Kidney Belt - Treasure Map

The design got approval from Jon, so hopefully tomorrow the kiddo will let me tool it and get pictures up to show everyone :)

We will see though, its gonna be a crazy day tomorrow with an extra small one in the afternoon, and a SERIOUS need to clean.

Treasure Map - Kidney Belt

So - Here is the first drawings for the Kidney Belt - He has said he wants the background green (which I am really hesitant on, I think it will take away the treasure-map look) But I am waiting for him to approve the picture plan before I start tooling.

The plan is to do 3 quarter-inch buckles from the front on each side into the side panels in addition to the lacing, and to have the rear just lace. I am hoping that it will more clearly define the "masculinity" of the belt. :) We will have to see. Thankfully, the guy this is for can pull it off no matter what!





They are a little hard to see since they are just pencil-scans, but...Hopefully they give an idea of what I am working on.

Any thoughts?

Treasure Map - Waist Cinch for Boe

So - Success!!! I finished it and got it in to her on the Saturday I said I would. It did take an 8:00 trip to Tandy's and doing the final eyelets at a picnic bench at the festival site - but Hey, at least I got it to her.

Fail points on a different side - It was a little too small :( I am checking to see if she wants me to make her a quickie small extra back panel to make it the bigger she needs - It'll be easy to do and might make it more useful. It was a real bummer to see how small it was after I worked so hard to make it large enough.

I absolutely LOVE how the gloss/protective coat dulled the white into more of a tan. Really love how it all worked out :)




I didn't remeember to get any pictures outside - but I got a TON of awesome compliments on it - most importantly, from other leather workers. Like Professionals! It was very awesome, and one of them offered to teach me how to do beveling on the edges to make them all more comfortable. I wasn't able to take him up on it, but I may look it up online and see if I can figure it out.

AND...One of my long-time guy friends asked if I could take the same idea and make him a Kidney belt - so I am on my first (non Husband) project for a guy! YAY!

Photo - Compass Waist Cinch

Finished with the dye - may have a few more touches left tomorrow, but first I really need to know what Boe thinks... Here is hoping she likes it!

No Photo yet

I took some saddle soap to the brown, hoping to lighten it even a little...not seeing a difference though :(. Right now I am finishing the dye on the breast piece so I can take it outside tomorrow and decide if I have to redo it and buy a lighter dye.

I have added the compass points in blue with green sharpie color overlay - I am hoping to come out Teal since there were no teal dyes. But...Gotta say I am getting a little worried. I really want this to come out awesome since it is my first money-project...and I want it done by Saturday. I really need to kick butt tonight and tomorrow to get a decision from Boe.

Wish me luck?

Next Step

Finished Boe's tooling and now I am on to the dye work - and OY! The medium brown I bought looks really dark in my house and I may have to pick a different color :( Which means retooling, holing, and shaping another breast plate. I will get pic's up tomorrow once it has dried and I have a better Idea how it's going.

Sigh.

Check out the breast plate :)

And more!

First Waist Cinch for Sale

Good Morning Universe :)
I finalized the compass rose pattern for Boe's Waist Cinch and "think/hope" I have increased the size without screwing up the pattern. Yesterday I did the tooling on the center piece. I will upload pictures later tonight. I am really happy with how it is looking, though I still need to make some decisions on color and tooling for the letters and detail work.
You'll see :)

Old Stories

Howdy Folks,
Back in the quite-long-enough ago days of Junior High and High School a friend of mine and I used to constantly plot out our used book store and a million other idea's for how we were going to enjoy working when we got older. I always told her she was going to have to learn to use the glass paint so she could make me a pheonix-gate for my front window. In my mind the premise of a gateway, a door to something or somewhere different; was a perfect match for a pheonix, the symbol of rebirth and change.

Quite a few years have passed. I do not own a used book store. I don't live the Ren-Fair life. I am in fact, quite surprisingly, happily married and doing the 8-5 salaried office-job thing. But...I get twitchy every now and then to MAKE things. I have always been the kind of person to pick up (And discard) a million different crafts. I would like to channel that energy and that desire to create a new path for myself.

So - Reborn into this is my Pheonix Gate Designs, anything that happens to cross the wild empty paths from my brain into reality. I am creating an ArtFire account too, hopefully I will be able to alter the path I have set myself on and get to make things regularly. I want to find a steady bridge from my minds eye to the real world.

Wish me luck!
~Jess