Three day weekend - productive

Lots of progress over the long weekend. I had plenty of time and very few distractions, so the latest wallet is ready to be sealed, have the hardware attached and sew it together. A bout of serious web surfing revealed a new source for chain, and a very unique solid brass chain has been ordered to adorn both this and the possum wallet.

Here's a progress shot of the possum/skull wallet, with all tooling and dyeing complete and ready for sewing:

And here's where things are now. The wallet and belt loop are both complete, now I just need to order an appropriate chain to connect the two.

One of the projects that's been on the back burner for a long time is making myself an awl. I've had the awl haft for a few months now, and have had the ebony blank for a number of years, but never made the time to put the two together...until today. Finally, I dragged out the belt sander and made an appropriate handle, inserted the awl haft and voila:

Also started the next wallet today. This one will be of Baphomet, and here's a shot of the design with the interior pieces transferred to the hide:

Both of these wallets have yet to be claimed....

Measuring tape case

As promised, here is the measuring tape case. Simple, effective, and possibly useful only to me. Also in progress is another biker/trucker wallet, and this one isn't promised to anyone as of yet.

Working, working

My last post referred to a new case for a dressmakers tape measure, and I seem to remember promising photos of its completion. Well, forget about that, because the first version was terrible. Too small, which made it too hard to snap shut and distorted the shape. So I made another, better one, that will allow me to place my signature stamp in a better location. Once again, pictures will be arriving later.

I did finally get off my lazy rear end and post some of my inventory to my Etsy store. The two front pocket wallets with the racing stripes are new, and were just finished the other day, but the tampon cases have been laying around for months. The idea was to create a new page in my 'proper' website, just for these, but that never did happen. So, let's see how they fare amongst the Etsy crowd:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/orfeet

I've made custom versions of these, but want to see how the plain ones sell before offering the option for customizing.

Latest project

Last night was spent working on a new project for myself, that could be useful to other creative types as well. Ever since the belts that I make became somewhat popular I've found myself with the need to carry around a dressmakers tape measure. I just rolled it up, placed it in a small plastic bag and thought nothing of it, and would be prepared to take someones measurement if they expressed interest in ordering a belt. However, while browsing for wallet inspiration recently I came across a Japanese leather brand that made a small case strictly for the purpose of carrying just such an item. Their product is lovely, but is a two-piece affair, and I thought the design could be simplified and still be useful. So I created my own version....which isn't pictured here, as I forgot to photograph it. It's also a prototype, and not really a finished version, but pictures will be posted as soon as a nicer version is complete.

Changing things around

It's time to resurrect this blog, as there's a lot of information I'd like to share that doesn't necessarily need to clutter up my official site. Officially this will be where I can keep clients up to date on my progress, what projects I'm working on, who is next in line for their commission, etc., but also where I can post photos of works in progress or of things that don't really fit into a leatherwork or painting category. So, onward to the updates.

Projects that are complete and are waiting on the client:

Paul C. - bottle opener belt.

Mark H. - robot wallet. Also, let's talk soon about your bookbinding tool project.

Sandra Z. - tentacle bracelet.

Who's next in line:

David A. - belt(s) and bar mats (let me know when you've got time to meet.)

Ongoing:

Still creating some inventory, to stock my Etsy store and to keep busy while I'm in between commissions. What I'm working on is mostly wallets, but will probably expand that to include bracelets and cuffs. Recently I finished a batch of brass teeth, and there are seven of these available:


These would make excellent necklace pendants, key fobs, decorations for wallet chains, or whatever else you can think of.