It was just a matter of time with so many riding family members and that I had to do a Riders Belt – Reiter Gürtel. So that is what i came up with. A mouthpiece / snaffle bit belt best for slim belts of 25mm and a horseshoe belt with 38mm. Both buckles are UK made and massive brass casted. Hand sewn in saddle stitch on veg. tanned leather from a german tannery.
Since the locking mechanism of my Zeno watch tend to open sometimes or a lot of times, the decision of getting a replacement was on the list. After seeing the DIY guide by Wood&Faulk on sewing a Nato style watch strap I decided to give it a try. Ok, I give posting a about leather a break now.
Inspired by some great leather crafters I decided to give leather a try. Leather is such a great material in so many variations. I started to get stitches straight with a normal round awl just to find out, or better be told by Simon and Uwe that this is bullshit. Switching to the diamond shaped awl brings in another task to align the blade right. I made some progress but actually it really helped me to improve my judgement about good quality leather crafts and crap. If you actually make the experience how hard it is to master “simple looking” tasks you evaluate products differently.
My first project was to sew a dog collar for my dog, he is not too picky about stuff and a very good tester for durability. The seams hold really well so far! Then I continued to work on buckles and belts and now I did a couple of IPhone Sheaths / covers. Above you see the last one, getting better but still not in any way close to be too proud of.
I don´t own a smartphone but you can get dummies for a mold for less then 10 bucks. It´s tricky to create and to dimension the template, esp. when the leather is a thick one. Probably the most challenging thing are the curves and corners and to cut them out evenly. However you learn by your mistakes and messy results, and the goal is to develop skill by what you do. Punching holes and sewing can be meditative in some way and its nice to see something developing and done with your own hands.
Carved wooden bottle stopper:
Found this old dude in my dad´s stuff. No doubt how old this bottle stopper is, but he got character. Looks exactly like the guys sitting around with their beer in a pub and chatting about football and politics with their mates. The lever on the back stretches his neck and opens his mouth.
After the Denim Workshop – Webshop by Simon Tuntelder:
Recently a “friend” of mine Simon Tuntelder, opened a webshop with some products he crafted out of leather but also deadstock items he gathered. I wrote “friend” and not friend, be-cause I failed to meet Simon personally yet. We are in close contact since more than a year. First via following the others blog and then having discussions about vintage stuff and craftsmanship and quality products. I call him a “friend” knowing by heart that he is one of the good guys with the right attitude and for sure a good guy to talk to.
I´m far to be in the league with Simon when it comes to working with leather. He got a great knowledge when it comes to treat/restore leather and also to craft items for himself, friends or now for you. Do me a favor and check his new website and shop to have a look at his products he crafted. Not to forget to also point you to his blog where he shares his findings and knowledge.
Laguiole self made set – Bausatz:
Another great present my sister and her boyfriend gave to me for my birthday. It took a while to finally start to assemble the Laguiole knife. Getting the bolts (esp. the last) in, with the tension of the spring was the most difficult task. The rest was just polishing and smoothing the edges down a bit. Not bad, not bad I would say for my first pocket knife.
Fat Boy Clothing Bandanas:
FBC just released some great Bandanas, all hand mande and dyed with ecological pigment. So no fancy skin rush. They are 55 x 55 cm and available now on their webshop.
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