be able to nail a burst effect like that.

When I first started, I sold my projects to friends for just a little more than the cost of materials. I am now confident with my skills and charge 60.00 for a plain belt with nothing on it. (Stitched on buckle and keeper.) i wouldn't flinch in selling that belt for $200.00 if you had one or two of the technical aspects nailed.

[RiverCity]

Looks great!

Out of curiosity, why so thick? Gun belt?

Chuck

[Allan1972]

Hey Allan, it looks great! You should check etsy prices for a basic ballpark figure. I would be tempted to charge more like $150 - 200 for something like that, but I'm also really bad at charging my friends what I should charge. Also, I haven't sold any belts at all.... so I'm not really sure what the norm is.

I was happy to make this belt for my friend at this price but I sure would not rush to get more of this work at this price. I would be ok with this price if it was machine stitched. Thanks for the info on pricing Monica.

That looks great. Your price is right on. I sell lots of belts and I charge 75 for border stamp. I also know of someone with a sewing machine for sale. That will make your life lots easier

Do you line the belt at $75? I could see that price for unlined.

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Where is the sewing machine located?

I really like the belt and would love to be able to nail a burst effect like that.

When I first started, I sold my projects to friends for just a little more than the cost of materials. I am now confident with my skills and charge 60.00 for a plain belt with nothing on it. (Stitched on buckle and keeper.) i wouldn't flinch in selling that belt for $200.00 if you had one or two of the technical aspects nailed.

Thanks for the comment on the sunburst effect, I am starting to get it down pretty good for not airbrushing it.

I am a bit confused by your comment…..

Are you saying I could charge $200, or are you saying I could charge $200 if I had some more technical aspects nailed down. If the later what do you feel I can improve:)

Looks great!

Out of curiosity, why so thick? Gun belt?

Chuck

Thanks Chuck…..

I am really just pretty new to this, that belt is the 6th I have made and I am liking the heavy leather. I don't really know what the standard weight is, so just kinda experimenting. I found 8oz to be too light, 10oz just right, 13oz a bit on the heavy side but I like it.

This belt is for a farmer and he carries stuff on his belt when he is working. I suspect he won't be wearing it while doing chores anytime soon;)

Allan

[Basically Bob]

Allan, I guess what I was trying to say is that you belt looks amazing and that you should be looking to the top end of the scale. (And I wouldn't flinch at $200.00.

The details that I think would take it to another level is splitting down the buckle turn over and belt loop to reduce unecessary bulk.

Bob

[dnd]

The sewing machine is around Montgomery AL at the Twisted Spur. Yes all of my belts are doubled and stitched Herman oak. Go with whatever thickness feels right to you. I have found 8-9 lined with 3-4 to be my favorite or 9-10 lined with 2-3.

As far as price is concerned. You can always charge more, but think about this every item you make is a learning experience. If you are still new to this you are better to put out 10 belts at $100 this year and learn 10 times than 1 belt at $200 and only learn once. You can check out some of my stuff at dndleather.com for reference.

[OdinUK]

Very nicely done and oozes quality. What finish did you use inside and out?

[Bob Blea]

I think your belt looks fantastic. I'm not a belt maker but I definitely think it is worth more than $100. It looks like a quality belt, a lot better than much of what you will find at a department store men's department.

[Allan1972]

Allan, I guess what I was trying to say is that you belt looks amazing and that you should be looking to the top end of the scale. (And I wouldn't flinch at $200.00.

The details that I think would take it to another level is splitting down the buckle turn over and belt loop to reduce unecessary bulk.

Bob

Thank you for the amazing comment. I was thinking $150-200 . I have tried skiving down the end around the buckle, but not on this one. I would like to get one of those spliters, as it takes a bit of time to get it even with a head knife.

[Allan1972]

The sewing machine is around Montgomery AL at the Twisted Spur. Yes all of my belts are doubled and stitched Herman oak. Go with whatever thickness feels right to you. I have found 8-9 lined with 3-4 to be my favorite or 9-10 lined with 2-3.

As far as price is concerned. You can always charge more, but think about this every item you make is a learning experience. If you are still new to this you are better to put out 10 belts at $100 this year and learn 10 times than 1 belt at $200 and only learn once. You can check out some of my stuff at dndleather.com for reference.

I think the sewing machine would be pretty expensive to ship to Canada and I am not sure on what duties would be. You could PM me on what the machine is and the price. I am sure it will be out of my means but can't hurt to see.

I checked out your site, lots of nice items there. I have been charging less as I want to get my name and work in the hands of some people.

Thanks for the info on pricing and the weight of leather you are using.

Very nicely done and oozes quality. What finish did you use inside and out?

thanks Odin,

-The base colour of the belt is ecoflow antique saddle tan.

-The edge of the belt is dyed using a paint brush solid and then dry brushed towards the centre with dark brown ecoflow pro water based dye.

-The sides are black ecoflow pro water based dye.

-The finishing step is two coats of ecoflow supersheen.

-The sides are bunished dampening the leather with water and saddle soap, then waxed and burnished.

I think your belt looks fantastic. I'm not a belt maker but I definitely think it is worth more than $100. It looks like a quality belt, a lot better than much of what you will find at a department store men's department.

Thanks Bob,

I had a hard time giving this one up, it was nice to look at. Luckily it was about 10" too small for me

[snubbyfan]

Very nice, I like the color. I just finished hand stitching a matching double layer belt and holster. The belt's 2 layers of 9 ounce.

For a tool belt I made a 2 1/2" wide belt out of 13 ounce leather.

[Allan1972]

snubbyfan,

There is just something about a super heavy belt…….

you either love it or you wonder why it is so heavy:)

I am a fan of heavy belts/guitar straps/cuffs.

Allan

[snubbyfan]

Yup, my own personal belt with a solid stainless steel roller buckle. It's also 2 layers of 9 ounce, hand stitched.

[Allan1972]

Yup, my own personal belt with a solid stainless steel roller buckle. It's also 2 layers of 9 ounce, hand stitched.

Very nice.

I am just researching sewing machines(441's) as my shoulders can't take many more long hand sewing projects.

Got $2300CND but seems I am about $1000 short still:(

Allan

[Wulfing]

I'm a beginner but noted your comment on pricing. I've decided to create a costing sheet for each item. It includes a price per squared centimeter for leather. a fixed hourly rate x how many hours, an estimate for dyes , a standard charge for stitching per 20 cm, an estimate for any hardware, a standard extra charge for tooling/carving and the fees from ebay/etsy. I also add 4 % to cover the costs of mistakes, offcuts, gifts and tool purchases etc. This way all my products are charged fairly without the need to guess and my customers will see consistency in my costs. I've only done a few pieces so far but hopefully it will work out!