First Chinks!

[wyldflower]

Here are a couple of pics of my very first chinks. These were also my first larger leather project. I used a Bob Klenda pattern. The only chinks I've seen close up are my farriers, so I relied heavily on photos and guesswork. The person I made them for wanted a Celtic pattern on them with dragon conchos, and Celtic knot conchos on the leg sheilds. The original legshield pattern was too long for as short as the chinks needed to be, so I had to make up a different legsheild design which luckily worked out ok. I also had to learn on the fly how to cut down a pattern sized for a average guy to fit a small woman.

I learned a whole lot, got plenty frustrated, made a bunch of mistakes some of which I was able to fix and do over, and others I had to live with. Lots I would and will do differently next time, but overall, for a first project I think they came out ok. I made them for a family member, and they are happy with them, so that is the most important thing! I must truly have the leatherbug, because I can't wait to start on the next pair!

Some of the things I learned:

Measuring twice before cutting isn't enough for me - three times and maybe four!

I need to do lots more stitching practice with my Cobra 4 if I can't use my roller guide to help me stay on the stitch line

What I thought was a little resist was waaaaay too much - sometimes having a generous nature works against you!

To have faith that one's tooling will get better with practice.

Do not ask someone to try on the chinks half a dozen times so you can stare at them and mutter how the *bleep* am I gonna fix that? during their favorite tv show.

Be as grateful for what you did right as for what you learned from the mistakes you made - both are really important.

Thanks for looking and any tips you have I can add to my "learning list" - they are welcome!

thanks much,

Dixie

Edited January 10, 2010 by wyldflower

[Storm]

Wow Dixie! Celtics chinks! Very cool. Just the sort of ting ya need to wear when ridin' dem der Black Pookas!  I have only made one pair of chaps but these look just great.

Storm

[dirtclod]

Hi Wyldflower, i think your chinks look fine espically for your first time. When i make a pair for a customer i have a base pattern made out of poster board and hold that around their leg to see how they fit. Then you can mark it and and cut or add on. If you cut to much off tape the piece you cut off back on and go again.

Plus save all of your patterns. They may fit the next customer at worst you can see how much you need to add or take off for them to fit. Poster board is your friend and a lot cheaper than leather.

John

[seveneves]

Good job,

may i suggest cutting your fringe thinner. A working cowboy will take those pieces to fix a bridle or anything that breaks.

[equiss]

Here are a couple of pics of my very first chinks. These were also my first larger leather project. I used a Bob Klenda pattern. The only chinks I've seen close up are my farriers, so I relied heavily on photos and guesswork. The person I made them for wanted a Celtic pattern on them with dragon conchos, and Celtic knot conchos on the leg sheilds. The original legshield pattern was too long for as short as the chinks needed to be, so I had to make up a different legsheild design which luckily worked out ok. I also had to learn on the fly how to cut down a pattern sized for a average guy to fit a small woman.

I learned a whole lot, got plenty frustrated, made a bunch of mistakes some of which I was able to fix and do over, and others I had to live with. Lots I would and will do differently next time, but overall, for a first project I think they came out ok. I made them for a family member, and they are happy with them, so that is the most important thing! I must truly have the leatherbug, because I can't wait to start on the next pair!

Some of the things I learned:

Measuring twice before cutting isn't enough for me - three times and maybe four!

I need to do lots more stitching practice with my Cobra 4 if I can't use my roller guide to help me stay on the stitch line

What I thought was a little resist was waaaaay too much - sometimes having a generous nature works against you!

To have faith that one's tooling will get better with practice.

Do not ask someone to try on the chinks half a dozen times so you can stare at them and mutter how the *bleep* am I gonna fix that? during their favorite tv show.

Be as grateful for what you did right as for what you learned from the mistakes you made - both are really important.

Thanks for looking and any tips you have I can add to my "learning list" - they are welcome!

thanks much,

Dixie

WOW -those are great, I am about to start my first pair.....does Bob Klenda sell patterns? If so, maybe I should wait until I can order one from him? That looks like a really good pattern, and I would LOVE mine to turn out that good! Good job!

Charlene

[TimKleffner]

Hi Dixie

Nice Chinks , you did a nice job. I'm with 7, I would cut my fringe a bit thinner.

