Making a clamshell box

One of the tasks at my day job is the creation of custom enclosures for items that need housing. It doesn't come up very often but when it does it's a welcome change of pace and a nice challenge. I used to make clamshell/dropspine enclosures all day long at my first bindery job, but this is probably the third or fourth one I've made in the last ten years. This particular one was needed for a stack of wood-bound, accordion-fold books that were beautifully, but awkwardly, housed in a wooden box. It is a circulating item, so something a little more practical had to be created.

New wallet available

I've just completed this new biker wallet and for a change it is available and not already promised to anyone. It's tooled with imagery that is a twist of western floral, scrollwork and filigree, but with a ribcage, teeth and eyes thrown into the mix. Please visit my Etsy store for purchasing information.

Catching up

Another year down, and more work to show off. Most of this was commissioned for Xmas presents, so it had to be kept under wraps until after the holidays. Now that everyone has been gifted and is happy, it's time for blogging. First up is a beer-themed belt for a local brewer, complete with his brewery name and a matching sheath with a removable bottle opener:


You can't really see too well in the second photo, but the bottle opener has edge filing along all sides. Next is my contribution to the Arts and Drafts white elephant gift exchange - a versatile pouch/wallet. Two different colors of doe kidskin for the outer, and glazed pig skin for the interior:




Next is a front pocket wallet with hamscorpion (hamster/scorpion hybrid) imagery:


This wasn't exactly a holiday gift, but was a lot of fun to make. A carved brass skull bead with an opening large enough so it could be fitted to a dreadlock:



For the same lovely lady was the next item - a clutch purse. The outer is constructed of black doe kidskin and purple watersnake skin and the flap snaps shut with a magnetic closure:


The interior is constructed with veg-tanned leather and has many useful card and cash pockets. Plus there's a surprise when it's opened:

This small sheath is for one gorgeous folding knife:


And last but not least is a guitar strap for a local musician, in my favorite shade of rusty green:

Jacket mod and holster belt

Quite a while back my friend Doug asked me if I could modify his WWII bomber jacket. It had an elastic panel at the bottom which wrapped all the way around and cinched in at his waist, which he didn't like. It seemed like a pretty straightforward project, so I agreed to take it on. Between the time that I said yes and the time the project actually got underway, I acquired a Juki industrial sewing machine. It mostly sat neglected as I was working on hand sewing projects, but with this project it seemed like the perfect time to have a crash course with the Juki.

Using a seam ripper, I removed the elastic from the jacket, and then hand-sewed the panel of leather that was to be installed. After getting more acquainted with the sewing machine, it was then used to attach the panel to the jacket:


The finished result. Finding leather that matched the jacket proved to be quite a chore, but luckily there were some scraps in my leather pile that were pretty close:


At the same time, this gun holster belt was in process. It essentially duplicates an existing belt, but adds a few inches to the overall length to account for an expanded waistline:


Up next - the mad scramble to start and finish all the commissions that are intended to be Xmas gifts. I won't be discussing any of the details until after the holidays, just in case any of the recipients stumble across this site.

Recent work

This large zippered billfold was a birthday gift and a lot of fun to make. Deerskin for the exterior and veg-tanned leather for the interior. Squirrel imagery for the tooling, and the whole thing is topped off with a hand-carved brass acorn zipper pull. Right after constructing this I had a request for a belt bag, to be used for the Texas Renaissance Festival and also for possible daily wear. Here is the result:

New work

First up is a front pocket wallet, nice and simple, with just 3 pockets for cards and a clip for currency. Next are a couple of knife sheaths, one for my semi-custom William Morris friction folder:


and another for my Jens Anso kiridashi. It came with a great kydex sheath, but no clip. I created this leather one out of elk and sewed the kydex into the leather, that way the chisel ground edge won't cut into the leather.