Dreamflite Design

Pretty Pictures! (And Lots of Pictures!)

2012-02-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

It's already staying light longer and longer. Seems a little early, to me, but I'm not going to complain about additional daylight. It means I can take pictures when I get home from work! Here are the "pretty" pictures of my Sugar High Live donation. It'll be nice to get this one out the door! I'd say that the donation for Show for the Cure is almost done, but boots can be kind of labor intensive.

All pictures are clickable thumbnails - sized them small since there are so many.

One Down!

2012-02-13T19:01:00.000-06:00

I was slightly more productive than anticipated. Over the weekend, I finished assembling the saddle and made the double bridle for my donation to Sugar High Live (formerly Red Deer Rebellion, see last year's donation here), which doesn't appear to have a website but will be up yonder in Canada over Easter weekend.

I'll ship this out as soon as I take "pretty" pictures, which was supposed to be today.

And then it snowed.

Four or so inches of the stuff. Snow on a grey day does not a good background make, and I have never had satisfactory results indoors. We'll be 46 and sunny on Tuesday and rainy on Wednesday, so maybe by Thursday I can take some pictures, eh?

New Arrival

2012-02-11T12:06:00.001-06:00

I don't buy new plastics that often, and new Traditionals are an even rarer addition to my collection. After scoring a black Proud Arabian Foal at an antique mall, though, I had to start searching for a mother. I finally found a winner: Carinosa, at the right price and the right time. She arrived today, and wow. Such a gorgeous sculpture! I dubbed mine Carnivale, and her baby has been named Casio.

She needs clothes now! I'm thinking a nice, normal stable halter. I have some Rio Rondo halter hardware floating around, and this would be a perfect use for it.

In other news...there really isn't a lot of other news. I've been painfully lazy all day, and it's the kind of lazy that doesn't have a very good cure. My house is busy and loud today, and I'm having difficulty focusing on a lot of the really important stuff that needs to be done. I'll keep plugging away at it, but I don't think today is going to be very productive.

Also! The pilot light on our water heater went out last night. I discovered this when I went to take a shower. It didn't get fixed last night, but no one told me that. My first thought this morning was "Shower!" and alas, the water was still very, very cold. A repairman can't be here for another 3 hours. It's funny how when you can't do something, it's often the only thing you can think about. And by funny, I mean start out laughing and end up sobbing hysterically.

The Most Wonderful* Smell in the World

2012-02-09T11:11:00.001-06:00

*As a disclaimer, the most wonderful smell in the world might actually go to that odd, lovely combination of scents that spells HORSE. I haven't been close to that in forever, so, we'll just go with this, kay?

Is opening up a big box of leather. A full hide, in fact. The tack store smell just wafts out of it. It's beautiful. The dark marks on the second quality hide that I purchased? Not so much. I knew it would have those marks going into it and I chose the hide anyway. I figured that I could work around them, but I just didn't realize that they'd be so...everywhere. This is one of the largest and most concentrated areas (hand for scale, wet spot is a test area for lemon juice), but they're scattered over a good 2/3 of the hide. There are maybe a couple of square feet of clean leather in the whole thing.

Next time I decide to do something on the cheap and save a bit of money, I'm not going to assume I can work around something sight unseen! This will be a great learning experience, right?

I have been told that they will dye over with dark dyes and can be gotten out with diluted lemon juice. On to experimenting! If the lemon juice doesn't work and you see lots and lots of black and havana saddles out of me over the next 8 or 12 months, you'll know why.

The yellow cat was almost as excited by the big box as I was, and insisted on helping. He got his own little piece of leather to hopefully keep him out of the good stuff.

And did his best to "help."

What Am I?

2012-02-07T11:54:00.005-06:00

Short on time today, so here's a little guessing game. Post your guess in the comments!

What Am I? I may or may not be right side up.

No prize or anything, just the warm fuzzy feeling that you've solved the mystery! I'll throw out some hints if no one gets it by the time I get home from work. Happy guessing!

The Babysitter's Here!

2012-02-06T11:16:00.000-06:00

I ordered a copy of the Babysitter last week, and got an email on Friday saying that she'd shipped. I really wasn't expecting her this soon, but she arrived today!

And wow, she's a BIG GIRL! Easily on par with Wee Jay, though still smaller than Dinky Duke. For those curious, I measure her around 7cm tall at the withers and 10cm from nose to tail.

I'm running short on time, so here are some comparison shots.

With WeeJay

With Little Lonestar

I have a post on tools in the works, which I hope to get out ASAP. Maybe tomorrow. I've got a paper to write and two donations to finish this month, too, so we'll have to see.

Redemption

2012-02-03T10:30:00.001-06:00

Tearing down a saddle is nerve wracking. What if something pulls off where it's not supposed to? What if something rips? What if it doesn't go back together right?!

I went from this...

To this...

and finished with THIS.

I still need to do some clean up, but I'm far happier with the fit. I was a little concerned when I started tearing down, but now I can proceed with the rest of the plan, which includes a five point breastplate, stud guard, and boots all around.

False Start

2012-02-01T14:20:00.004-06:00

I had high hopes for last Friday. As usual, reality didn't quite live up to the hype.

First, I decided that I really ought to have just started out working on the floor. I spent so much time down there trying to find bits or cheekpieces or buckles. It was ridiculous. At least there's a low-pile rug down there (mostly as protection from dye!), which usually makes finding things easier.

And then, oh how lovely, the saddle I started for my donation to Show for the Cure didn't fit the intended model. It didn't fit WeeJay, either. It looked okay on Working Girl and the WEG Driving Horse, but trotting models are often best suited to lower level eventing, and that is one thing this saddle is not.

There are other issues besides fit. The flap is too round and it's just...off. It's a little too big and too round. Other than that, it's lovely. There's contrasting piping between the seat and jockeys, around the gullet, and between the seat and panels. What I'd like to do is tear out the flaps (oh the pain!) and start over. The seat and panels are pretty good, so maybe I can salvage it.

I started a dressage saddle just in case I can't pull off the entire package for the eventing saddle in time. The plan was to include boots all around, a five point breastplate, and two bridles: one for the tricky G3 Warmblood, and one for Working Girl. It's nice to have all of the bases covered, y'know? The dressage saddle didn't get very far, either. The eventing saddle and a small double bridle order took a lot of the day, so I have nicely dyed pieces waiting to be assembled. Hopefully I can get into that soon, but I have lots of plans for this weekend.

Friday!

2012-01-27T11:10:00.001-06:00

No, I promise, I'm not going to sing that horrible song. It's more like...running through fields of daisies with "Chariots of Fire" playing mysteriously in the background. That's the kind of giddy feeling this particular Friday gives me. Why? Because I have one test left to take this week and then I'm free until Monday! I have a little bridle to do and then hopefully I'll be able to get most, if not all, of my Show for the Cure donation done.

Last semester I balanced 3 classes (9 credit hours) and a 20hr/week part time job in addition to responsibilities at church. I eventually fell into a comfortable routine, but there wasn't much time for creative endeavors and I finished the semester mentally drained. My unique financial situation forced me to take just two classes this semester, and I was really frustrated at first. Maybe I need this break, though. I was bordering on burnt out last semester and it took half of my break to get myself back on track.

While taking just 6 credit hours puts me behind my goal, I have time to breathe. I really goofed around this week, and I still have nearly all of my homework done plus have had time to draw and read a little bit. This could be a really productive semester!

I don't have tack pictures (yet!), so here's a quick look at what I've been sketching. People are NOT my strong point, so I'm really trying to focus on getting them right.

Not Much to Say (A Quick Update)

2012-01-20T17:56:00.002-06:00

I'm having the usual trouble transitioning from break into the new semester. Everything feels a little panicky and wobbly the first few weeks as I reorient myself with class and deadlines. It'll sort itself out, though, and I might be able to blog more often once I hit my stride. Until then, I'm trying to line up a couple of guest bloggers.

Show for the Cure is coming up way, way too soon and I haven't even started on my donation yet. I have at least decided what to do, and I'll have to make room on a weekend to get it taken care of whether I've hit my stride or not. Hopefully I'll have the presence of mind to take progress photos for blog fodder!

I did get behind on emails the last couple of days, but I'll get caught up this evening. I know there are a couple of requests for free copies in my inbox, so if you emailed me on the 17th and didn't receive one don't worry. I'm getting to you!

Speaking of the saddle guide, free copies are officially 'sold out.' The guide is still available for $10/copy (PDF form). If anyone is interested in a hard copy of sorts, I can do some number crunching and see about offering copies on disc.

Here are some screen shots of the guide itself, for those that missed out on the free release.

"I Miss My Camera" and Other Break-Is-Almost-Over Regrets

2012-01-14T20:56:00.002-06:00

Class starts back up on Tuesday. I thoroughly enjoy learning and college, but it IS a lot of work and stress. I'm looking forward to starting the semester, but I'm looking forward to it being over even more. With the end of my relative freedom drawing nearer, I find myself looking back over it with mixed emotions.
I had a little over a month off between the fall semester and the upcoming spring semester. I had such high hopes for break - the books I was going to read, the tack I was going to make, the things I was going to photograph and draw. I had even planned to finish up my little muley girl.

Needless to say, not much of that happened. I slept, a lot. I read some books, but not the ones I had planned. War and Peace still sits on my shelf, unfinished. I took some pictures, but mostly of saddles and family events. Not bad, but not what I had hoped for. I think I sketched for a little while one night, but nothing productive happened. I didn't touch my little Boo-girl hardly at all. She's still unfinished.

I place the blame for my lack-luster break in three areas: an especially stressful finals period, an especially stressful holiday season, and the mother of all head colds, which is just now beginning to release it's death grip after at least three weeks of misery. I didn't have much productive time in the studio until after the new year. BUT, once I recovered from PTFD (post traumatic finals disorder) and the holidays, I got quite a bit done.

I finished the saddle tutorial.
I made four sales pieces between January 1 and 13, all of which have sold and shipped.
I started prototyping an Australian Stock saddle and am now on the second draft. Still some tweaking to do, but I think the third time will be the charm.
I got all of my textbooks and things ordered and am now set for the next semester. Lord, please help it to go quickly.
I went out this morning and spent 45 minutes taking pictures at a state wildlife reserve. No wildlife to speak of, but out in the middle of dirt roads with no other people. It was nice, but I realized just how much I miss my camera and the absence of other people.

Today was probably the last really productive day in the studio until May 14. Tomorrow I need to get all of my studio stuff cleaned up (or at least bring the mess down to manageable proportions) and get 2011's book keeping squared away. I sort of gave up on it when the fall semester started, so I'm a little nervous. There's a lot of stuff I haven't entered. I need to actually start 2012, but the year is young enough that it shouldn't be a problem. The website has been very neglected as well, and I'd like to get the galleries updated before class starts again.

As mentioned - I took some pictures this morning. Somewhere around 260 of them, and that's just because it was cold. Out of those 260, only 20 or so were worth editing. Here are a few of my favorites.

And a photo of the latest Australian Stock saddle revision.

Prototyping

2012-01-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

With the help of Karen Grigson of Bluebird Studio, I've begun prototyping an Australian Stock saddle pattern. She's been extremely kind and provided detailed photos and an explanation of how things go together on Model Horse Blab (it's in a paid section of the forum - apologies if you 're not a member!).

I'm still prototyping the pattern, and after one finished saddle I can already see some areas that I need to change. The waist of my seat isn't nearly narrow or long enough, and I'm going to recess the knee blocks next time. I was also ready to do myself bodily harm when trying to make D rings at 11 pm last night. Memo to self: Buy new wire cutters. I should have used 28 gauge wire, but my wire cutters won't handle it. They're too old and pitted.

Bridles - the Cliff Notes Version

2012-01-12T20:37:00.000-06:00

Lots of people ask questions about my bridles. I'm wrapping one up today for an english set that's really close to done (and will be on MH$P soon...maybe tomorrow). I snapped some photos during creation, but this post is an overview of technique, not a tutorial or guide.

