Leathercrafting Creations: PYC

[john m]

ItsJustNC the bag and the belt are really beautiful ,the bag remind me of a school teacher bag or something ...i think i'm gonna make one for myself inspired by yours .

simontuntelder, OIL tanned leather are really nice to work with ....but like the blackgoat said it is very hard to get a good burnished edge ,

So when i use this kind of leather i prefer to cut the edge very clean and sand it a little, it gives a nice rugged look

I have already post this pic in there but this is a wallet i have made out of oil tanned leather

[hollowsleather]

I've got a couple of special projects in the works. One should be revealed really soon, the other is probably down the road a bit, but I wanted to share a little teaser:

Getting to work with some very interesting leathers!

[TheBlackGoat]

mmmmmm, looks like some W&C Bridle perhaps???? digging the pocket design.

working on photography from my website today. getting some cool pics.

[zissou]

Very clean work, schpacko!

I've been thinking about making myself a double ring belt for a while now, so I gave it a go the other day. I think the sizing is a little off on the first one. I could have gone another inch or two longer on the main part of the belt, and then shortened the reverse end.

The rings I'm using are rather hefty.

I thought I'd add a keeper at the transition. It works rather well, but it's a little difficult to run the keeper through all of the belt loops when putting the belt on or taking it off. It's not bad on standard jeans belt loops, though. I think it all needs a little adjustment!

[hollowsleather]

mmmmmm, looks like some W&C Bridle perhaps???? digging the pocket design.

Good guess, but nooooope

Photos are looking great, TBG.

Zissou that's a great ring belt, I've been thinking more and more about trying one of those.

[ItsJustNC]

Same here.! I've already got me a paor of silver rings.! Planning to make a black set out of them.!

[ItsJustNC]

Question though, why does it have to have a "transition" point.?

[zissou]

Thanks, Hollows. I'm going to make another that is the right size for me this weekend. I find it's a little bit of a challenge to size them, because I can't be exact like with a regular belt.

NC- If you don't flip the leather over at some point just before the belt hits the rings, the end winds up being flesh side out after it goes through the two rings.

[ItsJustNC]

OH YEA... Makes sense. Hmm... Why don't you try a more seamless close this time.? Splice both ends, glue them shut and stitch them together.? Seems like its look much cleaner...

[zissou]

Ohhhh, now, you're talkin! I'll give that a try...

I was just thinking that leather crafting is the first hobby in a long time that I've truly practiced it at length and noticeably improved. It's nice to look at a belt I just stitched and think of how much I've improved since I first started.

[ItsJustNC]

Hobby's an understatement. More like an obsession.! Haha.!

[Bash]

Decided to stitch a single wrap bracelet today. Working on a double wrap right after this post.

[zissou]

Hobby's an understatement. More like an obsession.! Haha.!

I'm not quite ready to admit that yet If I obsess, it's about making a small amount of things very well. I feel like I am slowly getting there with some things.

For those of you curious about oil tanned cowhide, Tandy has brown sides on sale for $4/sqft. Not a bad price for trying it out.

[lazybum]

Couple of stuff completed over the past few weeks

"Octopus" Key Chain

Rounded profile classic style card case

A couple of stitched bracelets

And a couple of vinegaroon dyed double wraps

[marineabilly]

Decided to make a cover for my notepad while working on my stitching, etc.

[ItsJustNC]

Couple of stuff completed over the past few weeks

Sick burnishing.!

[simontuntelder]

When making a D-ring (or O-ring) belt, I have found that skiving the attaching ends makes it a lot less bulky.

And as a nice detail I like to take a hole punch and just press it on the leather to make an impression, and then you sew a round row of stitches to attatch the two straps.

Unfortunately I have sold off or donated all the D-ring belts, I have made, but when I make some new ones, I'll post some pics.

[TheBlackGoat]

Spent sometime this weekend Finishing up the photography for my little website.

need some constructive critique, any suggestions?

thanks guys

I rented a couple different lenes for the shoot, was really trying to capture the detail of my stitching and the grain of the leather.

[Happy Hooligan]

I think the photos look great. I don't like the gloved hand though. Feels Odd.

[marineabilly]

^ Great work on the photos and back pocket accessories!! Red stitching on black wallet are an amazing combo!

HH said it right about the gloves. Looks likes you're being robbed.

Keep up the top-notch work.

[TheBlackGoat]

hahahah! I Thought the black glove would be less distracting then my callused hands up in the shots.... guess i was wrong.

t

[corter]

I think the glove is distracting from the work for sure. Part of the reason is that psychologically, people will see another person's hand on the piece and have a harder time thinking of it as their own.

