kaerkes Report post Posted April 30, 2015 Hi! This is my first post showing some of our work. Bag and earrings with monarch butterfly pattern. Everything by pure hand. Hope you like it and every critique is more than wellcome! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rohn Report post Posted April 30, 2015 Your work is absolutely beautiful. The only thing I would have done different is my lacing. I would have used the triple loop stitch or the Mexican round braid. The butterfly is done very nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted April 30, 2015 Very nice work.....I will be teaching a butterfly class locally next month. Keep it up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaerkes Report post Posted May 1, 2015 Thank you for the answers! And Rohn i abolutely agree with your comment, the bag whould loook much better with an elaborate lacing like you say. The fact is here in my country it is very hard to sell this items with its truly price, just the tooling and colouring the butterfly takes me a lot of hours, if i spend more time lacing the piece will become a "luxury item" a few people could buy. Conclusion: i have to practice and improve all my skills to work faster to be able to increase the quality of my work with details like lacing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MonicaJacobson Report post Posted May 1, 2015 Very nice bag! I really like how you planned in the spaces for the rivets on the d-ring keeper. You could skip the lacing entirely and stitch it. It doesn't take as long as lacing, but would still make it look like a higher quality item. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaerkes Report post Posted May 1, 2015 Thank you all for the feedback! I am truly fascinating with this forum, crowded of high quality leather artisans, i think all your knowledge would take my crafts to a new level! Monica: I enter in your shop and i have to say your work is impressive. Clean, elegant, original. And yes, in the future i will take seriously your advice and learn how to stitch properly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thor Report post Posted May 1, 2015 Nice bag kaerkes. But more than that I thing you've done a great job on the tooling, literally no walking marks. Thumbs up! Hey since you're living in northern Spain which should be well visited by the nearby French and all the Germans, you could target a bit towards the richer tourists. The Spaniards really aren't paying for your efforts. BTW. Are you getting your leather from the tannery in Andalusia? I'm looking for a contact into there. They have some really nice veg tan leather. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaerkes Report post Posted May 1, 2015 (edited) Thank you Thor! Your traditional carvings are awesome as well. And how to say about your log "cabin"... I love woodworking too and it is more than impressive. A god advice again respect the capitalist tourist, here the thing is bad in general, even worst for the artisans. The truth is that it is a very sad situation, we have to earn a living by having multiple jobs, we are artisans but farmers and pine resin harversters too!. Even working like beasts is definetly not easy to survive here. For that reason we have decide to expand our frontiers by open an etsy shop at the end of the year... About our leather: We have only one supplier, our man is Genaro, who represents now the 5th generation of his family tradition on leather tanning. Visiting his "tenería" is like walk into a past century where he manteins alive all the traition of veg tanning. He lives in a town at 30 kilometers of our village so it is not exactly the "andaluz" tan that you search but in our opinion his work whith the skin is magnifique. I give you your web, for sure the most modern tool that he uses: /www.elcurtidorartesano.com You can find the contact on the site, he dont speak english so if you have problems to contact just tell us! Edited May 1, 2015 by kaerkes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MonicaJacobson Report post Posted May 1, 2015 Thanks, Kaerkes - I really like the headbands you guys have made with the butterflies and flowers. Extremely attractive, and not something you usually see. Also, the mushroom carvings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaerkes Report post Posted May 2, 2015 Thank you monica! Mushrooms (specially boletus) are really easy to carve, just a few simple rounded lines and it become realistic with the colour. This tiara model is the fruit of lots of brain pains, searching how to do it clean and quick. Finally the solution was to attach the carved items into the lacing rope with simple sewing thread trough the holes on the flowers/butterflys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