I didn't think about doing this until I was almost halfway done with the bridle, but you can see the cavesson in the back and the headstall in the front. The caveson has been buckled, all straps glued down, and has all of the keepers (except for the one under the noseband) done. At this point, short of being cut off, you're not going to remove it. The headstall has the cheekpieces done, but the throatlatch is loose. I haven't trimmed down the short end or added the buckle yet.

Here, I've placed the headstall over the caveson and glued across the crown. That twisty bit of wire is a buckle that fell apart, whoops! Some things are easier done OFF the horse, and today buckling the throatlatch was one of them. Fortunately I was able to salvage this piece, but sometimes a busted buckle means starting over on the crown and associated straps.

Now the browband is attached, glued to the headstall on both sides. A small cut is made just above the top edge of the browband so that the bridle can be removed. I trimmed some of the excess browband down and tucked it around the headstall, gluing it down. Once the bridle was off, I replaced the broken buckle, fastened the throatlatch, and added any remaining keepers.

And here it is all done! I threw a protective coating of sealer (Tandy's Satin Sheen) on it and put it on Little Lonestar so that it would dry properly. Sometimes the weight of the bit and other pieces causes the leather to twist as it dries. I just wanted to make sure it would fit, too. There's a little tiny piece of the browband that wrapped around the headstall that needs to be trimmed up just below his ear, but that's an easy fix.

So there you go! That's the Cliff-Notes version of how I make bridles.

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I'm sending out copies of the saddle guide in waves; if you emailed me and haven't received your copy yet, I just haven't reached your batch.

Well, Phooey.

2012-01-11T16:35:00.005-06:00

Update II: I'm all caught up sending guides out to those who requested! A quick email letting me know you got it would be much appreciated, and if you emailed me before 7:30pm Central Standard Time and haven't received your copy yet, please let me know!
_______________________________________________________________

Update! I got it all sorted out and copies are being sent.
_______________________________________________________________

I started to send the guide out and am having emails bounce. The file is too big! Curses. Please hold while I figure out how to resolve this.

Thanks!

English Saddle Instruction Guide

2012-01-10T20:09:00.002-06:00

I have one more photo to retake tomorrow, and the guide is officially done! I corrected some spelling, grammar, and format issues this evening. Shown above is a screen-cap of the cover page.

The guide will sell as a PDF for $10 a copy, but as a thank you to my blog readers, anyone who emails me and requests a copy between today and January 17th will get a copy for free!

The guide includes...

17 pages of information, instruction, and reference material.
71 full-color pictures and illustrations
A list of suppliers and helpful links
Photos of REAL saddles for reference
Pattern for saddle parts, sized for the G3 Warmblood
Some tips and tricks to make the process easier

I can be reached at akirby@dreamflitedesign.com! If you have a blog of your own, you are welcome to post about this and share this blog post with your friends.

Wordless...Tuesday?

2012-01-10T11:17:00.002-06:00

Sorry all, it's press day and I have to be at work soon. It'll be a mostly wordless Tuesday. I have some last minute, nit-picky editing on the tutorial to do this evening. I'll post release details on it tonight or tomorrow afternoon. The following photo is something that Shoestring Stable made with the tutorial. She did an amazing job. So amazing that I just bolded, italicized, and underlined amazing.

And I wrapped up the pony set yesterday. I took photos this morning, but I don't think I'll have time to get it up on MH$P before I leave for work.

I want a braided version of this pony, without the freakishly thick but rather realistic forelock. It's a pain.

My Year in Saddles (Wordless Wednesday)

2012-01-04T17:04:00.000-06:00

January

February

February 2

March

April

May

June

July - No saddles, because I had no studio!

August

September

October

November

December - or close enough.

On to 2012! (January)

Heads Up - What's On the Workbench

2012-01-03T22:12:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of break, I didn't get a lot done. I was too busy catching up on sleep and enjoying the absence of deadlines, tests, and papers. By the time I had recovered from the past semester, the holidays hit. Christmas in my family brings a wonderful sort of chaos that leaves you completely drained by the time our three straight days of festivities are over. I spent last week working on the english saddle how-to, and I think I finished it yesterday. I can't believe it's finally done! I can't believe it so much that I'm going to sit on it for just a little while and make absolutely sure that I have all of the kinks worked out.

Now that the holidays and english saddle booklet are done, I've gotten some really constructive tack time in. Here's what's on the work bench right now.

The english set in the back will have it's "official" pictures taken tomorrow afternoon and then will head to MH$P. The saddle on the pony is done, but needs a girth and bridle. I have a pair of rainbow reins in progress for it. I'm thinking I'll do a crupper and breastplate to complete the cute pony look. Maybe a couple of red bows for someone to sticky wax on the tail.

That "thing" in the foreground is a western saddle that has me stumped. I started it a few weeks ago, intending to make a parade saddle out of it. The saddle decided that it didn't want to be a parade saddle, so we're going western pleasure. I sort of lost...motivation on it, though. The silver is giving me fits. The carving I like, but I think I underestimated the level of difficulty my proposed silver pattern would pose. Depending on how it turns out, it might be my donation to Show for the Cure Live, which is March 24. That's....way too soon!

It's dark out and the light in my studio is no good for photos, but this might give you an idea of what it looks like...

Those are supposed to be feathers, not leaves, haha. Of course, it looks better in person. It sounds like a cop-out, but when the detail is blown up this much it can look really coarse. Each of those little squares is a 1/4 inch square in real life.

Class starts back up on January 17th. I'm determined to finish school without any debt, and the new car means that I have to cut back on classes this semester. It's a bummer, but it'll be worth it long term. I'll be a part time student next semester, and I'm picking up an extra hour a day at work to fill in the time that a third class would take. I think I'll have more time for tack, too, which will be an added bonus! I don't foresee commission books reopening any time soon, but if my classes end up being really light that could all change.

I have a year-in-review post planned for tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Slaving Away

2012-01-01T21:17:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

I spent my day writing, taking pictures, writing again, waiting for dye to dry, writing, taking more pictures, and working on a few little things in between. Oh, and fighting a hideous sinus something-or-other. It's kicking my butt but good.

I should have the rest of the tutorial finished by tomorrow, so stayed tuned for release details.

In the next week or so I'll be putting some brand new items up on MH$P as they are completed. It's all english this time around, which is a welcome break from western saddles. Updating the website galleries and getting my Excel spreadsheets in order for 2012 are also on the agenda. I'm contemplating reworking the blog design (again!) so bear with me if you happen to stumble across something a little funny looking! I've told myself that I can't rework the website, but I need something new and pretty somewhere, so the blog will have to suffice.

My desk is feeling the sudden burst of activity and taking it rather hard...

Clean up will be on tomorrow's agenda, methinks.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:52:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I hope your holiday is filled with all of your favorite things!

Favorite Things

2011-12-13T11:06:00.002-06:00

You know the song: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens / Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens / Brown paper packages tied up with strings / These are a few of my favorite things

Of course, this package isn't actually brown paper, and it's not tied up with strings, but it IS ready to go to the post office, and THAT makes it one of my favorite things!

And what, you might ask, is in the box? Tami's saddle!

I'm so excited that it's finally done and ready to ship! It feels like it's been a long, long project but a very enjoyable one.

My finals (and class!) are over and I'm just waiting to see what my final grades are. Thanks for the well wishes, everyone! My Christmas spirit is in full swing and I'm loving the holiday season. All we need is snow to make it perfect.

I still have plans to wrap up the saddle tutorial before the end of the year and would like to get a blog post out on my short cuts (I even took some pictures for it today!) but it is the holiday season: I have various Christmas activities at church and with family for a lot of the next two weeks.

Just in case I don't make it back to the blog until after the holiday: Merry Christmas, everyone!

Two Sizes Too Small

2011-12-07T14:49:00.001-06:00

"Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all... may have been that his heart was two sizes too small."

I'm not sure if it's my shoes, my head, or what but my Christmas spirit has definitely been a few sizes too small this holiday season. We are a scant two and a half weeks away from Christmas and I'm just not feeling it. I have lots of Christmas music on my iPhone, but the only thing I can stand to listen to is "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," which I purchased last night. Everything else is terribly annoying, and is it just me or are they playing all of the holiday favorites far too early in the season? I was attempting to take a late evening nap the other day and was so close to asleep when "MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!" woke me right up.

I think a deciding factor in my lack of holiday merriment is class. The last few weeks have been a frenzy of paper writing, quiz taking, and finals-panicking, intensified by a sketchy professor who seems to have difficulty with technology (shouldn't familiarity with email and computers be a requirement for teaching an online class?!). I took the first final last night, and it was the test from hell. I was anticipating a test like the midterm: multiple choice, fairly easy, so I started at 9:30pm. What I got was 20 essay questions, each of which could easily have made a two or three page paper, and a frustrated, tearful 2am bedtime. Hopefully the other two will be a little easier on me, but I was expecting that particular final to be one of the easiest. My confidence has taken a beating.

Due to this flurry of activity, absolutely nothing has happened in the studio. The instant finals are over, I'll print Tami's saddle pad and ship her saddle out. After that, I'd like to start on a very special project and experiment with auctioning it off, but we'll see how that goes. I still have to enroll for next semester!

Hopefully I'll be posting more after this weekend; we'll have a house full of guests on Saturday, but I should be done with class by then and from there? All I have is my part time job. Words cannot describe how sweet that will be.

Well, off to the next final! One chance, 100 questions, 90 minutes. Pray for me.

Back in the Saddle...Kinda.

2011-11-21T18:15:00.001-06:00

Due to an unexpectedly light week of college classes, I was able to get a few projects off my desk and make something just for fun.

The repaired and updated parade saddle was shipped this morning, and Tami's saddle is done except for the pad. Little Lonestar's back is rather long and will require an adjustment to my template. I had some lace left over from Tami's bridle and used it to make a show halter just for fun.

It still needs keepers on the underside, but I had a lot of fun with it. None of those little tongue buckles are adjustable, and I had time to perfect a quick, easy way to make them! Very exciting stuff, because I'll be able to use them more often without adding a lot of time or frustration to each project.

I'm still picking away at the english saddle tutorial. I know I say that all the time, but really I am! The editing is 3/4 of the way done and I'm working on transferring it to an Adobe InDesign document that lets me lay everything out nicely. The end product will probably be 10 pages or more, but will have large pictures and be available in a PDF.

After all of that productivity, you know there's going to be a "but", and that's where the "Kinda" in my post title comes in. My light schedule just got busy now that my slow professor has finally given me my assignment, an entire week late! I have a 3 day work week, though, and I hope to spend some of Friday and Saturday working in the studio.

Real Quick...

2011-11-11T12:05:00.001-06:00

Apologies for the lack of posts! I'm heading out of town for the weekend and have been scrambling to finish up homework that's due while I'm going to be gone.

Here's a quick shot of Tami's saddle:

I tried a new technique for the silver and I really, really like it! I have the bridle started, too, so when I have more than 10 minutes to myself I hope to finish it up as quickly as possible.

I also got Adobe Creative Suite CS5 this week! I should be able to get a nice, clean version of the saddle tutorial done in InDesign and then PDFed. As soon as I finish editing, of course...

Well, I'm off for the weekend! Hope everyone has a nice weekend, too, and remember to thank a veteran or serviceman/woman!

Interview: Video!

2011-11-03T11:45:00.004-05:00

Here's a link to the video!

Valley Falls Student Saddles Up With Small Business

Hopefully you can't see it in the video, but my hands were shaking when they filmed me working on a saddle!
(Yes, Tami, that's your saddle! More on that in a minute...) I'm really glad I did the interview; it wasn't nearly as scary as I had thought it would be and ended up being a really fun experience.

I wiped my hard drive early this week to clear out some issues before I get my new Adobe software. I've been using Photoshop 6 at home, which was released in 2000. Can you believe it even WORKS any more? CS 5 isn't here yet, so until then I can't really edit pictures and updates are going to be spotty. However, when it gets here I'll have InDesign (among other things) and will be able to do a really, really nice job on the saddle tutorial (if it ever gets done...).

