zissou

zissou- those look very fine. The front-runner. But now you're out of menial tasks, aren't you?

Thanks, riff. Yeah, I am out of renovation work, but I have plenty of friends who need help with theirs

SELA party looks epic. It would have been great to meet you guys, not to mention Mr. Loiron himself!

Cheers, Fre$co.

That's very kind of you, Ranon. It'll be fun to have you on here, ADH, but I hope ranon still frequents the thread, for sure.

Best pairs I've seen. I love how different they look.

That's the best, beats You look great in that Boys Club thermal.

That jacket!

Fantastic suspenders, Hollows. They are also on my list of things to make myself. I was planning on making mine out of Chromexcel, with just the back strap in elastic. I have a pair of Brit military suspenders that I was going to cannibalize for webbing and hardware. Soon, hopefully...

My ConexRoys had stretched a ton, and were pretty disgusting from renovation work and moving over the course of a couple of hot days. So, I decided to give them their second hand wash in the tub. Here are my 5 month updates, post wash and a little wear:

The outline of my wallet is coming through pretty well.

Alright! I now have internet access at home, so I should be able to keep up with this thread a little better. Amazing that it took ten days to come out for ten minutes and turn it on. First order of business, of course, is check this thread.

The Clerk- that is so cool. I can remember thinking Adam Ant was the shit when I was a kid.

dkatz- I'd like to add my voice to the congratulations! That's quite an amazing accomplishment, and you sure are tough for getting through it all. I can't wait to see your travel updates.

Mike- that is one HELL of a burger!

Roy6- very impressive! I had been viewing your photos on my phone, and they look even better in larger format

My Roys had stretched a ton, and were pretty disgusting from renovation work and moving over the course of a couple of hot days. So, I decided to give them their second hand wash in the tub. Here are my 5 month updates, post wash and a little wear:

The outline of my wallet is coming through pretty well.

Exciting! Congratulations on the offer, whether or not you take it! Is your daughter still of the age where that would be "cool" or are you entering "lame" territory yet?

Thanks! It definitely would be exciting, as it's something I love doing. It would only be part time, so the hard part is trying to figure out how to make it work with my other job, which is full time. I'm going to try going to 3/4 time on that job, as long as I don't lose my benefits! I'm definitely still cool. It would be for grades 4-8, and she was disappointed it wasn't third also. I had to remind her that she would eventually be in fourth grade.

OK, I finally managed to figure out the best combination of iphone photos>upload via app>post on work computer, so here's a montage of my past couple of weeks>

Bakery, of course

Hand dyed bandanas at the Farmer's Market

Win at Mouse trap

Build robotic lizard (Wiring mishap leads to it only walking backwards)

Move tons of shit.

To the new house!

Who needs a time machine when you can just have a 'map to fucher'?

The future is right in my back yard! I never would have guessed.

Helped a friend demolish his basement.

Will post some proper update photos soon, but here's a blurry teaser

Markus- that is likely the greatest father/son photo I have ever seen.

I should almost be on Roy6's list, at least for the past few weeks. Life should catch up this weekend, and I should have Internet service again on Monday so I don't have to do everything on my stinking phone.

Meanwhile, my Roys and I are sitting in the dark of my new living room, contemplating today's offer to be the field biology teacher at my daughter's school. It's only a block away from the new house

Jeans look great fre$co. Don't you all mean 5 month update??

I'm envious of your garden! Spring was so late here, plus I moved, so it didn't make sense for em to grow much. The local gardener's market will suffice, though.

^Nice, Corter. I have been thinking that I need a decent lunch bag, so I may whip up something simple.

I always love it when coleslawyum posts in this thread. Great work!

I'd prefer a fanny to a bum any day. Ahem....

That's highly subjective.

Indeed!

In case anyone is interested, my Roys have some new neighbours:

Beautiful boots! Whites? I didn't know they did a half sole. I want some black cap toes pretty badly.

God, I hope they taste better than they look

^Thanks, as always, ringring.

That's the coolest onesie I've ever seen TG76 Great photos, Paul and Roy6, and good workin' in the Roys, Shortylong!

I've been snapping photos with my phone lately, but I am behind due to an overly stressful life. BUT, I moved almost everything out of my old house and into my new house yesterday! I'm back at my old house doing some major cleaning today.

The Roys are absolutely nasty at the moment, and will get another wash and photos this week....

^Love it, hollows.

Thanks for the breakdown, ItsJustNC. It looks like the newer ones have a visible U-shaped seam on the back, but it's still not stitched. Pretty impressive, nonetheless. What kid of glue would be that reliable?

