I'll be out of state for a wedding this weekend, and to keep up the momentum I've built (so many posts this week!) here's some interesting stuff I've come across recently.
Timaru Star II - Braided Headgear. Fascinating article about Susan Bensema Young's braided bridles, halters, bosals, etc. Well worth the read, very informative!
Saddle Critiques by Riversong Musings. A wealth of information about the construction of western saddles.
Marilyn Fowler's Making of a Western Pleasure Saddle. Another (Traditional scale!) artist's method, step by step.
The Elephant in the Room. A fascinating thread that is, in many ways, a "state of the hobby" discussion. The thread is from the POV of painters, but much of what they're saying applies to all aspects of the hobby.
How to Make A Simple Lightbox. Excellent tutorial by Shoestring Stables. She's got a wonderful eye for making quality stuff on a budget.
Record Keeping
Keeping records of tack is something that not everyone does. Some tack makers are so low volume that it just isn't necessary, or they don't expect to become high volume and have nothing set up. I started out in the second category; I didn't keep records until 2009, and even then my attempts were sporadic and short lived. It wasn't until 2010 that I started my current digital version.
Keeping a close record of previously made pieces isn't always imperative, but I find it very helpful. I like knowing what I've made in the past, and if a customer needs a repair or replacement part, it's especially nice to know what kind of dye I used. Not only is it great to keep the details of each order straight, records are also extremely helpful when dealing with deposits and time payments.
My first attempts at record keeping were aimed at finding a way to gather the pertinent information about an order in one place. I cycled through an index card and binder system before settling on Microsoft Excel. Excel and similar programs like Google's Spreadsheets are useful for a variety of reasons. Information can be sorted via filters, easily changed, and tabs make it easy to keep track of different sections of your hobby endeavors. It also made it much easier for me to be consistent with the information I took down, as well as keeping track of non-commissioned pieces.
Excel is part of Microsoft's Office Suit and does not come standard on Windows machines. If you don't want to buy a program, there are alternatives like Google Spreadsheets and OpenOffice.org. I have used Google Spreadsheets for other projects and really like it, but am hesitant to use it for tracking orders. The great thing is that it can be accessed from any computer, and that's also my concern. Spreadsheets can be marked as private, but I still worry about hackers. The most sensitive information I keep in my spreadsheets are email addresses, but I don't want some unsavory person getting into any of the information I have on there.
The information I include in my spreadsheet has evolved over time and is still evolving. I have tabs to keep track of current orders, finished pieces (which includes finished commissions, donations, sales pieces, and personal projects), and accounting. Instead of just keeping the details of an order straight, I'm also tracking the numbers made, how many times a customer comes back, when certain things were finished, and even trends in dye and style. Don't forget the accounting possibilities with Excel and other spreadsheet programs!
Here are two screen shots to give you an idea of how I have this set up. Click on the photo to view larger. Some information has been removed or fabricated to protect the innocent.
The first screen shot is of my tack log. I track finished pieces here whether they're sales, orders, donations, or personal pieces. Items are added to this sheet after they are completed. In the past I only tracked orders and donations, but when I closed my books it became more important to track all of my work.
The sheet is pretty self-explanatory. Each item has the date of completion, what kind of transaction (donation, order, sales, or personal), the style or discipline (style was shorter), details about the order, price, buyer information, and notes which might be about the transaction as a whole, special information about the tack, etc.
Originally the "details" column included what mold(s) the set was fitted to and what dyes were used, but when I redid my Excel file at the beginning of the year I split those out so that I could track trends more easily.
This second screen shot is of my orders page.
As a rule, I track only time sensitive projects in the Current Projects tab, though I think I had planned to include personal projects and sales pieces at one point. Instead, I keep tabs only on donations and commissions. Most of this sheet is set up like the Tack Log sheet, so that when an order is finished I can copy and paste information from one sheet to another. In the past I included information like buyer's address and the date the package arrived, but that information was difficult to place into Excel in standard form (addresses) or moot once the project was moved to the Tack Log tab (arrival date).
I hope this post is somewhat helpful; I always feel a little out of my depth when I write informational pieces for this blog. Comments are welcome, as always, and so are topic suggestions!
Keeping a close record of previously made pieces isn't always imperative, but I find it very helpful. I like knowing what I've made in the past, and if a customer needs a repair or replacement part, it's especially nice to know what kind of dye I used. Not only is it great to keep the details of each order straight, records are also extremely helpful when dealing with deposits and time payments.