PSA: Offline for a Bit

2011-11-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

My PC will be out of commission intermittently for the next couple of days as I do some maintenance. I should have internet back tonight or early tomorrow, but I don't know how long it will take to get my email client and various other programs reinstalled. If you need to reach me, I'll respond as soon as I can. Thanks!

Monday

2011-10-28T20:57:00.003-05:00

Monday will be the last day of October, the first day of another grading period for my college, Halloween, and the day I'll be interviewed by the TV people! It's official: 11 a.m. Monday morning, they're going to show up at my house and film me making a saddle and whatever else they think will look good. I honestly have no idea what's going to go down, but I think it's going to be a blast!

Until Monday, I will be...

....Dusting. Obsessively. My collection is not large in terms of space, but then again - Stablemates don't take up much room.
....Working on a couple of saddles. I'm terrified that something will go wrong with the western saddle I have set aside to assemble, so I'm going to start an english saddle just in case.
....Organizing. Also obsessively. Some people will probably look at this hobby as funny, and I want to make sure that I present a neat, tidy, and more or less normal appearance*. I would like to point out that the reception of the article has been 100% positive and surprisingly enthusiastic.
....Freaking out. Just a little. I'm a bit socially awkward and talk fast, faster when I'm nervous. That about sums it up.

After Monday, I will be...
...Freaking out. Just a lot. I had some control over the article, but once they pull out of my driveway I have zero control over what goes on that TV.
....Breathing a sigh of relief. It'll be over! I'll have done something I've never done before, theoretically grown as a person, and stepped way outside of my comfort zone.
....Preparing for the comments that are sure to follow whenever it airs. Though in a way, it might be less than expected. We print 2000ish copies of the newspaper every month, and I know a lot of people in this town. Sure, the TV spot will probably reach more people, but the stations cover about 10 counties and I don't know a lot of people out there!

I'm sorry there's been a lot of silence on the blog lately. I'm finally finding a schedule with classwork, so I'm hoping to spend some more time on the Stablemate tutorial and this poor blog. I actually got some more editing done last week, so hopefully there's an end in sight. I'm also going through the process of getting the student edition of Adobe's Creative Suite, so I'll have the tools I need to put this out in a polished PDF.

I also got a little more done on my dapple grey mule! Meet "Boo."

She's far from done, but I like where she's going. I have a collection of four mule resins now; this girl, Frank, Ellie Mae, and the AA mule. I named my copy of Frank "Atticus" after the character from To Kill A Mockingbird, and I'm continuing the theme with the rest of my mules. Ellie Mae has been dubbed Harper, but the AA Mule will have to wait until he's been repaired and has some clothes before he gets a name.

*We all know I'm not normal, so I guess it's trying to look a little less abnormal than normal. Right?

Weekend Warrior

2011-10-23T21:14:00.002-05:00

Aside from a midterm on Saturday, my weekend was free of homework. I was finally able to sit down and work on a few projects. Half a season or more of Stargate SG-1 later, and I've got a finished sales piece!

This set includes raised snaffle bridle with laced reins, breastplate (removable), saddle, girth, and I'll finish up a square pad tomorrow. It's on MH$P and listed at $110 PPD. Mostly cause, well...the iPhone bug has bitten. Hard. I can't justify spending my regular paycheck on one, but model money is "fun" money. Those things are just too cool. My dad upgraded his phone to the iPhone 4, and I've had a lot of fun playing with it.

My poor Little Lonestar is already a casualty of my clumsiness. Poor guy took a nosedive and would have made an Olympic diver proud...right up until the landing. He lost half of an ear and some of his tail. He'll be repaired whenever I ship him out for painting, but I'm in no hurry.

In addition to the sales piece, I also finished the remodeled parade set. The raffle saddle is still a WIP, but I didn't hear back from the TV people this week. I was planning to work on that saddle during filming, but I can't hold off on it indefinitely. If I don't hear from them by next Friday or so I'm moving forward with it.

**Update**

The set is sold!

You Know You Live In A Small Town, Part Two

2011-10-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

I had an interesting email last week...

Hi Anna,
My name is Deborah and I am a reporter at Kansas First News (NBC, ABC and Fox) in Topeka. I read an article in the Jefferson County News about you and your business, and would also love to cover your story on our newscast.

Yup, from the frying pan to the fire! Or, rather, newspaper to television. I'm on the quiet side and pretty shy, so the newspaper interview was a huge stretch for me. Now it looks like I'll have cameras and a reporter to work with! I've been emailing back and forth a bit and we're going to set up a date sometime after the 24th to do the interview.

I really enjoyed talking to the newspaper reporter (who just so happened to be my boss's daughter...remember, it's a small town!) about my hobby, which surprised me. I think the TV interview, if it happens, will be just as fun.

In the model world, I'm still working away on Tami's saddle. I'm doing something intelligent and carving everything I can prior to dyeing it. Normally my workflow is a little more haphazard; I'll carve and dye in chunks, assembling things as I go. This means that typically, the two skirts are carved and dyed first, along with the leather to cover the swells. Once the skirts, rigging, and swells have been assembled I'll carve and dye the fenders. Those go on, and then I construct the seat. There's usually some fiddling with the jockeys because the pattern pieces never fit quite right. Those are carved and dyed, usually with the cantle, and then those are added. Stirrups are usually last, and then it's on to the bridle and other odds and ends.

I'm hoping that by dyeing everything possible in one batch, I can avoid inconsistencies in color. One of the dyes that I am considering (Timber) for the saddle varies in color depending on how much you use. I won't have to leave my dyeing stuff out all the time either, if I dye everything on one day and let it sit! I'm going to be assembling Tami's saddle on camera, which is another reason to get everything done NOW.

Another Pretty on the Wish List

2011-10-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

The recent spate of posts was due to the discovery of the schedule feature that Blogger offers. I wrote them up in two days and scheduled them to go off every other day. It was wonderful! Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot to talk about now and very little brain power to think of some insightful topic to speak of. Today, anyway, an email will take care of the problem.

Stacey Tumlinson is releasing a mini version of Covenant Kept! The mini is called Covenant Renewed and is curio scale, 4 inches long. I'm guessing he'll be pretty close to Dinky Duke in size. Unfortunately, there's no money in the pony fund because I haven't had time for tack! Under normal circumstances I might just buy it anyway but I've got a trifecta of expenses: new car, Christmas, and tuition (shudder!) are all on the radar. Sigh. I do a lot of trading, but that's only helpful if I have the time to work on tack!

Right now most of my time, as always, is spent on class work. Any spare time is spent learning how to drive the (insert impolite word here) stick shift. I'm finessing a lot of things before I'm safe to unleash on heavily populated areas and it's not going...smoothly. Literally, haha. It'll come, though, and I really enjoy driving it.

Hakuna Matata!

2011-10-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

I went to see the Lion King in 3-D during it's two-week stint in theaters. It's the movie I remember the most from my childhood. My brother and I had the toys, the clothes, and my wonderful grandma embroidered us pillow cases with Nala and Simba on them. Apparently she let us look through a coloring book to pick what we wanted! Those pillow cases seem to have vanished, unfortunately.

If you wondered whether or not the reissue of this movie was worth the $13.50 admission price (not to mention the cost of popcorn and a drink!), the answer is YES. Completely, totally, 110% worth it.

The animation, brilliant to begin with, is enhanced by 3-D technology rather than overshadowed by it. The original film had some amazing moments that are completely brought to life in this updated viewing. The wildebeast stampede, the flying birds, the rain at the end after Simba defeats Scar! It's all brilliant. The movie comes out on BluRay and DVD today, I believe, and I'm going to have to buy it at some point!

Experimenting

2011-10-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

I've long been unsatisfied with my method for making western saddle trees. Currently, I use scrap leather to build up the shape but the swells are unwieldy, the seat unpredictable, and the cantle is usually misshapen. It bothers me, it really does.

So I've been thinking, how hard can it really be to sculpt my own trees? Yesterday I had intended to go to Hobby Lobby and buy some Sculpy to play around with, but by the time I got out of the theater (that's another post!) it was closed. Bummer. I couldn't find modeling clay at Walmart and settled for PlayDoh for the sake of experimentation. I almost couldn't find the PlayDoh, though! Do kids just not do that stuff anymore? I remember it being huge when I was little, with play sets all over the place.

I played around while watching a movie for my U.S. History class. From left to right are my first, second, and third attempts.

The one on the far right has the best seat shape, but I hacked into the swells too far when I was trimming it down. I think I need to lengthen all of the trees to accommodate the added thickness of leather, plus I think I erred on the side of too short when sculpting them.

Two things that I've noticed: it's really, really hard to get the shape of the swells correct and even though I'm really, really excited about sculpting these trees, it may limit the fit of saddles. I don't know exactly how that's going to work yet. I made the trees on three different horses: Little Lonestar (far left), the G4 Para Dressage horse, and the Stone Chips stock horse. You could have a picnic on the back of the para dressage horse, so his tree is obviously not that great on the much narrower Chip. Still, when you add in the leather for the skirt none of the trees fit that badly.

This is the second tree, modeled on a long-unfinished concept for a parade saddle and the G4 Driving horse.

The concept of sculpting trees has merit, regardless. I'll play around with these, but I doubt I'll make any saddles to sell off of them or any other PlayDoh trees. I'm concerned about how well PlayDoh would hold up to repeated use. When I get some Sculpy I'll see what happens.

New (To Me) Car!

2011-09-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

Finally, a replacement for my 98 Ford Contour!

The new car is a 98 Pontiac Sunfire, with just 84k on it! It's a manual, which is definitely new for me but I'm doing okay! Two days of driving lessons and I can take it around our small town by myself. It's a nice upgrade from my previous vehicle, though that's not a bad car, really.

Since buying my first one at 18, I've gone through a car a year like clockwork. The transmission went out on my first car, but I paid $550 for it and it lasted me a year, so that's actually okay. My second car was a lovely Chrylser Cirrus with a sunroof, automatic everything-but-headlights, and leather interior that was hit by a deer. A month after the $500 body work, the timing belt blew on a full tank of gas while I was on my way to work. I had just been thinking, "Gee, it's lasted me an entire year! This is great!" Never. Again. Third car was bought as emergency transportation after three weeks of being driven to work by my dad. It was cheap and aside from some rust and no A/C was in really good running condition for it's age. It's given me no problems, actually, but the lack of A/C in a Kansas summer isn't something to play around with. Now it's been almost a year since I bought that car, but at least this switch was planned!

New car here should last me another three or four years, hopefully through the end of college.

Dye Samples

2011-09-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

I started thinking the other day (the exact thought process was long, involved, and a little confusing) and decided that I needed to make a sample book of the leather dyes I have on hand. Sometimes I want to make a two-toned saddle and I'm not sure what colors would go best together, sometimes customers want to see what specific colors look like, and sometimes I'm just bored and want an excuse to do something mindless. All very valid reasons to spend part of yesterday afternoon cutting, dyeing, and sealing sample sized pieces of leather. I used a small paper hole punch to put holes in each of them and a loose binder ring to hold them together. I wrote the name of the dye on the back of each sample and each piece is sealed with Tandy's Satin Shene on the right, Super Shene on the left. (As an aside...why must companies use "clever" spellings for their products? What's wrong with sheen? I suppose, though, that since my studio name is Dreamflite instead of flight I have no room to talk.)

I set all of my swatches out and photographed them clearly in full sunlight. I then went into Photoshop and cropped down a bit of each swatch to put in a graphic that is now on the website.

Customers now have a decent idea of what I offer. Of course, color may still vary by dye batch, by monitor calibration, by how the leather accepts the dye, by how I'm holding my brush that day. It's no gaurantee, but it's a lot better than the vague mention of "available dye colors" I had previously. A link to this image replaces that text on the pricing pages of the website. Hurray!

Edit: For those who are interested, I use Tandy's Eco-Flo line of dyes and sealers.