Daniel! That belt! You've inspired me to leave mine in the sun for a few days to catch up since it's been such a cloudy, cold spring here.

^Oh, speaking of patterns, I use good ol' graphing paper. It makes patterning so easy.

I'm mesmerized by the construction of these Il Bussetto coin pouches. It looks like the lid snaps down over the pouch, and there is no stitching. How is this even possible??

...Master

I think pretty much any business in which it is one person making goods by hand will either have small profit margins or small quantities. Even higher end goods, like shoes, can only be produced in a small quantity by one person. Think of Julian of Julian Boots- every time I see photos of the guy, he's wearing the same outfit of clothes. Maybe it's a choice, but I doubt he's rolling in dough.

As for Tanner Goods, I believe it's a few guys, and they've been fortunate enough to have great marketing and/or visibility. Loads of retail shops carry their belts at least. In my opinion, and I apologize for stepping on anyone's toes, the hardware they use is relatively inexpensive, and it looks like relatively little time is put into construction (e.g., a couple of snaps instead of stitching, wire keeper instead of leather keeper, etc.). That said, they produce large quantities at wholesale prices, have a few guys working there, and now have a shop to pay for. So, I doubt they're rolling in dough either.

Bottom line? I doubt any one person is getting rich off of making belts themselves.

I think pretty much any business in which it is one person making goods by hand will either have small profit margins or small quantities. Even higher end goods, like shoes, can only be produced in a small quantity by one person. Think of Julian of Julian Boots- every time I see photos of the guy, he's wearing the same outfit of clothes. Maybe it's a choice, but I doubt he's rolling in dough.

As for Tanner Goods, I believe it's a few guys, and they've been fortunate enough to have great marketing and/or visibility. Loads of retail shops carry their belts at least. In my opinion, and I apologize for stepping on anyone's toes, the hardware they use is relatively inexpensive, and it looks like relatively little time is put into construction (e.g., a couple of snaps instead of stitching, wire keeper instead of leather keeper, etc.). That said, they produce large quantities at wholesale prices, have a few guys working there, and now have a shop to pay for. So, I doubt they're rolling in dough either.

Bottom line? I doubt any one person is getting rich off of making belts themselves.

Brian, I started selling on Etsy, and it has treated me well. The best thing was having a few items featured on blogs, which I think brings in most of the traffic. The income has given me some money for clothes or home improvements without having to dip into my paycheck or savings.

My advice for anyone wanting to sell something is to just take it slowly. Honestly, it took me about a year of making goods for friends before I was truly happy with my items and felt like selling them to other people. Still, there is always more room for improvement, better leathers, etc.

I'm definitely not as into it (or as brave) as Corter, but then again, I have a mortgage and young child. I enjoy my day job, and it has great benefits. So, leather goods will always just be a hobby for me.

Also, be selective as to what you make. I don't make every little thing that people ask me to. Any time someone asks me to make a wallet, I just send them to Hollows or Corter, depending on what they want. I also don't make iPhone or ipad cases, because there are a million other options out there.

The couple times I've done wholesale, I've pretty much regretted it for the reasons Corter mentioned. I hate making 20 of the same exact thing. Although, there is something to be said for the efficiency of assembly line production.

Brian, I started selling on Etsy, and it has treated me well. The best thing was having a few items featured on blogs, which I think brings in most of the traffic. The income has given me some money for clothes or home improvements without having to dip into my paycheck or savings.

My advice for anyone wanting to sell something is to just take it slowly. Honestly, it took me about a year of making goods for friends before I was truly happy with my items and felt like selling them to other people. Still, there is always more room for improvement, better leathers, etc.

I'm definitely not as into it (or as brave) as Corter, but then again, I have a mortgage and young child. I enjoy my day job, and it has great benefits. So, leather goods will always just be a hobby for me.

Also, be selective as to what you make. I don't make every little thing that people ask me to. Any time someone asks me to make a wallet, I just send them to Hollows or Corter, depending on what they want. I also don't make iPhone or ipad cases, because there are a million other options out there.

The couple times I've done wholesale, I've pretty much regretted it for the reasons Corter mentioned. I hate making 20 of the same exact thing. Although, there is something to be said for the efficiency of assembly line production.

How about a price drop? These are beautiful trousers!

Looks like a taped seam that is fraying apart?

This thread literally makes me drool every time.

Was going to say, Roy6, that I swear I had seen something like that on curtains or old hand towels...