More frugality

I've been looking for leather to use for various projects for months now. Buying leather wholesale is just way too expensive - and the only choices I can find for sizes is either small (8x11") or HUGE (a whole hide). So I've been on the lookout for a decent leather jacket that I could use to make handles and possibly even bags with.  Every time I go to the second-hand shops in town, I've found jackets that were ok, but not great. I wanted something that had been taken care of, not scratched and tattered beyond use.

I've been finding a lot of unique and quite useful pieces at our local MCC Thrift Store.  This jacket was one of them. It's in incredibly good shape, with a couple of small tears along seams and worn bits here and there, but it's a decent size and is such a lovely, rich reddish-brown that I couldn't turn it down.

The $8 price tag didn't hurt, either.

The extra-wonderful bonus to this jacket is the lining - it's got a zip-in vest lining, made with 100% wool felt and polyester, both of which are in incredible shape. I'm really excited about the possibilities that this piece can bring to my work.

I may even have time in the next couple of days to start taking it apart to get working on making handles and such soon... glee!