Maeve Report post Posted May 9, 2009 I just finished up an Arab/pony size bosal and thought I would share it with the group. My sister is totally into POAs and Welsh. I made her a bosal for her ponies and she has been asking for her "group" for me to make another. So I did! Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures. I was in a hurry to get the photos to my sister this morning and will have to reshoot them later. The one thing that I LOVE about pictures is that they show you the things that you can't see with your eyes! I have a few things to go back and attend to before I put the finish on it! :D This one really stretched my boundaries a bit. It is a 16 plait 5/8" core with an eight string nose button. I THINK that there were 6 interweaves in the nose button but I honestly can't remember. The biggest problem that I had when doing this was blocks of time! It took almost 1 1/2 months to do it because life keeps getting in the way! How in the HECK to you guys do these things in RAWHIDE!??!??!? I realized that rawhide will NOT work for me and that I should just stick with roo. Anyway .... here it is. And it sure reminded me about WHY I don't do these things on a regular basis! LOL! Love and Light, Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HorsehairBraider Report post Posted May 9, 2009 What a wonderful sight to see this morning - it looks great! Your sister is going to be thrilled. I braid for a living, and so I have to do stuff like that on a regular basis. What I wonder is, once you spend 6 weeks working on it, how can you bear to give it away?! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rgerbitz Report post Posted May 9, 2009 There will be one proud pony that gets to wear that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted May 9, 2009 Very nice work! Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LBbyJ Report post Posted May 10, 2009 BRAVO Maeve, beautiful looking piece. you must have 100 times more patience then myself. Again a beautiful piece, John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maeve Report post Posted May 10, 2009 Thank you, everyone. I think it is sold already! We'll see. I was THINKING about keeping it for my Arab mare but, hey, the next one will be even better, right?! Isn't that the way it is supposed to be?!? HHB, braiding is my full time job too! I never intended it to be that way ... it just happened! There are days when I don't even bother getting dressed! I think that there were 3 like that this week! I get up, brush my teeth and head to my studio. Then I go back to bed at night! LOL! It's a good thing that I have grown children and a patient husband! Unfortunately, I seldom get to "indulge" in pieces like this bosal where it is NOT an order! THAT is what keeps getting in the way! How can I justify putting off orders to play! LOL!!!!!!!!!! I'm playing tonight too ..... I'm covering my fid! :D But ..... I'll get back on orders on Monday. Today is Mother's Day and I have given myself permission to play over the weekend! Love and Light, Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hidepounder Report post Posted May 10, 2009 WOW, that's beautiful! I don't know anything about braiding but that's fantastic. It blows my mind when I see stuff like this. How long did it take to make? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maeve Report post Posted May 10, 2009 WOW, that's beautiful! I don't know anything about braiding but that's fantastic. It blows my mind when I see stuff like this. How long did it take to make? Thank you very much for your kind words. If I were to condense my 6 weeks into actual hours, I would say that it took me between 40 - 50 hours to make it. But it laid on my counter, haunting me, taunting me for the remaining weeks! LOL! Love and Light, Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArtS Report post Posted May 10, 2009 Beautiful! This will become a family heirloom. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim314 Report post Posted May 11, 2009 That is just plain gorgeous work Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maeve Report post Posted May 11, 2009 Thank you again! I just couldn't stop myself! LOL! Yesterday was Mother's Day so I gave myself permission to play some more! :D I'm sure ALL of you braiders have done this for yourselves .... but I just got around to it! Here's my fid! :D I'm loving the feel of it! Now I have to be done playing for a while and get back to business! Love and Light, Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
megabit Report post Posted May 11, 2009 I love what you did with the fid. Now how did you do it? Did you braid over it and then inlay the braid or is it a big pineapple knot? If it is braid how do you do the ends? Thanks, Mike Oh and that bosal is SWEET too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maeve Report post Posted May 11, 2009 Thanks, Mike! I did a 3 turn 6 bight Turk's Head on the fid (standing end at the small end) and then filled it with interweaves. I think my last interweave was u / o 5 so it wasn't really any different than the heel knot other than the shape was irregular and I had to space out the interweaves a bit differently. It was fun! It is an excellent exercise in understanding the interweaves and color play. And ... I teach 4 students so now I won't lose MY fid in the process! :D Love and Light , Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Bell Report post Posted May 12, 2009 Hey Maeve, That some nice braiding both on the bosal and the fid. Nice job on the nose band and the interweaves!!! One thing that is purely asthetics but I try and make the ends of the noseband the same diameter as the center of the noseband. It makes for a more balanced appearance to the whole shebang. If you had done that then you probably could have even added in the light brown interweave between the tan on the nose band ends and it would have balanced the colors as well. Just something to consider that doesn't really take away from the great job you are already doing but adds a little "ummph" to the finished product. Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maeve Report post Posted May 12, 2009 Thanks, Alan! Ya know .... I measured the foundation buttons and the center of the nose button with calipers and they matched dead-on when I started. When I finished .... they weren't so dead on! LOL! I don't know what to do about that as it seems to be in ALL of my attempts. Measurements and calculating are the bane of my life. I don't know if tightening everything collapsed the foundation buttons of if the interweaves built up the center. The next one is always better (or should be!) and if I can figure out what went wrong, I'll try to correct it! LOL! Thanks for the input! It is always valuable. Love and Light, Maeve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
