BarnHey

Thank you - these replies really help. I think I'm going to slow down and figure out how to stitch two pieces together before going too much further on this one. I'll try one with dying/finishing before, and one after stitching and see which one works for me It'll be by hand so will take a while

Looking great! Smaller dots will definitely work but I like the 'chunkiness' of these Can I ask you what type of leather you used? Also are these lined - if not how did you deal with the back with the spots?

Well OK - not a million in this particular post ... Backstory: I've been playing with fancying up horse tack with rivets, conchos etc and am also starting out OK with some braiding techniques. Of course I have also been lurking here for a while now, getting up the courage to try something more advanced. And now - my DH has challenged me to make him a pair of spur straps for Xmas (fortunately didn't say which year). I have found a local source for pre-cut straps at a reasonable price so right now I'm not focused on cutting leather. For my first attempt I went with my strengths and simply attached a concho to the pre-cut and thought I was done - but then... the questions started. the concho is applied with screw-backs - does this mean that the strap should be lined to prevent it scratching the boots, or is it useable as is? If I added spots around the button hole(s) and turned their ends inside can I still get away without lining? does it need actual lining grade leather- or doubling up with the same weight leather (looks to be about 4mm thick)? will suede work for this? should any lining cover the whole area or could this be a partial coverage (i.e. just around the screw-backs / central design area) I assume if it is lined this has to be glued then stitched down or is there another option? I'm OK with stitching - this will push me into learning something new as well as getting new tools. should I have applied any finishing on the leather before attaching the concho? what else should I be doing? I have attached a picture of my current (minimal) progress. It all sounded so simple when I first set out but now I'm second guessing myself. At the same time I'm kind of excited that this looks like it is going to lead me into new skills. Any and all replies welcome