On MH$P: Rough-out Saddle

2011-09-26T09:57:00.002-05:00

I got the ad up for the green and brown rough-out saddle today!

Here's a couple more pictures of the set:

If you're interested in purchasing the saddle, feel free to email me (see the contact page) or check out the ad here.

Zoom!

2011-09-24T20:03:00.001-05:00

Just finished!

This is a sales piece and will be on MH$P tomorrow, once I edit the several gazillion photos I took and figure out what I want to charge for it, since it's a little out of my norm.

You Know You Live In A Small Town When...

2011-09-22T11:07:00.005-05:00

Update: The article has been posted on the newspaper's website! Head over to www.jeffcountynews.com to read the full article (link takes you directly to the article). The photos are in color!

You know you live in a small town when this is front page news:

I was told on Tuesday that I was going to be on the front page, but when I actually SAW the front page as I was trimming the negative I was a little shocked. I hadn't realized that it would be so BIG. But aside from having my face plastered across the front page, I don't think I embarrassed myself or the hobby that badly. I got to read an advanced copy and a couple of itty bitty things were changed, like removing the part about half my closet devoted to models (not entirely true, and it sounds a little creepy) and the tag line for the photo that used "toy" instead of "model." I did notice, upon rereading it this morning that my website's in there wrong. Oh well, it's just a letter off (designs, rather than design) and it'll still get 'em there.

The article isn't up online and I don't have time to track down a text copy, but here's a photo of the article for anyone interested.

All Kinds of Busy

2011-09-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

Class and I are getting along pretty well, but it's taking nearly all of my time. Kills me, cause I really want to work on a few projects but there's just no way to fit it in right now. I'm a little obsessive-compulsive about grades, so I can't justify skimping on the coursework to do model stuff. School has kept me away from my camera, too, which is a bummer. I haven't touched it for anything artistic and outside of the model horse world since the end of August.

The good news, though, is that I have declared October 1-2 as homework free days. I'm going to work a little harder (and smarter!) until then so that I can have everything completed and submitted on September 30. I should be able to make some progress then, but the primary goal is to give my poor brain a rest.

More good news: the paper I work for asked to interview me about my tack making business! I did the interview last week, and I'll post the article text or link to it or something when it comes out. Might be this week's edition, I don't know. Kind of exciting! I'll keep you guys updated, and hopefully I'll have something GOOD to talk about soon!

Update: I got to read the article at work today and it turned out great! It'll run in this week's edition of the paper, so I'll have a copy on Tuesday and hopefully get it up that night or the following afternoon. I'm always a little worried when I talk about the hobby, but the interview went very well and I'm proud to say that I do not sound like a plastic pony variation on the crazy cat lady!

Ouch.

2011-09-14T13:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I sliced my thumb open on a glass. Silly thing broke in my hand under normal pressure, and viola! I have a lovely cut on my thumb. I'll spare you all a shot of the actual cut, but suffice it to say that stitches were not off the table for most of yesterday. The cut is long, jagged, deep, and in an awkward spot between my knuckles. It made work difficult yesterday, since it was press day and we were trying to get the paper out. I felt so bad that I couldn't do my normal workload and help. Not much I could do about it, though, and everyone is really understanding.

It's sore, itchy, and really, really ugly today. Good thing I wasn't planning on getting any tack done this week, huh?

In more pleasant news, one of the english saddle tutorial testers sent me a photo of her saddle made from the tutorial and a bridle she did herself!

Tack & photo by Shanti

She did a fantastic job on the saddle, of course, and look at that girth! The bridle is a really nice effort, too, much tidier than what you typically see in this scale.

I'm still plugging away at the tutorial, but I'm barely balancing school and work right now, so progress is slow.

Studio Day

2011-09-11T13:02:00.003-05:00

School and work kept me busy this week, but I finally got a day in the studio Saturday. Nothing very exciting happened, because most of what I'm working on right now are repairs.

The first thing I fixed was Heather's saddle. It was made in June of last year and had a crooked cantle. Because the cantle was crooked, so were the panels. The original plan was to peel the leather on the seat back so that I could trim it up, but it was easier to make an entirely new seat. I was having issues getting the correct shape to the seat at that point in 2010, so the original seat on Heather's saddle was flat. The new seat has a lot more shape to it, fortunately.

I've got a parade saddle in the studio for repairs, too. Quite a bit of the original silver is starting to loosen and slide around, so I spent quite a bit of time yesterday replacing it. I'll be making a new bridle to go with it, just haven't gotten to that point yet. The biggest deal is that I think I've finally found a good way to do stablemate scale corona pads! It involves felt...and cross stitch fabric. It's really the simplest thing, and I wish I'd thought of it sooner. The corona in the photo is the second attempt and doesn't fit very well, but the technique is sound!

Most of the work on the parade saddle is updating what's already there, but I did extend the skirt forward, redo the fenders (keeping the design on the originals) and add decorations to the lower edge of the serape. What I hope to accomplish is a saddle that keeps the same feel as the original but is more competitive against a class of larger models. Fingers crossed it works!

The next sales piece I do will be parade saddle, and I'm really excited to start on it! Before I start that, though, I have Tami's saddle to work on. Hopefully I can get going on that in the next week.

Look Who's Here!

2011-09-09T11:07:00.003-05:00

Little Lonestar arrived today! He's a handsome devil, that's for sure, and I've already got a saddle lined up for him! Tami, the raffle winner, chose to have a western set done up for her own copy of Little Lonestar. I can't wait to get started!

Someone requested a comparison between Little Lonestar and Working Girl, and I'm reasonably sure that they could share tack. Little Lonestar is probably a scale hand and a bit taller than Working Girl. It's a noticable height difference, but not enough to say that they're not the same scale. Working Girl is a hair under 5(ish) cm at the high point of the withers, Little Lonestar is about 5 1/2cm at the same point.

For the record, bare resin is freakishly difficult to photograph, and since I'm supposed to be reading about the events that lead up to the Great War in 1914, I didn't have time to pull out a backdrop or anything fancy. Here are some quick comparison snaps, though!

My Little Lonestar already has a name: Zimmer. I picked up a ton of Aaron Copeland, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer music at the library last night and somehow, the name just fits him. I still have to decide on a color, and then on to a painter! Yikes!

Dressage for Dinky Duke

2011-09-06T10:11:00.002-05:00

I wrapped up the rest of the gear that goes with the double bridle I posted a little while back over the weekend.

This time...the curb chain is right!

Here are the rest of the photos from my little "shoot" yesterday afternoon.

This set is a trade for Dainty Darcy, an adorable little Morgan mare. When she arrives I'll have to get into saddleseat mode! My poor Mindy still doesn't have a saddle, so she's going to be quite jealous.

Dinky Duke is definitely the largest horse I've worked with before. He's head and shoulders (and maybe a little more) over the Stablemate scale resins I have. If I had to guess, I'd say the size difference between him and Working Girl is about the same as a Traditional to a Classic. This meant that I had to make an entirely new pattern for him, which I had already planned on. Overall, though, my methods didn't change very much. I had to size a lot of things up a little, but the fact that I didn't have to change the way I did any of it seems to be a very good sign.

Tips, Tricks, and Various Bits of Information

2011-08-31T15:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick something while I continue to plug away at class work and the edited version of the saddle tutorial. Hope you find some useful info in here! I may be able to expand some of these topics into full posts later, so if there's something you'd like to see more of, let me know!

Reference Material
My favorite book is The Essential Book of Horse Tack & Equipment. It's primary focus is on english tack, but it's got great information on bridles, bits, gadgets, martingales, saddles, boots, you name it. The photos are awesome, the diagrams are great, but the best part is the information on fitting and the thought processes behind it. I love knowing the 'why', not just the how or what.

A great online resource is used saddle listings. They usually show photos from a lot of different angles, including both sides, the top, and underside. You do want to be cautious and make sure that you're using a quality saddle as your reference, though. If you're unsure, a quick search with the brand name of the saddle will help shed some light on the quality.

Tack catalogs can be extremely useful, both hard copies and online. Dover Saddlery and State Line Tack are the two that come to mind first.

Organization
I have the neat freak gene from my mom and the pack rat gene from my dad. I like things to be neat, tidy, and organized but it's easy for me to squirrel things away willy-nilly when I'm stressed or tired. I found that a really good way for me to combat that habit is to keep as much stuff as possible in clear containers within easy sight. I'm less likely to pick a box and shove something in it if I have a visual reminder of what actually belongs in that box.

I have half a dozen or so rectangular bead containers from Hobby Lobby that I love. Those are great for storing spools of wire, hardware, jump rings, beads, and are great tack boxes for Stablemate stuff. You can get half-size ones in Walmart's crafting department, too, which works even better for me. Here's a photo of the two I'm in the most often.

The most-used supplies live in the one on the left. I've got silver wire, thread for raised bridles and saddle piping, stirrups, bits, chain, and metal embellishments & crystals. Extra blades for the snap-off & Exacto knives live in the long middle section. The case on the right holds extra silver wire as well as copper and gold. Miscellaneous traditional and classic scale hardware lives in there too, along with some glue I never use, foil for western saddles, and metallic thread. (I had to tidy these things up before I showed you guys! I would have felt like a hypocrite otherwise, haha)

Anything you use a lot should be in easy reach. Glue, tools, and toothpicks live on the far right side of my desk. Not only because I'm right handed, but because that's "dead" space that I can't work in very easily.

I've mentioned them before, and I'll say it again: Dixie cups are amazing. I tuck all of the little bits and pieces of a project in it's own cup and use alligator clips and pushpins to keep them out of the way. If there are enough projects going, each cup has a masking tape label added to it.

Little Tricks
Use glue as an alternative to gum tragacanth for smoothing down the fuzzies on the edge of cut leather pieces. This should be done after dyeing your leather. Use a tooth pick to spread a bit of glue on the edge and fuzzy side. Shape it with your finger or the tooth pick and let it dry.

To cut even pieces of lace, I lay a strip of double sided tape on my cutting mat. Line your leather up with one of the guides on the mat and stick it down. I use and Exacto knife and even up the top edge first, then cut my strips out. I use this method for pretty much everything that requires straps. Stirrup leathers, bridles, reins, breastplates, you name it. It's best if you work with leather that you've already thinned, but you can thin each strap individually, too. Dyeing is a toss up; the Eco-Flo dyes don't seem to absorb all the way through the leather, so I always have to go back and redo the edges. It would probably be just as easy to dye after I've cut the straps.

Curb Chains

2011-08-30T12:49:00.002-05:00

Curb chains can be tricky. You have to make sure they don't get twisted when you put them on, and that they're not too short or too long.

This?

Way, way too long! I measured it first, but still got it wrong. Oh well, too long is better than too short! I'll take four or five links out when my shift at work is over.

If you can ignore the freakishly long curb chain, here are a couple of shots of the rest of the bridle, sans reins.

Poor horse is also sans eyes! He's been a work in progress for time out of mind. His saddle is also done, and I'll take photos of that later. Girth, pad, and photos then off to new owner!

Oh, and because I know someone is going to ask where I find the itty bitty chain: I scavenge for some things that aren't readily available. I keep an eye out at garage sales and cheap thrift stores for jewelry with chains fine enough to use for tack. I generally have several sizes on hand, because the chain for a curb is often thinner than the chain for, say, a stud chain.

Raffle Results!

2011-08-28T14:28:00.002-05:00

I cut and folded all 200(ish) comments this afternoon! I started out with a bowl, but outgrew it pretty quickly. I ended up using my cat's sleeping basket (we call it a beddy-bye basket; anyone who's seen Aristocats will know what I'm talking about!) to hold the comments. Of course kitty was very interested and cooperated nicely by scooping two comments out for me! You can't get any more random than a cat, right?

She's picking the $20 credit winner in the photo.

The winner of the western or english set is....
Tami! The winning comment was "What a great idea. I've enjoyed reading your blog so far and I love your tack :)" on 8/11/11. I'm glad you've enjoyed reading, Tammi!

The winner of the $20 credit towards any future order is....
Tabatha Pack! Her winning comment was also from 8/11/11.