You were saying in your text that you are unable to use your roller guide, I use a pair of dividers and sharpen the point and scribe a line where I want the stitch line. My feeling about the stitch line is , it's the last thing you put on, and the stitch line will make or brake the looks of a sewed item. Hope that helps.

Happy tooling

Tim

[MarkB]

Dixie

You did a great job for your first pair. You will find new ways to lay out your fringe as you do more. It took me a few tries to get the look I liked. As for stitching its practice, practice and more practice.

Mark

[wyldflower]

Wow Dixie! Celtics chinks! Very cool. Just the sort of ting ya need to wear when ridin' dem der Black Pookas! I have only made one pair of chaps but these look just great.

Storm

LOL thank you Storm! I really enjoy mixing styles, and might trying goin medieval on my next ones

BTW - I didn't know what a Black Pooka was (thank goodness for Google!) Does it count if I ride a dark horse??? I'm pretty sure some of the rides I take on that particular dark horse might be Pooka-ish!

Hi Wyldflower, i think your chinks look fine espically for your first time. When i make a pair for a customer i have a base pattern made out of poster board and hold that around their leg to see how they fit. Then you can mark it and and cut or add on. If you cut to much off tape the piece you cut off back on and go again.

Plus save all of your patterns. They may fit the next customer at worst you can see how much you need to add or take off for them to fit. Poster board is your friend and a lot cheaper than leather.

John

Thank you John - I really like the poster board idea. And boy howdy are you right - lots cheaper than leather. And I bet the air is less blue when mistakes are made on poster board than on leather...

Good job,

may i suggest cutting your fringe thinner. A working cowboy will take those pieces to fix a bridle or anything that breaks.

I didn't even think about the fringe width as having a purpose, but that makes perfect sense. I'm learning that most, if not all, true cowboying gear has multifunctions in ways that might not be obvious to those who haven't had to get creative in a hurry in the middle of nowhere. Thank you for sharing that bit of info and suggestion Seveneves - very much appreciated.

WOW -those are great, I am about to start my first pair.....does Bob Klenda sell patterns? If so, maybe I should wait until I can order one from him? That looks like a really good pattern, and I would LOVE mine to turn out that good! Good job!

Charlene

Thank you for the compliments Charlene! Yes, Bob Klenda sells patterns. If you go on his website there is a form you can download. Just do a search on Google for "Bob Klenda saddlery" and it'll pull the website right up for you. There are several to choose from - these were made from the Red Rock pattern. I thought the pattern was great as far as layout and how to size and lace the belt, but be aware that there is not a lot of instruction on how to assemble or resize the chinks themselves. If you don't mind pioneering you'll do fine - but I would take the advice from John and work them up on poster board or heavy paper first if you've not made them before. As you can see, folks here on LW are really great about answering questions, so don't be afraid to post if you're not sure how to proceed.

Hi Dixie

Nice Chinks , you did a nice job. I'm with 7, I would cut my fringe a bit thinner.

You were saying in your text that you are unable to use your roller guide, I use a pair of dividers and sharpen the point and scribe a line where I want the stitch line. My feeling about the stitch line is , it's the last thing you put on, and the stitch line will make or brake the looks of a sewed item. Hope that helps.

Happy tooling

Tim

Thank you Tim very much for the praise and the tip on using the dividers - that is helpful. I have a couple of different kinds of stitch groovers, but scribing first sure would've helped me see where things might've gone a little ragged before I committed to grooving. I agree with you that nice, even stitching is one of the hallmarks of quality. Something to strive for and just keep practicin toward that perfect practice!

Dixie

You did a great job for your first pair. You will find new ways to lay out your fringe as you do more. It took me a few tries to get the look I liked. As for stitching its practice, practice and more practice.

Mark

Thanks very much Mark for the compliment and the encouragement! And yes - practice, practice, practice. Oh yeah, and then some more practice!

[Storm]

They say that the Pooka is a black as night. A supernatural creature. They are classed as one of the Fae(Fairies) and the most feared of the Fae. Nothing like a little Irish folklore to go along with a pair of distinctive chinks!

Storm