I'd say keep hands out of the photos, and give the work a bit more breathing room in the frame- it's really nice to have a cropped shot, but you need space in the photo as well. Technically, the lighting looks great, but a couple of em look a bit over sharpened. The easiest way is to think of the images like a song- the chorus (your work) should hit hard and be the most memorable, but the verses should give the viewer some time to breathe and think. Other than that, work looks stellar, your stitching is so nice!

[TheBlackGoat]

Thanks corter for the help my brotha. The black gloves felt right at the time, cause I always stitch and dye with gloves on. Stitching with gloves makes gripping the needles soooo much easier. But.......as all you know. Getting a good closed wallet profile is hard without a snap. So it was the only way the seemed practical.....any help would be great on this. It also helps show wallet size in the photos with a hand for scale

And please don't tell me to use clear tape...like the take5 online store! hehehe

I think the glove is distracting from the work for sure. Part of the reason is that psychologically, people will see another person's hand on the piece and have a harder time thinking of it as their own.

I'd say keep hands out of the photos, and give the work a bit more breathing room in the frame- it's really nice to have a cropped shot, but you need space in the photo as well. Technically, the lighting looks great, but a couple of em look a bit over sharpened. The easiest way is to think of the images like a song- the chorus (your work) should hit hard and be the most memorable, but the verses should give the viewer some time to breathe and think. Other than that, work looks stellar, your stitching is so nice!

[Happy Hooligan]

did you try a bent piece of metal between the left and right side card slots? might hold it enough to take some photos...

[corter]

Compressing the wallets until they stay closed on their own without being super compressed would be fine, because as soon as they're used for two days they'll do that on their own- just stick em between your mattress/box spring or something to get a soft but stable fold. However, I don't think you need to show your work folded over closed at all. I think a photo of inside and out would work just fine.

Lighting/sharpness wise it's nice to show the grain, but your images look almost HDR'd. Lighting contrast provokes emotion, and emotion will sell your product. I'd suggest picking one thing to focus on per image- grain or craft. When you try to photograph both at the same time, your lighting needs to be way too bright to feel normal/comfortable to the viewer. Also, don't go crazy renting lenses- a 50mm with a big aperture is fine regardless of brand.

Instead of your hands for scale, use blank business cards or paper money. That's something everyone will relate to.

[Sennit Heritage]

[TheBlackGoat]

thats funny you said HDR! everyone of my friends has been saying that.

I just own a lot of decent light equipment ( i spent WAY more on lighting then lenes). i do a lot of photography as a side gig. and with all the crazy Metal Bands i shoot . it seemed better to invest in lighting then lenes.!

this website stuff is driving me INSANE!!! all these little choices and wording and Lingo....... building a BRAND (per say) is harder then it looks.

but THANK YOU to everyone for there input!!!! its been really fun and challenging doing this. and this little thread on sufu is the only thing that makes me feel like i am doing something cool.

thanks for the support !!!

Compressing the wallets until they stay closed on their own without being super compressed would be fine, because as soon as they're used for two days they'll do that on their own- just stick em between your mattress/box spring or something to get a soft but stable fold. However, I don't think you need to show your work folded over closed at all. I think a photo of inside and out would work just fine.

Lighting/sharpness wise it's nice to show the grain, but your images look almost HDR'd. Lighting contrast provokes emotion, and emotion will sell your product. I'd suggest picking one thing to focus on per image- grain or craft. When you try to photograph both at the same time, your lighting needs to be way too bright to feel normal/comfortable to the viewer. Also, don't go crazy renting lenses- a 50mm with a big aperture is fine regardless of brand.

Instead of your hands for scale, use blank business cards or paper money. That's something everyone will relate to.

[ItsJustNC]

Hmm... The colours are great, but I feel that the composition of the images feels very 2-dimensional. You should try playing around with the positions of the products more.

If you can get compositions like these, combined with your colours, your photos will look great.!

And you might wanna try using this simple light set up and a backdrop too. As interesting as a rusted surface it, sometimes, it distracts from your product. And in the event if you are taking a photo of an already complex product, a background like what you've used may be too overwhelming.

As for the lense of choice. I'm not sure you need a Prime lense like Corter mentioned, because it used more for portrait shots. But i know that a macro would great for capturing the grains of leather.

[Happy Hooligan]

revised my design even again... this time it more in line with everything else from ETR...

I might change things up a little more, but I'm really liking the design. It's a pain to put together though, but worth it in the end. Plus the rivets add two pockets for cards and various items behind the money slot

[TheBlackGoat]

^^^^^Looking Good dude! Like the fabric tag.