Thanks to all for reading and participating over the last month! Tammi and Tabatha, please send me an email at akirby@dreamflitedesign.com!

Raffle Ends TONIGHT!

2011-08-27T09:22:00.000-05:00

Don't forget, all of you lovely wonderful people, that the raffle wraps up tonight! Comments will count as raffle entries until midnight tonight, central standard time!

And, so you have something to look at...

I wandered around the countryside a bit this morning and took some photos. That was my relaxation for the day...NOW I have a website to update, class work to finish, and at some point a dressage saddle to work on!

Tackmaker By Day...

2011-08-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

...Painter by night! Sort of...I don't repaint models often, but I needed something to help me calm down tonight. Unfortunately, dapple grey was probably not the best choice, but I can't handle bays or chestnuts in acrylic and can't be bothered with pastels at 8pm.

Here's how it went down...

Alright! Base coated (ish) in acrylic, feeling pretty good!

Dapples, attempt 498...ready to chuck her at a wall.

Take 3: In Which the Derwent Pencil and I Come to An Agreement

You only see her right side because....that's all that's done! I'll keep picking at her, and probably put her back on the shelf for months after tonight.

Buckle Free Tack

2011-08-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

A quick note before we begin: this post makes a lot more sense if you know what to call the parts of an english bridle. Wikipedia has an excellent description, sadly without a picture. In a swift Google search, I didn't come up with anything better. Now, on to the post!

The primary objective of buckle free tack is to preserve the appearance of working buckles while eliminating the stress they can cause. This is really only effective at Little Bits or smaller scales, but is almost necessary with Stablemate or micro mini models. Working buckles come in two forms: tongue buckles or slip buckles.

Slip buckles on the left, tongue buckles on the right

In real life, of course, all buckles have tongues and the shape varies depending on the type of tack. In the model world, slip buckles refers to buckles without tongues at all. They are usually quite functional, though not quite realistic. Tongue buckles are truer to life, but can be harder to handle. In Stablemate scale, the majority of adjustable tack will have slip buckles. The use of tongues on strap goods is so frustrating as to be worthless, though I have on occasion done it (see photo above!). In addition to the frustrations of actual use, already thin leather is substantially weakened by the small holes necessary for adjustment.

I have found that there are several frustrations with slip buckles in Stablemate scale. For one, they slip! It can be difficult to get things to stay put as you are adjusting them, especially if the leather slips all the way out of the buckle. Another frustration is the necessary thinness of material that comes with scale. Buckles made out of 32g wire (like the gold ones above) are prone to bending out of shape and in some cases coming loose entirely. Repeated use of straps causes wear, and with already thin leather each use makes it more difficult to thread the leather back through the buckle. With enough use, straps will eventually break. Keepers, small loops of leather that keep excess length from flapping around on bridles, breastcollars, and virtually every form of strap good available, are often left off for convenience. No one wants to mess with a keeper after spending 10 minutes getting a strap back through it's buckle.

The pro of adjustable strap goods is, of course, being able to adjust them to fit a variety of models. In 2008, I was convinced that the sheer usefulness of adjustable tack outweighed the headaches it caused in the making and tacking up. It was gently pointed out to me that tack with faux or fixed buckles was highly appreciated by customers and, in the long run, much easier to use and make. I am a stubborn sort of person, but eventually I realized that they were right.

When you fix the buckles on a piece of tack, you must either leave it on the model permanently or find some other way of getting it on and off. That particular piece of tack will (in most cases) fit that one model exclusively. If you are lucky, there are other models similar in size and shape that can share. Molds within a generation of stablemates will often be able to share tack, but not always. The G3 cantering warmblood is almost identical to the jumping horse, but their forelocks are different sizes, so they can't share.

Western bridles and western and english breastplates don't usually require any special on/off mechanism. Without a browband, noseband, or throatlatch western bridles slip over the head easily. Breastplates slide over the head neatly, too, and don't need to be split anywhere.

English bridles or bridles with a throatlatch and noseband require creative thinking. The key thing is to hide the way you are securing the tack so convincingly that it takes a great deal of effort to locate it. I have seen two primary methods used to accomplish this:

The cheekpieces and cavesson are fixed, while the throatlatch and noseband are loose and stickywaxed out of sight. The throatlatch has a faux buckle, while the noseband is often buckle-less.
The cavesson buckles are fixed and the cavesson is separate from the headstall, stickywaxing behind the ears somewhere and hidden by the crown. The throatlatch must also stickywax under the crown, which often ends up being under the corner of the browband.

There are often some minor differences within each method, but that's the short of it. In the first method, it can be difficult to get the noseband to sit correctly, especially if the stickywax isn't cooperating. I've also found that it's not always easy to tuck the throatlatch up under the crown without something popping loose. The chances of something slipping increase with each spot you have to stickywax, too. I've used both of those methods, and eventually abandoned them for one of my own.

When I make a fixed bridle, I begin with the cavesson. When completed, it's put on the horse and buckled down with a bit of glue near the actual buckle to hold it in place. The cheekpieces and headstall are made next. The crown of the bridle is glued to the top of the cavesson and everything is buckled and glued. The browband is glued to the headstall at the proper place, with ends left loose to wrap around in just a minute. Now that the bridle is finished, I make a careful cut on one side of the browband. Here's a bad photo that makes a good illustration.

The stickywax wasn't cooperating that day, and the browband popped loose from it's spot. You can see where I made the cut, though, and when everything is fastened down properly it's not easy to spot. Unlike the other methods, there's only one spot to stickywax and you don't have to worry about ear rubs.

In some cases, going buckle free means literally that: no buckles. English girths are an excellent example. It's far easier to stickywax the girth under the saddle flap than fuss about with buckles, which usually add bulk. I like to glue both ends of the girth under the flap and then split it across the middle so that it stickywaxes under the horse's belly. This would never work on a Traditional or Classic model, and I would probably avoid it on a larger Stablemate and Little Bit models. In most cases, Stablemates are low enough to the table that a judge would never notice.

Western cinches are the one place I retain working buckles. It's true to the real piece of tack, can be accomplished in scale without excessive fear of damage, and isn't that hard to use.

I hope this has been informative, and that I haven't rambled too much. Feel free to leave questions, and I'll do my best to answer.

New Toy!

2011-08-25T19:11:00.000-05:00

I picked up a cheap P&S camera via Amazon's Gold Box deals earlier last week, and it arrived yesterday afternoon. It's a nice little Canon Powershot that was 60% off or thereabouts. Definitely worth picking up, though it won't completely replace my Nikon D60. I can take the Canon along to the lake or any other event that I consider 'high risk' in place of my Nikon. Losing or damaging a $50 camera will result in far fewer tears than losing or damaging a $650 camera! I'm pretty impressed with the quality, too, and excited to have video on it!

Unfortunately, I've already learned that my projected goal of Tuesday/Thursday blog posts won't happen. Tuesday is press day at the newspaper I work at, and by the time we're done on Tuesday night I'm ready to fall over. I'll figure something out, though, never fear.

In the meantime, here's a photo (taken on the Canon) of the press I help run:

The press is divided into two units, and I run the unit on the left. Those white rolls of paper are thicker than regular newsprint and weight around 1300 lbs. A full roll of newsprint is closer to 900. The thing is a beast!

Raffle ends this weekend, don't forget!

School!

2011-08-22T11:59:00.000-05:00

Class started today, so I'm busy writing due dates into my wall calendar and getting things organized. I actually took the afternoon off of work to get a solid start on this stuff. I'm taking three full semester classes this time around, which is the heaviest workload I've done so far. It's not full time, of course, but if I can't balance work and school I get overwhelmed and go into a tailspin. It's not pretty and doesn't do anyone any good.

Now that class has started, posting may be a little slower. I'm going to try to post two or three times a week, and right now I'm going to schedule Tuesdays and Thursdays as blog days. That will give me several days to work up a topic of some sort and spew out something cohesive, I think. Today will be some miscellaneous updates!

First and most importantly, the raffle ends this Saturday (Aug 27) at midnight central standard time! I'll compile the comments information Sunday afternoon and try to get winners announced that night. There have been 157 comments so far, which is totally exciting! I've loved reading all of them, and you guys have had some great things to say!

I started working on a trade project Sunday afternoon. It doesn't look like much right now, but eventually it will be an upper level dressage set for Dinky Duke. DD is just a little larger than Wee Jay, and is the largest I've gone so far.

The tutorial is officially with my volunteers! I've already heard back from Christine of Last Alliance Studios, and she has pictures of her first try up! She did a brilliant job both assembling the saddle and giving me feed back. We've found one place already that needs clarification and more pictures. Leah at Shoestring Stable is also testing the tutorial for me, and as soon as I hear back from her I'll start revising and putting together a "clean" version. Right now the tutorial is functional, but not very pretty. I want to format it a little bit and enlarge the photos. It's sitting at 7 pages with 11 point type and thumbnail-sized pictures right now, so it's going to be the size of a small novel by the time it's done! I'm going to have to put it in a PDF, I think. Related but not: after using Adobe's InDesign so extensively at work, I find myself extraordinarily frustrated with the limitations of Microsoft Word.

That sort of sums things up for now! Theoretically, the next post will be about going "buckle-less", which is sort of a misnomer since there actually ARE buckles...you just don't use them!

Before and After

2011-08-20T11:38:00.001-05:00

Before:

After!

The remodel is done, I'm moved back in, and I am so glad that it's finally over! You can't see it, but just off screen to the right are my closet doors. I have my halter and two bridles hanging on the handles, but that's not exactly what I had in mind for them. Any suggestions for display?

I'm still plugging away on that website, but I'm going to try to get the tutorial ready to be proofed by my lovely test subjects. Blog topics coming soon: a bridle tutorial and an article (of sorts) about going buckle-free! When the tutorial has been proofed and corrected, I'm going to try to get it into a PDF. Text-only it's four pages in Word, so you can imagine how long of a blog post that would be!

Almost There!

2011-08-15T09:50:00.001-05:00

We're trimming out the room today, so I should be spending the evening and tomorrow morning moving back in! I'm so excited! It's just in time for class to start on Monday. I also have a website to build that's due early next week, so I may not get a post in as frequently. I will have time to respond to comments, though, so keep them coming!

Don't forget that the raffle ends on the 27th, and for those of you commenting as anonymous posters - please include a name of some sort so that I can identify you! There have only been a couple of comments without names, and I'd hate for someone who is interested in the raffle to miss out.

Statistics

2011-08-13T20:53:00.001-05:00

I'm a numbers freak. I took Pre-Calc & Trig in high school and LIKED IT. I'm also a fan of useless information, and I want to share that passion with you today by giving you statistics about this blog that you could probably care less about! I doubt you're all as interested as I am, but it's really cool to see how the pageviews have grown since I revamped the blog in January, and even more since I started the raffle in July. The blog peaked in June with just over 1000 page views, but August is set to overtake with over 950 in the first couple of weeks.

According to Blogger, the vast majority of you are from the US, with the UK and Australia a pretty even second. After that is Canada, and then a handful of European countries like Germany, France, and Estonia (who knew?!). Most of you use Windows OS, but Internet Explorer and Firefox are evenly tied as top web browser, with Chrome a close second.

Most of you come over here from Jennifer Buxton's wonderful, wonderful blog, but quite a few make it over from my website. Model Horse Blab has been a source of traffic recently, thanks to a post announcing the raffle. The search results that turn up my blog include dreamflite design, dream flight design model horse, and

"pics of so randoms studio"? People who are looking for pics of so randoms studio are actually looking for photos from Demi Lovato's Disney Channel show Sonny With A Chance. I'm sure they're quite disappointed to find someone rambling on about model horses and saddles!

Prior to the raffle, the most-viewed post was my product review of stirrup irons. Now? The official raffle announcement with 161, followed by the FAQ with 48. The most commented post? The raffle announcement with 30. The recent galloping boots tutorial with 17, followed by "I Think I'm In Love" with 16, take second and third.

