ZeeBee Leather

Hello Everyone,

I'm just carving out a small corner of the forum to share my leather goods with you. I've been posting in the Craft Works thread for a while now, but I thought it would be nice to have a place of my own to share pictures, talk about my work, and answer any questions anyone might have about my work. If anyone wants to commission a piece from me, just shoot me a PM or send me an email at zeebeeleather@gmail.com

I started getting into working with leather because i was dissatisfied with the available option of a few things. I wanted a good knife kit for my professional knives and tools. There's really nothing of great quality available commercially. I've been working in kitchens for 18 years, and I've gone through my fair share of knife rolls, bags, and cases. Nothing ever seemed to really feel like a piece of gear I'd want to cherish and hang onto forever, which is ironic because the knives and tools are. I'm still playing around with design of my knife kit, but I'll get it nailed down soon. Additionally, and this might sound silly, but I also wanted a new sleeve for my iPhone, and a new belt.

Part of what makes my leatherwork special, is that I saddle-stitch just about everything.  Saddle-stitching is when two needles pass through each hole in the opposite direction, and creates a durable thread pattern that can't be reproduced by a machine. It's a laborious process, but the results are beautiful to look at, and tough as nails. If a stitch ever breaks, it won't come unravelled, and is easily repairable by me (for free) or any saddle-maker. Here's a diagram that illustrates the difference between saddle-stitching and machine stitching:

I'll update this thread with pictures of my work and any new stuff I'm working on. Enjoy!

Here's the dog collar I made for my nephew Stu:

Cutting straps for a belt which in this case, are two pieces of 8-9oz leather, stitched together.

iPhone 5 sleeve:

Cribbage Board:

Insoles:

Knife Sheath:

Some of those action shots are your belt

You can send me a PM here if you like, or email me at zeebeeleather@gmail.com

thanks!

Working on a belt. This leather is really tightly grained. I've never worked with such nice leather.

Brand new belt on the left, six month old dog collar on the right. Look at that color!

How's the case breaking in Mega?

cash-stash pocket

all done!
One fixed and one floating keeper
Hand-burnished

No, it's for emergency cash! When it's all put together, the cash is secure and really hard to get to

Thanks guys!

I always like to keep a knife in my trunk because I inevitably end up cooking wherever I go, and sometimes the knife selection isn't great, and I like to be prepared. I made this to protect a single knife. I'll eventually expand this concept into a whole knife kit.