Beckywynn

Thanks everyone for the kind comments Dwight, this particular stitch is "tubular peyote"... Unlike the loom, each bead is threaded one at a time around the leather. You can find some good video tutorials on YouTube... Easier than than trying to explain in writing!

I've always wanted to do a headstall with beadwork incorporated. When asked to do a custom headstall for a special rope horse and to "do whatever I wanted", I took full advantage and tried this out! My friend hasn't seen it yet, and the pictures don't really do it justice, but I'm really pleased for a "first go" and learned quite a bit in the process!

So, I meant to upload this stuff here and not actually in the gallery... Oh well... Here's some projects I worked on over the holidays. What a learning curve all this leather stuff is haha! I'm addicted, but I sure wish what I had in "my head" matched what gets finished in the end!

Gorgeous!

Wow!!! Thanks so much to ALL for your support!! Dwight: you may be on to something, I may get better results with my carving with a ratchet or chainsaw! Sometimes I feel like it turns out looking like that's what I used anyway! Kytim: yup, that is real atmosphere on the boots! Haha. I guess I'm just classy that way, poopy boots on white carpet hahaha. Sheesh... I had to go look at the pics to see if indeed the boots were dirty hahaha (where in KY are you from? I lived in Lexington for quite a long time!) Thanks to all, seriously! It makes me want to keep trying! I did have a question that perhaps one of the more experience people here can help me with... When all was said and done, there seemed to be "excess" leather between the placards and fringe..: would that have been a placard placement error? Measuring for the fringe error? I was going to email Mark at cow camp and see what he thought, perhaps... Again! Thanks for taking the time to look! Becky

Thank you so much for your kind replies!! Wycowgirl... I think the pics make the chinks (and tooling and sewing) look far better than they really are! I won't even tell you how many "do-overs" I had! I also think I need to name my stitch ripper as I used and abused that poor thing! (I kept having to make things bigger to cover previous stitch holes! Haha. But seriously, thanks again!

Hi to all! I have been reading on this site for weeks! There is so much information and I'm so glad to have found this site!! There's so much talent and inspiration here... I can only hope to be half as good someday. I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this (as "showing off" per se I'm definitely not... But I'm too scared to put it under the "critique my work" section! )I already know a ton of things that are wrong/or I can do better! Feel free to critique IF you are gentle This was a first for me for many things, carving, stamping, dyes, hi lights, paint.... And sewing with what I think is a possessed sewing machine! I also must thank cow camp saddlery for putting out his instructional videos... I feel I might need to buy the man dinner or drinks for as many late nights "we" had together haha! This particular pair of chinks was for a friend of mine... She's much smaller than the "model" ahem... Me! Lol...