And, for some not-so-useless information, trim painting has progressed and hopefully I'll be able to move back into my room before class starts on the 22nd!

Friday of Few Words

2011-08-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

Not much time to write today, but the owner of the Secretariat racing set kindly sent me photos! Here they are, courtesy of Jessica.

And, to flesh this post out, here are a few other unique projects I've worked on over the years!

Circa 2008

Sometime in 2010

2009 or 2010, I think...

2008 or 2009

2009, I think.

I Think I'm In Love

2011-08-09T18:40:00.001-05:00

This stuff was recommended to me highly. I was curious, so when I happened across it at Michaels a few weeks ago I picked it up. I didn't have time or a project to try it on at the time, but I tested it today.

I don't think I will EVER go back to sticky wax for boots. This stuff is just as easy to find as sticky wax, and yeah, it's not reusable and you will have to reapply eventually, but the headaches it saves are SO worth it. I threw some of it on the sport medicine boots I made this morning, and my eyes got big when I actually started tacking up. It's amazing! The little tabs just stuck and I didn't have to worry about them popping off or anything. Definitely worth the $4 or $5 a bottle, and I'll be using this stuff as often as possible.

Oh, here are the boots! They sit SO well with the Tack-It glue.

I've got a few other things I love, too, like my craft knives. I use a small snap-blade knife for skiving and a regular exacto for everything else. I can't imagine living without them. The body of the snap-blade knife is old old old, from Walmart. They no longer sell these knives or the blades, but you can pick them up near the paint/wall paper supplies at stores like Lowes and Home Depot. I think the Exacto brand has one too, but I found the home improvement stores to be far less expensive than buying the name brand knife or blades at a craft store.

It's far easier to make your own buckles and most of your own bits when working in Stablemate scale. I use 26g, 28g, and 32g wire. 26g is reserved for bits, western saddle rigging, or reinforcing various parts, like the swells and horn of a western saddle. I also used it for stirrups, but less so now. 28g wire is often used for buckles or smaller D and O rings and as tongues for buckles made out of 26g wire. 32g is used to create the mouthpiece on bits (which is why I also have copper; it looks spiffy on western bits), and fixed buckles. It's too thin to do anything else with, really. Also in the photo is a spool of nylon upholstery & home decor thread. It's thicker than the usual cotton stuff. I use it in raise nose and brow bands, since wire can sometimes poke through the lower lining. It can be very useful on english saddles, as you'll see when the english saddle tutorial is finished!

Back: 26g. L to R middle: 28g, 32g silver, 32g copper. Front: upholstery thread.

I only use two pairs of pliers, and one kind of snip. I do have two pairs of the snips, though. The tips get worn down and pitted eventually, so the worn pair is retired and used on rough stuff like straight pins.

If I could find a smaller tip on the round and needle nose pliers, I'd love it. I haven't seen any at Hobby Lobby or Michaels, so I should probably do a little hunting online. What I have works, though.

So, there's another look at the stuff I use. Questions and comments, especially suggestions for walk-throughs and tutorials, are always welcome!

Don't forget, everyone, 19 more days to enter the raffle! Every post is another entry into the raffle.

Rough-out Gaming Saddle

2011-08-08T12:06:00.001-05:00

Another project started before the remodel! This goes with the gag bit I showed you last time.

I love the way it turned out! There's more to do, of course. The cinch is drying right now, and I still need to do the breastcollar, finish the bridle, and make the sport medicine boots. I had forgotten just how much I love working on projects that don't involve deposits, deadlines, or customer expectations! Not that I don't love my customers, too, there's just a wonderful freedom in doing things for myself. It's a great way to let out some creativity.

Be Kind to Your Brushes

2011-08-06T15:54:00.000-05:00

And don't leave them out without cleaning them, or you get this:

Poor paintbrush got left out after a couple coats of sealer on a saddle. It's a lost cause, but at least it was a cheap brush. Still, I like to get a little more mileage out of them first.

In other news, I still don't have the room to work on much. I'm experimenting with some projects I've had lying around, though, including a barrel racing set. This afternoon I tested out a gag bit.

And here's where I'm doing the work:

Western Pleasure Saddle

2011-08-04T12:37:00.002-05:00

Way back in May I posted some in progress shots of a western pleasure saddle. Well, it's done!

I had a lot of fun with this saddle. The carving is more detailed than any other saddle to date, and the silver is a new pattern. So..more pictures!

This saddle was intended to be part of my personal collection, but unfortunately tuition hit a little hard this semester. I'll be putting it up for sale to help out with the cost of school. I don't show, anyway, so a personal collection is a little useless. It's on MH$P and can be found here. Update - It's sold! Good luck to the new owner!

In a general model horse sense, for those wanting a good shot in OF and CM/AR performance classes with as little tack as possible, I strongly recommend a Working Girl and a G4 Driving Horse. They can trade tack very nicely, and despite some chunky legs the driving horse can be a very nice performance prospect.

Sally's Answer

2011-08-01T21:40:00.002-05:00

Last week, Sally Whippet asked a question on the Frequently Asked Questions post. I didn't answer right away, because to answer properly I was going to have to hunt for something. Believe me, I hunted all over that silly hard drive and had myself pretty worried that the photos had gotten lost somewhere. I finally found them, though!

In 2007 or 2008, I was commissioned to create a portrait set for a custom Secretariat. This was a really fun, challenging project. I had done racing tack before, but never a hood. That took some thinking, trying, and trying again before I got it 'okay'. Looking back, I'm not happy with it and I'm pretty sure I wasn't happy with it then, either, but there's only so much you can do. Unfortunately, these pictures were taken before the saddle blanket was finished. What's on there now is a pad, the edge of which can just be seen in the reference photo.

And here's a slightly more recent racing set.

So, Sally, to answer your question: Yes, I do make racing tack!

Tutorial: Galloping Boots

2011-08-01T21:14:00.001-05:00

Protective leg-wear can be an essential part of a good performance set up. Unfortunately, it can be hard to get the boots to behave. Adding a bit of wire helps them keep their shape around the leg, and in some cases will even keep them up without adhesive or sticky wax! The following tutorial is for a basic galloping boot fitted to Wee Jay.

Tools

Mini clothes pins

Exacto knife

Sharp Pointy Object TM (a large needle will work well)

Scissors

Supplies

Leather, skived into thin and VERY thin with enough for straps

32g wire

Glue (I use Tandy LeatherBond)

Note: This tutorial will walk you through one boot. Remember that you'll need to flip the pattern and some of the steps accordingly, and that galloping boots for the hind legs are generally a little taller. For the sake of time, this tutorial assumes that the user is familiar with the techniques for skiving and dyeing leather.

In this photo, you get a good idea of the general shape of a brushing or galloping boot. These boots provide protection for the inside of the leg and offer some protection on all sides. They generally cover the inside of the ankle without restricting motion and are almost as long as the cannon bone itself. They are fastened with velcro tabs or buckles and straps, which are always on the outside of the leg facing back, to keep a horse from injuring itself. Our tutorial is made with leather tabs that would, in real life, velcro on. You could easily modify this tutorial to include faux buckle straps if you were so inclined.

We'll start out by cutting the general shape of a brushing boot to fit your horse, leaving both ends long. You can always take a little off, but it's much harder to add it back on.

Here you can see a finished boot (top) and the rough pattern (bottom)

Wrap the boot around your horse's leg to check the fit, trimming at the top and bottom where necessary. It can be helpful to use your fingernail to leave an impression in the leather as a guide for trimming. Once done, use your fingernail or a needle to mark the long ends of the boot for trimming. This is best explained by a photo:

Since this is a blank resin, I used a needle to poke the leather right behind the cannon bone. The end of the leather will sit in the natural depression created by the musculature of the horse's leg and reduce bulk. Trim along those lines, and get ready to wire the boot.

If you haven't already, make sure your VERY thin leather is ready. This is the lining for the boot, and you'll want it to be dyed to match the exterior and sealed well. It needs to be thinner than the exterior of the boot, but not so thin that the ends of the wire break through.

I used two strands of wire, but you could certainly use three if you felt so inclined. Make sure that the wires are inset slightly from the short end of the boot to prevent scratching, and use a pair of pliers to turn the ends in a very small hook shape. The photos don't show this, unfortunately, because I hadn't thought of that when i took these photos a few months ago! Leave 1/2 to 1 inch of wire (or whatever you're comfortable with) at the other end of the boot for handling and shaping later. Lay down your glue pretty heavily, place the wires, and cover with the lining leather.

Trim the excess lining away from the boot and, while the glue is still wet, wrap it around your horses leg to shape it. Wrap the excess wire around the boot as many times as possible to help it retain it's shape. If the lining begins to pull away from the outer shell, hold it in place until the glue sets or use a mini clothes pin to clamp it down. If your model has tucked up legs, like WeeJay, it can be easier and just as effective to shape the boot around a hind leg, where it's easier to reach. Use your finger to gently shape the area around the ankle so that it molds to the leg.

Once the glue has set well, usually less than 15 minutes, remove the boot gently and lay it flat. Trim the excess wire as close to the edge as possible and wrap the boot around your horse's leg again. It's very likely that the boot is far too long and the leather overreaches. Trim it back so that it falls about mid-way around the leg or a little shorter, but still overlaps the rest of the boot. The photo is of a finished boot, but you can see the slight overlap anyway.

I prefer to cut a small slit for each strap and glue them to the underside of the boot, but that can be difficult to do with this particular method. These straps are trimmed to a point and glued to the boot, using the tip of a needle to simulate stitching. When gluing the straps down, it's helpful to work with long sections of lace and trim all of the straps at once to keep them even. A mini clothes pin can be used as a clamp while the glue is drying.

Using some of the lining leather, trim a long strip that's roughly the shape of a tongue depressor. The rounded bottom should fit over the bottom edge of the boot, and it should be as wide. Real brushing boots often have a protective strip along the inside of the leg, covered by material. That's what this will be. Again, the general shape is best described with a picture:

On the left is the protective strip, next to it is the boot, and on the far right is a finished boot. Apply glue to the underside of the strip and place it over the boot. While the glue is still wet, use a needle or Sharp Pointy Object (TM) to stitch mark the leather. While marking, push the leather gently towards the center of the boot to give it some dimension and shape. You can see the effect (blurrily) in the photo above, and more clearly below, where four stages of construction are shown.

L to R: pattern, wire and lining, trimmed with tabs, and finished.

Once you've stitchmarked the entire protective strip, your boot is done! One down, just three more to go. You can modify the design by using contrasting or colored leather or changing the size and number of tabs. Some boots use buckles, while others use large velcro tabs. Neither are hard to simulate with a little practice.

Good luck with your boots, and I'd love feedback on the tutorial as well as photos of your finished products!

I've Read Them All...

2011-07-30T23:33:00.002-05:00

And will respond to everyone's comments (if warranted) soon! It's been a crazy busy week, but after Sunday I can slow down the mad rush just a hair. Priority post for next week is the boots tutorial, for those who are interested!

Frequently Asked Questions! (Updated)

2011-07-28T23:33:00.008-05:00

UPDATE!
This thread has been so popular and there are so many good questions! It's exciting! Everyone's questions are SO good that I don't want the post to get lost, so I've given it it's own page! Questions (and answers) will now be added to http://dreamflitedesign.blogspot.com/p/frequently-asked-questions.html. You can't post comments on that page, so direct them here! I'll be notified by email when a new comment is posted, so I won't miss a thing.

I realized the other day that I've never talked about me much. Well, I have, but mostly what's going on and not about how I got started in the hobby. A couple of questions have popped up in the comments recently, so I'll answer those and anything else that comes to mind! If there's anything you want to know, add it to the comments and I'll update this post with an answer.

What made you start making tack in such a small scale? is it very fiddly? (From Sophie)
In a nutshell: because Stablemates were easy to afford on my weekly allowance, and so were the supplies to make tack for them! As to being fiddly, I suppose you could say that it is. I don't have trouble with it (often) but I'm the one who makes it and, after much practice, I know the best way to put it on and get it to behave. The amount of trouble you have with it could vary depending on a lot of factors, but I try to design each piece to be as easy as possible to use.

