Brownbear,
As for the folk art...I drew up some patterns on poster board. Using an awl, I punched a series of holes along my pencil drawing....I then laid the pattern on the leather and I used a pencil to mark the holes onto the leather. I then punched holes in the leather at the pencil marks. I then stitched the designs onto the leather using the same linen thread I used on the pouches.
As for the "aging" technique....I learned it from T.C. Albert's book "Recreating the 18th Century Hunting Pouch". All you have to do is spray some "Easy Off" oven cleaner on the finished pouch. In essence, the lye removes some of the oils from the leather. Let it work for 3 to 5 minutes and rinse off. After I rinse, I ring the water out of the leather with my hands, and this removes some of the factory dye. This does 2 things...it gives a "mottled" look to the leather, and it gives a "used" look to the cloth lining of the bag.
From there, I use my own technique of "quick drying" the pouch in front of a 220 watt space heater.
thanks
Eric