My first attempts at record keeping were aimed at finding a way to gather the pertinent information about an order in one place. I cycled through an index card and binder system before settling on Microsoft Excel. Excel and similar programs like Google's Spreadsheets are useful for a variety of reasons. Information can be sorted via filters, easily changed, and tabs make it easy to keep track of different sections of your hobby endeavors. It also made it much easier for me to be consistent with the information I took down, as well as keeping track of non-commissioned pieces.
Excel is part of Microsoft's Office Suit and does not come standard on Windows machines. If you don't want to buy a program, there are alternatives like Google Spreadsheets and OpenOffice.org. I have used Google Spreadsheets for other projects and really like it, but am hesitant to use it for tracking orders. The great thing is that it can be accessed from any computer, and that's also my concern. Spreadsheets can be marked as private, but I still worry about hackers. The most sensitive information I keep in my spreadsheets are email addresses, but I don't want some unsavory person getting into any of the information I have on there.
The information I include in my spreadsheet has evolved over time and is still evolving. I have tabs to keep track of current orders, finished pieces (which includes finished commissions, donations, sales pieces, and personal projects), and accounting. Instead of just keeping the details of an order straight, I'm also tracking the numbers made, how many times a customer comes back, when certain things were finished, and even trends in dye and style. Don't forget the accounting possibilities with Excel and other spreadsheet programs!
Here are two screen shots to give you an idea of how I have this set up. Click on the photo to view larger. Some information has been removed or fabricated to protect the innocent.
The first screen shot is of my tack log. I track finished pieces here whether they're sales, orders, donations, or personal pieces. Items are added to this sheet after they are completed. In the past I only tracked orders and donations, but when I closed my books it became more important to track all of my work.
Originally the "details" column included what mold(s) the set was fitted to and what dyes were used, but when I redid my Excel file at the beginning of the year I split those out so that I could track trends more easily.
This second screen shot is of my orders page.
I hope this post is somewhat helpful; I always feel a little out of my depth when I write informational pieces for this blog. Comments are welcome, as always, and so are topic suggestions!
And Away We Go!
I got the very last scheduled donation boxed up yesterday, and today it hits the post office. Not a moment too soon, since The Show for the Cure is March 24! This is much, much closer than I am comfortable with, and it was a combination of poor planning and !@#$%^-stupid-boots! Boots can be time consuming under the best of circumstances, and then I had to remake one particular boot twice; once because the tabs were on the wrong side* and again because I dyed it too dark. I also remade part of the five point breastplate to correct some fit issues and lengthened the crown piece of the bridle.
But it's done, thank goodness, and will ship today along with a few extra goodies. Here are a couple of photos:
Now that both donations are out of the studio, it's time to really dive into the next project: a cross country/jumper set for WeeJay! I'll be doing more boots, of course, and another five point breastplate. I finished the figure eight bridle while I waiting for various parts of that last !@#$ boot to dry (and watching Frasier).
Please excuse the poor studio photo - this was taken indoors at night with the flash.
Compare to the two bridles below, both finished in March of last year.
The reins are slimmer on this year's bridle because I've gotten more confident when lacing reins and the buckles now have tongues, but otherwise there's not much difference, is there? I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I hadn't cleaned up the edges on the 2011 bridles yet, if anyone wonders about the light edges on some straps. I have to trim lace for strapgoods by hand and those edges are the result of dye not soaking all the way through. From what I've read, this is a common complaint with Eco-Flo dyes. It's not really a problem for me, though. I dip my brush back in the dye and run it along the edges before sealing.
*Equine legwear is always worn with fasteners (buckles, velcro, etc) on the outside, with loose ends pointed behind the horse to prevent injuries and help keep the protective gear from being torn off by another foot. The boot in question was for the left rear leg; when the tabs were on the outside of the leg, they pointed forward. It would be much easier for something to tear them off as the horse is moving forward, over a jump say, than if they were pointed towards the rear.
But it's done, thank goodness, and will ship today along with a few extra goodies. Here are a couple of photos:
Please excuse the poor studio photo - this was taken indoors at night with the flash.
Compare to the two bridles below, both finished in March of last year.
The reins are slimmer on this year's bridle because I've gotten more confident when lacing reins and the buckles now have tongues, but otherwise there's not much difference, is there? I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I hadn't cleaned up the edges on the 2011 bridles yet, if anyone wonders about the light edges on some straps. I have to trim lace for strapgoods by hand and those edges are the result of dye not soaking all the way through. From what I've read, this is a common complaint with Eco-Flo dyes. It's not really a problem for me, though. I dip my brush back in the dye and run it along the edges before sealing.