I have read that some people use Gum Tragacanth (spelling?) to help smooth leather. I was wondering if you've ever tried it, and how it works in such a small scale. (From Mackenzie)
I got some gum tragacanth (yes, you spelled it right!) in my last dye order, right before I had to tear my studio down. I haven't had a chance to use it very much, but I'm excited to try it again! It seems to be most useful for taming the fuzzies that sometimes come with skivving, but I thin the leather down so much that I don't usually have that issue. However, it also gives body to leather and that will probably be my primary use for it.

So what is your history and experience with real horses? Is experience with real tack one of your main reference points? Or do you have many other reference sources that you use? (From Shoestringstables)
I'd say it's equal parts experience and research. I've ridden western and english and I have a decent working knowledge of how the tack looks and functions, but I read a lot about how saddles should fit and why they're made the way they are for particular disciplines. Especially when working out a new pattern, I use a lot of photo references. I've loved horses forever and ridden off and on for most of my (admittedly short thus far) life. Right now I don't have a horse or access to one, but I don't have the time to devote to one either. I'm willing to wait until the timing is right to pursue it.

Will you ever do a tutorial for western saddles? (From Christine)
I estimate a lot more when making a western saddle, and while I have patterns for most of it the size and shape of the tree changes with almost every saddle. The lack of consistency and the multiple steps involved in the tree make it hard to translate everything to a tutorial that would turn out nicely for the average tutorial user. I'm not exactly happy with some of the techniques I'm using right now, even if they "work", so until I get it figured out a western tutorial is on hold.

Do you use a saddle tree when you make a western saddle? Thanks! (From Kristian)
I make a three-part structure from scrap leather: the swells, the seat, and the cantle. The seat and cantle are glued together to form the back part of the "tree" and covered with suede or what have you. The swells are attached separately. I've tried cast resin trees and wasn't happy with the shape or fit. You can use aluminum (from a pop can, for instance), but it tends to bend oddly. I've thought about sculpting a tree, but I'm not sure what kind of success I'd have with it.

Do you make the stirrups adjustable or just to a fixed length - e.g. to a specific rider? (From ordinarylittleart)
It's pretty hard to combine bulk-free adjustability AND durability in Stablemate scale. To be small enough to eliminate bulk, wire used for buckles or a tension adjusting system and the stirrup leathers wouldn't hold up long. Instead, I try to keep the length of stirrup leathers in scale with the horse and saddle. Breyer's riders are too small for almost every model ever issued, so I don't use them to gauge stirrup length. I line the bottom of the stirrup up with the horse's barrel and use it as the starting point, but there's a lot of eyeballing and doing whatever "right". If requested, I'm happy to fit stirrups to a particular rider and I keep one of every Breyer issued rider in the body box.

How often do you work on tack?
As often as possible! I usually get at least a little bit of work in every day when my studio is up. Tack making is (normally!) very relaxing for me, and I enjoy the time I spend in the studio.

How long does it take you to finish a saddle and bridle?
I've estimated it at 8 to 12 hours, depending on the intricacy of the saddle. I can finish a regular english saddle and plain snaffle bridle in a day of steady work.

When did you start making tack?
I started selling my tack in 2006, but I was making tack long before that. I had a Breyer barn for my carpet herd, but couldn't afford the Breyer accessories. I spent a lot of time lusting after the tack and equipment in the box catalogs and eventually translated that into my own creations. I started out with fake leather from garage sale purses, a glue gun, and floral wire. I've come a long way since then!

What do you do outside of the hobby?
I'm a part-time college student, working towards an art degree. I also have a job at a local printing company as a graphic designer and jack of all trades. I freelance in graphic design, photography, and any other artsy jobs that come my way. I've painted everything from tractors to buildings recently, and have played photographer on occasion for the local paper. I love old movies, the X Files, fantasy/sci fi/mysteries, and I read voraciously. I have a very bossy, opinionated grey cat that lives in the house and a quirky, insane black cat that lives outside. Grey is grey and black is black, and never the twain shall meet, or else I'd have a cat fight to end all cat fights on my hands!

Will your remodel EVER be finished?
It took us an entire year to get started on the remodel after we put the new windows in. Right now, it feels like it will take another year to move me back into my room. Actually, though, the busiest part of our summer is almost over and in another week or two we should have some more progress. Everything should be finished by the time the raffle ends. I'm tempted to set up a temporary work space in the kitchen until then!

So, any other questions? Fire away, and I'll do my best to answer them!

And, because every post needs a picture...here's a shot from a past NAN, courtesy of Mandy Hood. It's too cool when the rosette is bigger than the horse!

Raffle!

2011-07-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

As promised, details on the raffle! I'm really, really excited about this. Here's how it's going to work: every comment on any blog post, recent or otherwise, counts as a 'ticket.' There is no limit on how often you can post, but no silly comments to boost your count, please! I'm looking to reward my readers and boost readership, not my own ego.

You have from today, the 27 of July, until midnight central standard time on August 27 to comment. Winners will be announced Sunday afternoon!

And what, you might ask, will the winners get? The first name drawn will receive their choice of an english or western base set, which includes the saddle, bridle, pad, and girth. You can read more about the available base sets on my website (www.dreamflitedesign.com, or follow the link on the side menu of the blog). The second name drawn will receive a $20 credit towards any order*, to be placed within one year of the raffle date.

I'll have to start posting more than once a week now, won't I? Class is almost over, and I'll have a little more free time to get things done. I can't wait to see who wins the raffle! Good luck, everyone!

* $20 credits cannot be applied to past orders.

Rough Riders Live!

2011-07-24T15:12:00.001-05:00

Like a lot of artists, I donate to a few different shows every year. So far this year I've sent donations to Show for the Cure, Red Deer Rebellion, and in just less than a week Rough Riders Live will be added. The show is held in Fargo, ND, and will run from July 30 to 31. They have an entire day devoted to minis and performance! Sounds like my kind of show!

When Nancie, the hostess, asked me to donate I said sure! Unfortunately, I timed things badly and wasn't able to get anything along the scale of S4tC or RDR ready in time. I did have a nice, all around personal set that I'd made ready, so I shipped that out to North Dakota. Nancie received it on the 21st, in plenty of time for the show. I thought her email was too sweet not to share, so with her permission:

Anna,

The sm tack set arrived today!! OMG, I had to get my glasses on to see it!! LOL
How in the WORLD do you make such small tack and so beautifully? LOL

Thank you so much for the donation and I'll make sure to lyk who wins it. WOW!!

Nancie

I love hearing about how people react to my tack, their success with my tack at shows, and how it does as a donation. It really, truly makes my day. I'm sure other artists feel the same way, so don't forget to update them!

Here's a close-up of the saddle that I sent to Nancie:

Good luck next weekend, Nancie, and to everyone who will be at Rough Riders Live!

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PS: I haven't forgotten about the raffle! I'm working things out, and I'm reasonably sure that the next post will have details.

Thinking Out Loud, Part Two

2011-07-22T09:01:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the response to the raffle! It's definitely been green lighted, but details will have to wait until after I finish school. I'm going to bury myself in my textbook for the next couple of days to try and finish early!

Thinking Out Loud

2011-07-19T18:48:00.001-05:00

I've been tossing around a raffle idea for quite a while. I'm getting my studio back soon, nearing the 100th post on the blog, getting my studio back soon, I've been in business for 5 years (ish) and have I mentioned that I'm getting my studio back soon? It all seems worth a raffle to me! I haven't gotten to any of the specifics yet, but would there be interest in something like this?

It would likely be run the same way Jennifer Buxton runs hers: every comment posted between X and X will be one "ticket". (Thanks for the idea, Jennifer!)

Let me know if you'd be interested and what you'd like to see raffled in the comments!

Painted!

2011-07-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update: I put the second coat of paint up over the weekend, and now we just have to trim it out! I am beyond excited.

I am not a neat painter, though...

Primer day was REALLY bad. I keep finding bits of paint on my legs and even in my hair!

Primed!

2011-07-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

No photos, sorry folks, but my room has been primed! I'm going to paint today, and with any luck I'll move in late next week or early the week after. I am so, so ready for this to be over!

When I get to put things back together, I'm going to take some time to thin out the OF herd. I'll have some regular run Breyers for sale when all is said and done. I know for sure that the Nokota and Prancer will be leaving, definitely some others. Keep an eye out for a sales post on here!

I Can't Take Much More of This!

2011-07-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

Fortunately, I don't have to. As of yesterday, the remodel is ALMOST DONE! We need to paint and put up trim, but I should be back in within a week or so. I can't wait! I'm itching to work on tack again, especially the poor tutorial.

During the remodel, I've had my resins packed away neatly. Oddly enough, I missed them. I couldn't stand it any longer and I had to pull the painted ones out. A new face joined the herd, and I think that's what sparked it. I had to dress him up, of course, but nothing really fits him and I can't make him anything new yet. Sigh.

The saddle and bridle are both old, easily a year each, and it shows. The pad is newer, though, and I think it's officially "his" since it looks so nice on him! I am really, really excited about getting some personal tack made. My poor ponies are running around naked while everyone else's get clothes! However, I can piece enough together for him that I might take some show photos today and upload them to IMEHA at some point.

Breathing Room (Updated)

2011-06-24T12:55:00.001-05:00

*Updated*
---The new english and western pricing is up, along with up to date galleries. I have new prices worked out for saddle seat and endurance, but haven't got them up yet. ---

Unusually, my schoolwork for the week is done several days early. Normally I'm working up until the last minute, but this week I was able to buckle down and knock it out last night. I put in my four hours at the newspaper this morning, instead of my usual afternoon shift, and now I have some unexpected freedom!

When I realized that I had the whole entire weekend free my brain froze for a moment. What on earth was I going to do with myself for an entire two and a half days?! Then my brain kicked in. I'm going to knock out the new pricing pages today, possibly update the website gallery, and who knows what other little things need to be tweaked on the website. I'm tempted to redo it completely, actually, because that's just how my brain works. I get tired of a design after a while and want something fresh. I have to keep reminding myself that I've built my blog design, business cards, and packaging around the current design and that it's not worth changing everything!

The remodel is moving along at a pretty good clip. The new drywall has been hung and we've started mudding. By "we" I mean my dad, of course. I've helped out, but between work and school he's done most of it. I'm sure I'll get in on the fun when we start sanding. What joy.

Here's a progressional shot of the remodel. We officially started tearing out last Friday night, almost a week later than planned.

And my current digs! Feels more like a dorm room, and I cannot WAIT to have my real room back. What you can't see here is the treadmill to the left of the doorway, the massive stack of books next to it, and the boxes behind it.

So, that's where I am! Hopefully we can get the mudding finished this week, and I can paint next week!

Boxes, Bodies, and Baggies

2011-06-09T21:49:00.001-05:00

I got the last saddles on my desk boxed up! Four saddles in three boxes, and I will be so relieved when they hit the mail. Well, when they reach their new homes. With those boxed up, I can start boxing up my studio. I began that process a few weekends ago, by sewing fleece baggies for my small collection of mini resins.

They were really easy to make! If anyone's interested I can post a pattern of sorts, but I made all what...15 of them? Something like that, in one day and one yard of fleece. That's hand stitching, too, so if you get along with sewing machines it would be even faster. I'm actually a 'snuggie' short, but the horse it's for is out being painted so I'm not worried. In the background is The Yellow Cat, seen a few other places in the blog. He thinks he's helping, but shhh...he's not, really. Better than The Grey Cat, who decided that the box of fleecy resins would make a great nap spot! I was too panicked to get a photo of that.

And, just for kicks, my body box.

It's a crazy conglomeration of four generations of Stablemates, some Stones, and micro minis in the very bottom. I'm missing a few Stones, but only ones that aren't practical for tack fitting or had crazy limited releases in plastic. I have a copy of every Breyer Stablemate mold from the past four generations, with the notable exception of the G1 Quarter Horse mare. I can't seem to find a cheap one that isn't on eBay. So far no requests for tack on her, so I think I'm safe.

