onefinebob Report post Posted May 5, 2015 (edited) Hi there! My name is Bob, and I'm new to the forum. I've recently delved into a little bit of leatherwork, and I was pointed to this site by Joyce from Black River Laser. She has been wonderful to work with, and provided me with a template for the design. My idea is to combine a leather guitar pick holder with a custom cross-stitched design. Here's my second attempt at putting it together! The image is representative of Smith Mountain Lake in Virgina, where my parents are building a house. I'd be happy to hear any thoughts on how to improve. This is my second attempt with a keychain, and it's drastically better than the first! Thanks, Bob Edited May 5, 2015 by onefinebob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halitech Report post Posted May 5, 2015 nice design idea overall. 1 thing I would change is instead of using a line 16 or larger snap would be to go with a glove snap. They are smaller and would be more suited to the size of the project.Looks like you used the eyeball method for stitching. I would invest in either a stitching wheel or pricking irons to get your stitches more evenly spaced. I would also work on getting the stitches more consistently placed from the edge. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TRHLeather Report post Posted May 5, 2015 I like the idea of of the cross stitch inlay. Another piece of constructive criticism, try some sandpaper on the edges. It not only takes off any bumps where you cut but will even out the two layers of leather. Nice job! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onefinebob Report post Posted May 5, 2015 Hi, thanks for the thoughts! Tom, any suggestion for what roughness of sandpaper to use? Evening things out would be great. Halitech, I'll look into smaller snaps, and thanks for the stitching suggestions too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TRHLeather Report post Posted May 5, 2015 I have a couple of blocks made up with stick on sanding discs at 150 grit. It just removes the little bumps and peaks from cutting. It took me a while to start sanding but it has made a drastic improvement on my finished product. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
onefinebob Report post Posted May 6, 2015 That's great - I'll give it a try on the next keychain I do. I'll have to put some on a pencil or something small to do the inside of the window for the cross stitch. i'll post pictures! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