*Equine legwear is always worn with fasteners (buckles, velcro, etc) on the outside, with loose ends pointed behind the horse to prevent injuries and help keep the protective gear from being torn off by another foot. The boot in question was for the left rear leg; when the tabs were on the outside of the leg, they pointed forward. It would be much easier for something to tear them off as the horse is moving forward, over a jump say, than if they were pointed towards the rear.
Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny Tack
Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away I made micro mini tack. I quit in April of 2009 (blogs are so handy for recording these things!), but I recently had a request for a simple project: a halter and lead rope for Maggie Bennett's jumping mule. It turned out pretty good!
It WAS really fiddly to work with. The leather was thin and narrow, and it wasn't fun trying to get the hardware made. I lost count of how many halter rings slipped off of my pliers, never to be found again.
I still have my plastic micro bodies and a few western saddles floating around from the micro mini days. I've never gotten around to selling them, but I probably should; I'll never use them.
Just for fun, here are a few older pieces that I did in micro mini scale.
It WAS really fiddly to work with. The leather was thin and narrow, and it wasn't fun trying to get the hardware made. I lost count of how many halter rings slipped off of my pliers, never to be found again.
I still have my plastic micro bodies and a few western saddles floating around from the micro mini days. I've never gotten around to selling them, but I probably should; I'll never use them.
Just for fun, here are a few older pieces that I did in micro mini scale.
It Begins Again
I know I promised a post last...Thursday? You'll just have to forgive me, life got busy again!
I used to think that I was a patient person. I really did. Then I made a five point breastplate last month and wrapped up five pairs of boots, one of which ended up being a double and has to be redone. Strap goods and odd bits of miscellany tax my patience. There comes a point when I just want the endless parade of buckles and keepers to be over.
And now I'm getting ready to start a figure eight bridle, a full set of leg protection, and another five point breastplate (and a saddle, of course). It's all for WeeJay, though, and you'd be surprised by how much easier his slightly larger size makes things.
I'm sure part of it stems from the laborious preparation process. Unfortunately, lace does not come in "miniscule"; most of the straps on my bridles are less than a millimeter wide and thinner than two sheets of copy paper. If I did by lace by the yard or spool, I'd still have to dye it, skive it, and split it by hand. Might as well cut out the middle man. I have also learned that I don't like waiting for dye to dry. It's like watching a pot boil.
Then there's the actual construction. I spent most of a morning and an entire afternoon finishing a bridle and four pairs of boots. After the last boot, even my eyes were starting to cross. I had to look it up - the last pair of boots I made was probably in June. June! I'd forgotten how long they take.
The good news, though, is that the last donation is almost done and Sugar High Live's box went out March 2. I took some photos of the Show for the Cure donation, which is when I discovered the messed up boot. I also ended up reworking the five point breastplate (which didn't fit quite right) and the bridle (the crown piece was a little short). What you don't see in the photo below are two pairs of galloping boots and a fitted "fleece" pad.
I used to think that I was a patient person. I really did. Then I made a five point breastplate last month and wrapped up five pairs of boots, one of which ended up being a double and has to be redone. Strap goods and odd bits of miscellany tax my patience. There comes a point when I just want the endless parade of buckles and keepers to be over.
And now I'm getting ready to start a figure eight bridle, a full set of leg protection, and another five point breastplate (and a saddle, of course). It's all for WeeJay, though, and you'd be surprised by how much easier his slightly larger size makes things.
I'm sure part of it stems from the laborious preparation process. Unfortunately, lace does not come in "miniscule"; most of the straps on my bridles are less than a millimeter wide and thinner than two sheets of copy paper. If I did by lace by the yard or spool, I'd still have to dye it, skive it, and split it by hand. Might as well cut out the middle man. I have also learned that I don't like waiting for dye to dry. It's like watching a pot boil.
Then there's the actual construction. I spent most of a morning and an entire afternoon finishing a bridle and four pairs of boots. After the last boot, even my eyes were starting to cross. I had to look it up - the last pair of boots I made was probably in June. June! I'd forgotten how long they take.
The good news, though, is that the last donation is almost done and Sugar High Live's box went out March 2. I took some photos of the Show for the Cure donation, which is when I discovered the messed up boot. I also ended up reworking the five point breastplate (which didn't fit quite right) and the bridle (the crown piece was a little short). What you don't see in the photo below are two pairs of galloping boots and a fitted "fleece" pad.
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