Single saddle bag

[TerryE]

Hi everyone,

I have made a few things for my trooper saddles and now would like to make a single saddlebag with a snap to snap it to a ring on my saddle.

I have a rough pattern and want an approx 3 " gussett.

I cant get my mind wrapped around how i get the leather to align to the front and back to sew it. Does that make sense? Also do i glue it first like my other projects i sew.

I planned to cut out the front and back and the flap and the gussett. prick the holes in the front and back and glue the gusset in place (maybe wet it?) then push the holes all the way through and saddle stich. Then stitch on the flap, then stich the snap.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks,

Terry

[barra]

Terry. You have mentioned it is for your trooper saddle. The reason I ask is are you after any degree of authenticity.

As for aligning the front and back, you can use location/progression marks on both the front/back and the gusset. These marks can be made with a tickler or something that will cause the mark to be just barely visible for you to see as you sew. Nothing gaudy like a felt marker or pen.

Let me see if I can find something to illustrate what I mean with pictures instead of text.

Barra

[TerryE]

Hi Barra,

No specific authenticity needed.

I have seen some of saddlebag purses etc and some saddle bags made by others and thought i could make a nice 8x9" saddlebag.

Thanks

Terry

[Stan]

Howdy! Look up Australian saddles and tack. You might get some ideas. They make a number of saddle pockets. As for keeping the front, back, and gusset all lined up, here is what I do when I hand sew a sporran (the pouch worn with a Scottish kilt). I use a 4 prong stitching chisel and pre-punch all the holes. If all the holes are all the same distance apart they will line up. Good luck, Stan

[cowboycolonel]

I used to have alignment problems with saddlebags too. This was because the gusset has more stretch than do the face and back panel.  Here's my solution.  Use rubber cement to hold the front panel in place over the back and then pre-punch all stitching.  Take your gusset and pre-punch both sides using the same spacing, taking care to not let the leather stretch as it goes under the foot.   Now mark all work centers. Beginning with one gusset and one front OR back panel, glue (if desired) a small range (20 stitches or so) and stitch.  Continue doing this until the gusset is completely attached to one half of the panel.  Then go back to the center and work the other direction.  When you have finished stitching the gusset to the first piece, then go to the center mark of the other piece, align it with the other center mark on the gusset, and repeat the process.  If you've taken care and marked your centers correctly, then you will be no more than half a stitch off of alignment when you're finished, and unless you're a TCAA guy, you can't get much better.

Edited September 19, 2016 by cowboycolonel
correct spelling

[TinkerTailor]

Official US Cavalry Bag Patterns

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Edited September 19, 2016 by TinkerTailor

[TinkerTailor]

33 minutes ago, cowboycolonel said:

I used to have alignment problems with saddlebags too. This was because the gusset has more stretch than does the face and back panel.  Here's my solution.  Use rubber cement to hols the front panel in place over the back and then pre-punch all stitching.  Take your gusset and pre-punch both sides using the same spacing, taking care to not let the leather stretch as it goes under the foot.   Now mark all work centers. Beginning with one gusset and one fron OR back panel, glue (if desired) a small range (20 stitches or so) and stitch.  Continue doing this until the gusset is completely attached to one half of the panel.  Then go back to the center and work the other direction.  When you have finished stitching the gusset to the first piece, then go to the center mark of the other piece, align it with the other center mark on the gusset, and repeat the process.  If you've taken care and marked your centers correctly, then you will be no more than half a stitch off of alignment when you're finished, and unless you're a TCAA guy, you can't get much better.

Instead of matching the gusset length to the edge length of the front piece of the bag, measure the length of the stitch line. It will be shorter. The gusset actually follows the curve of the stitch line, not the cut line on the outside edge. Next time the gusset is too long, measure how much. I bet it will be really close to the difference between the outside measurement and the stitch line measurement. It is simply a geometry problem.

[billybopp]

I cheat, and intentionally cut the gusset a little long, then dry fit it and cut to the correct length.  Works every time.  I've also recently started cutting the top of the gusset round at the top to help support the flap when it's bent over the top, and also that helps support the top flap to keep it from getting smushed down.  

Bill

[cowboycolonel]

I usually use a 3/8 indentation to the stitchline from the edge of the pieces, but inset the stitching to 1/2 on the gusset.  That way the part of the gusset outside the stitchline can be trimmed to match the outside of the panels and can then yield a uniform edge when burnished and finished.  If you don't allow a bit of exttra space on the gusset, then you won't get a good match around the corners of the bags.