awnova

Thanks for the great feedback everyone... it was a challenging project. While you probably can't see it well, it incorporates embossing, medieval designs for the tooling, creative stitching by hand and machine and creative padding. Yes, Grey Drakkon and Monica Jacobson, I should have been clearer... these photos were taken before I finalized the strapping system and were just a test to ensure fit quality. I was suspicious that the chamfron would interfere with the action of the hackamore as well, though this mare is far enough along in her training that she responds to my seat and legs and isn't as dependent on bosal cues anymore. In order to address the bosal movement issue I have added attachments (straps, not strings) for the bosal hanger and will need to ride with a fiador to ensure a good anchor along the cheeks. It also sat a bit too heavily above her eyes, so I am going to add some more padding on the underside above each eye and above the bosal, which shoud increase the clearance for her eyes and allow the bosal more movement. On to the next project!

Sorry Jazzman, I didn't mean to leave you in stitches! I used black stain, several coats. Then once dry, I applied (sparingly) a silver wax coating that I found at the local hobby store for highlighting picture frames and such. Once that was done, I buffed it and applied a coat of stain sealer (can't remember the name right now). The main trick was to make sure the grid pattern was deep enough, and that the black stain reached into the bottoms of the cuts.

Hello everyone! A few weeks ago I became enamored with the idea of trying to make leather look like metal... my first project in this direction is a leather chamfron inspired by 14th and 15th century horse armor. I had a ton of fun making it and my horses look great in it!

Thank you everyone! I really enjoyed this project as it was something so different from what I usually do. I wore the mask at a Venetian Carnival style masqued ball last weekend and received lots of compliments (I actually received the award for Best Costume!). It is so good to get such positive feedback! No, the reference is to the Irish Goddess the Morrigan who is often associated with the wolf and crow (or raven depending on the source). Thank you! Actually I just used a cheapy full-face plastic Halloween mask to form the leather over, it is only about 5 ounce so when appropriately wetted it actually formed really easy. I didn't have to press hard at all. I did do some removal of leather from the areas that were creased along the nose to help the forming and in pulling the nose out towards me.

I was recently motivated to try creating my first leather mask. I wanted to combine tooling with shaping and embossing. This was my first attempt at embossing (the raven) and shaping something to this degree. It was also my first time using gold leaf. The wolf and the raven were my inspiration and this is the process and what it looks like finished. Feedback is always appreciated!

Greetings fellow leatherworkers! I haven't posted anything in a while, but I've been having a lot of fun lately with my leather working hobby. I made this 32 inch mohair roper cinch a couple of months ago and then decided it needed a "little something". Which turned out to be a carved center and safes with sheepskin backing. I could have done a bit more detail work on the actual carving, but thought it turned out nice anyway. Lesson learned for the next one!

Sorry I haven't been online in a bit... I hope you found some help! Just in case you didn't though... here is a doc that explains how I laced mine. Lacing_chaps.doc Lacing_chaps.doc

Sure... I machined them. We bought an industrial machine last year so I wouldn't have to suffer hand cramps doing it by hand anymore! I may give full chaps a try next.

I have been lurking for a while on this site, but finally had something to share! I have been interested in leather working for 15 years or so... and began playing with leather scraps back then. My husband and I both belong to the SCA and that is where most of our leatherworking experience lies. Other than that we both ride horses and make leather gear for that too. We bought an industrial machine to allow us to stitch our leather products in a shorter time (and with less hand cramping!) last year. He is interested in making holsters and gun belts... I am interested in making horse gear. Though he is planning to recreate a medieval saddle this summer. I thought I might show you experienced folks the chinks I made last month... the color of the pictures is off a bit (bad lighting for my digital camera in the house), they are made with ~4 oz chap suede in an apricot color with the belt and trim pieces being harness leather scraps we had. Hopefully these pics won't turn out too huge! What do you think?

Sorry about that... we sew a wide variety of leathers from 5-6 ounce chap-type leather for showing to heavy harness leather (doubled) for working driving harnesses. Gun holsters are fairly thick, belts for gun holsters with ammo loops, headstalls, chaps with harness leather tops, etc. It won't be used every day, in fact twice a month might be a more appropriate estimate. I have read through the forum and have done some research through the industrial sewing machine dealers, unfortunately I believe that most of what they tell me is biased towards the brands they sell (duh), I have been looking at a Juki (but I can't remember the model right now), the Artisan Toro 3000. And as far as what we have to spend... like I said ~$2000, and yes, I know that isn't much, but there are machines out there for that price including the ones I mentioned, so hopefully one of those will work for me. I have had a wide variety of answers from the dealers regarding the preference of the compound needle or the walking foot or the two-needle machines, that have only served to confuse me. As I currently understand it, I most likely want a machine that has the walking foot, that is speed reduced and that can take up to a 24 or 27 needle... I have been sewing on multiple home machines for 20 years and don't really need a primer on sewing itself, just on the differences of leather-specific machines. Thanks!

Greetings all, My husband and I are involved in the SCA and have been for the last 14 years, we also have horses and compete in multiple events. So, for the past many years, we have been making all kinds of accessories out of leather, but my fingers are tired! My husband is a jeweler and we have been considering combining horse accessories with jewelry but I just know that sewing by hand is out for me now. Now we are in a position to seriously consider purchasing a leather sewing machine, but the information I have been able to find on the various types and brands is pretty limited. We are also limiting the amount of money to spend on a machine to around $2000 (and I realized that does seriously limit our choices, but we haven't made a business out of it yet!!!). Could you either point me to some references that will help me, or perhaps provide me with a brief primer regarding the brands and their reliability and versatility (if any!)? Thank you! Angela