Tomorrow morning I'll ship what I can and keep packing up my studio. I need to gather up my tools and everything else that lives on that desk before we start tear down this weekend. If I think about it, I'll try to get some stuff on general organization.

It's Only a Bajillion Degrees Outside

2011-06-08T16:04:00.001-05:00

Actually, according to the Weather Channel, it's 95 and feels like 98. Also according to the Weather Channel, that's about 10 degrees too hot. 95 is also the record high; I'm not sure if we set it or met it today and I really don't care. It's just too hot. I get the best photo results outside, though, and that's where I was.

Stickywax doesn't like to stick in 95 degree heat. It prefers to smear. This also reminded me of why I really don't like to use Sulser bits: I can't get them to sit right, even when the stickywax cooperates. They're just a little bulky, too, but then most things for Stablemates are. I have a few from an old trade that I was saving for who knows what, and I decided to use one on a personal piece. I may try to offload the others on MH$P. They drive me that crazy. (Anyone want 3 pairs of Sulser eggbutt snaffles and a pair of stirrups? Anyone?)

The 'table' I have my stuff set up on is actually the roof of our outside dog house, which is covered in shingles. Shingles that are extremely hot. Rather than melt my arms to the roof, I had to get pretty inventive with ways to prop myself up. That green thing to the right was pretty handly, but only worked for one arm at a time. I had to try and land the other elbow on my camera's neck strap, which isn't very big. Picture someone playing Twister on top of a giant frying pan, and that's a pretty accurate description of what I was trying to do. It was so worth it, though!

More pictures of this set can be seen at my Picasa album.

Since I already had the dressage stuff out, I shot a few performance photos of my Working Girl, too.
I took 30 some pictures, but failed to notice that after the first 10 or so the stickywax gave in to the heat and the crown of the bridle popped up. Add to that the usual focus adjustments necessary during the first five or so...and I got exactly one usable photo. The last 15 are lovely; well focused, a few different positions that actually make sense at K, etc, but that crazy crown piece ruins 'em.

Looming.

2011-06-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

I'm a week away from the room remodel. I'm dreading it, but also anticipating it. I hate the unfinished, cluttery feeling my room has right now. On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to sleeping in the spare room next to the treadmill for the next two weeks, or inhaling gobs of drywall dust. I just know it's going to aggravate my allergies. I know I've mentioned the remodel quite a bit; I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it. My room isn't the only thing getting an overhaul, though. It'll mark some big changes around my studio, too.

First off is the pricing change. I hate to say it, but everything's going to take a big jump in pricing. I finally sat down and calculated the average number of hours it takes me to complete a saddle and bridle, and after adding the cost of supplies I have a more realistic value of my time. I absolutely love making tack, but with so many other things vying for my time it's necessary to make my hobby pay if I want to continue.

I'm also going to change the structure of how tack is ordered. Anyone who visits my website right now will see several different options, ranging from simple to complex and including a variety of boots and other accessories. In the future, I'll offer a few basic saddles and bridles, and provide a list of things that can be added to build exactly what you need. This gives the hobbyist who needs one saddle to do a lot of jobs more options and will help me to more consistently price the "I want to do X, Y, and Z with this horse, what do I need?" requests that frequently come across my desk. I will be, as always, available to consult with every customer who emails me so that we can create the perfect set up for your needs.

Unfortunately, that's all a little hypothetical. I had planned to reopen my books, which closed in early April due to the massive number of jobs on my desk, as soon as possible after the remodel was completed. However, I am now considering them to be closed indefinitely. I do want to reopen them, but I need a little break before I accept commissions again. I want to make a few more pieces for myself, even though the chances of attending a live show are about as good as a snowball surviving our current heatwave. (95+ temps all week, not including the heat index or humidity! Yikes!) Personal pieces offer a wonderful opportunity to test new techniques, try new designs, and to explore my creativity. I may also sell a few pieces finished during that time; any sales will be posted here and on MH$P.

During my 'vacation' from commissions, I hope to continue posting on the blog. I want to show off new pieces as they are completed, and I definitely want to get the tutorial produced. It was set to go out last weekend, but I couldn't get the pictures edited in time. Now it has to wait until after the remodel. Without time-sensitive commissions, I'm also hoping that I can do a few how-to articles to post here. I still have the photos for Stablemate scale galloping boots ready, I just need to write up the instructions! I can also use that time to catch up on the unpleasant side of business; book keeping. I'm so far behind with paperwork that it's ridiculous. It'll take me a week to dig out from under the pile of receipts, PayPal printouts, and shipping confirmations that have amassed.

I'll be checking my email consistently during the remodel, but blog posting will be sporadic, if at all. Maybe some progress pictures of the remodel? I don't know yet.

In summing up, all commissions on my desk will be going out early next week, sooner if possible. I'll notify people via the usual channels when I'm accepting commissions again, and keep an eye out for blog posts and sales pieces until then. I'll be here for the rest of the week, but next Monday contact may be a bit sporadic. Drywall dust and paint can do that to a person.

Boxes!

2011-06-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

The last two days have been the most fun mail days in a while! USPS showed up on my doorstep yesterday morning, which is unusual since technically we're on the rural route. I was expecting my Tandy order, so was a little disappointed when the box felt nothing like leather dye. It was, in fact, my microeconomics textbook. Not a horrible thing to get three mail days before class starts, especially remembering the fiasco last semester.

I had just resigned myself to waiting another day for my Tandy order to show when UPS pounds on the door. They must have knocked and dropped the box, because she was halfway to the truck by the time I made it to the door. It's a good thing I caught them, too, because the box was tiny! This time it was Tandy, and of course I had to open everything and play with it.

This morning USPS shows up on my door again! I couldn't imagine what I'd bought that would be coming all the way from Pennsylvania in a pretty big box, insured and signature confirmation. As an aside, it is ridiculously difficult to sign those dinky little forms while trying to hang on to a medium flat rate box and the rest of the day's mail. It's a good thing this is a small town, because if someone got suspicious and started comparing signatures, I don't think they'd match. Very confused, I started working my way through the generous packing material until I hit bubble wrap. Then, well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I squealed. I think I may have scared the cat, too. The reason I couldn't remember ordering anything was simple: I hadn't! In the box were the trade horses that I mentioned in the New Design & Finished Stuff post from May. Kim did a wonderful job on both of them!

This is the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL friendship! I've already got Kim lined up to paint my Stone Chips Jumper when my studio is back up. These two horses were an excellent early birthday surprise, though I'm sure it wasn't planned that way. I think I just might get back into photoshowing with these beauties!

My Life Without Model Horses

2011-05-31T08:09:00.000-05:00

One of the beautiful things about working from home is the ability to set your own hours. One of the horrible things about working from home is the ability to set your own hours. It's a blessing and a curse. Tack making happens all week long, before I go to my "real" job at the paper and usually after I get home, too. Saturdays especially are devoted to miniature saddles, the paperwork, or blogging. What can I say, I enjoy doing it! I declared yesterday a HOLIDAY, though!

I didn't worry about doing anything business related, though it snuck in a little bit. As part of a bit of room clean up I transferred my old files into new file folders. The day wasn't model-horse-free, either. I've mentioned before that we'll be doing some remodeling in a few weeks, and I started packing up in preparation. My room sits on a corner, and when two windows were replaced last year we discovered mold in the exterior drywall and insulation. This summer we'll rip those walls down to the studs and replace the insulation and drywall. We'll also finish trimming out the windows and repaint.

I packed up my models and all of my breakables last night. My room is now free of model horses. They're living in boxes in the spare bedroom until the remodel is completely finished. The resins have fleece pouches and are staying in my closet, away from cats and unwitting helpers who might put something heavy on their shoebox. When we start tearing down next week, I'll pack up my studio, too. I'll be without it for at least two weeks, possibly longer. I'll be accepting new orders once it's back up and running, though!

I'm going to get going on the saddle tutorial today, so never fear: there will be another update today or tonight with pictures!

Tutorial Progress

2011-05-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

Last night I finished the first complete saddle based on the new tutorial pattern. I found some things that I want to tweak, but the pattern is sound! I'll adjust the pattern and write up my scribbled notes on the process today. The second test saddle will be started today, and I'll refine the directions and time myself as I go along. It could be ready for testing as early as Monday! Release to everyone will have to wait until I get feedback from my lovely test people and make any necessary adjustments, but I am beyond excited!

The black saddle was the first try. Since I hate making anything without a purpose, I added a couple of things during the process so that I can hang on to it for my personal show string. I'll probably include those things as optional steps in the tutorial.

Also in progress for my personal show string is a western show saddle. It's got the most extensive carving so far, and I'm pretty pleased with it. Of course I see things I wouldn't mind changing, but I can always sell it and make a new one for myself later.

New Design & Finished Stuff

2011-05-26T20:23:00.000-05:00

I have such original post names, don't I? I'm horrible at naming these things! Any time I try to think of something clever, I get a headache. If I DO think of something, it's usually stupid. So we're going to take the easiest route and name it something obvious, like "New Design & Finished Stuff". No surprises, just right out there telling you what's up.

A word on the new design...I hated the way that the old one(s) didn't really match my website. Most of my traffic comes from Jennifer Buxton's amazing blog (which I am insanely grateful for!), but for the few who venture over here from my website, I want a cohesive look. I finally found something that works, and I apologize to anyone who lived through the afternoon of playing around! I think I went through four or five designs and variations of them before I settled on this one, and those are just the ones you SAW!

Also, thanks for the response to the new tutorial! I'm plugging away at it, slowly, and hope to have it finished in the next month or so. There was a little hang up with the first test saddle...some genius *cough*me*cough* cut the stirrup keeper slots wrong and didn't notice until she was about to glue the seat on.

So after all that rambling, I guess you'd like to know what I finished, right? I could tell you...but showing is so much more fun!

These saddles are a trade with Kim Beecker of Total Image Equine for two paint jobs. Kim worked her magic on my Mindy and EquinArt cutting horse and I cannot WAIT to get them home!

A note on the english set: all but the bell boots are up there on their own power! If I do it right, the wire-reinforced galloping/splint boots don't require stickywax to stay on. As a tack maker I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief, so I can't imagine how happy those who show performance will be! I have the photos I need to do a walk through, just have to put it all together. Making the boots is REALLY simple, too!

There's a bit of a lag between orders right now, so I'm taking the opportunity to work on my personal show string. After my first live show experience in 2007 or 08, I wasn't very interested in trying it again. I caught the showing bug when I visited AHL last weekend and with an entire year to plan I think I can pull it off! Right now I'm working on a dressage saddle and a western show saddle. It's the most detailed carving I've done so far, and as long as I don't screw it up it should turn out nicely. More on those soon, though, probably tomorrow!

Coming Soon!

2011-05-18T23:21:00.000-05:00

Progress on the first saddle made with the new pattern

I'm updating my Stablemate Saddle Tutorial! Actually, I'm completely reworking it. I posted that poor thing back in 2007, almost four years ago. It's still pretty popular, apparently, despite numerous flaws. I looked it up today and it's got nearly 2,000 views over the course of four years on a pretty slow board.

This tutorial will be for the G3 Warmblood, but the G3s can share saddles. Right now I have the pattern done, I'm just testing it out and making notes during the creation. After I get the kinks worked out in the pattern and process(and I know they're in there), I'll make a second saddle and document the progress with photos and more notes. Once the text is written up, I'm going to pass this on to one or two hobbyists for a test run. That way I can have feedback on how well the instructions work and the overall friendliness of the project! I'll post the tutorial here, for sure, and likely copies on Fallen-Leaves and Blab. If it's popular enough, I may see if a hobby publication wants to pick it up, too.

If you'd like to test-run the tutorial, please drop me a line. 'Test pilots' need to be able to complete the tutorial in a timely manner, document how it went, and provide feedback on rough areas. You can send an email to akirby@dreamflitedesign.com or post in the comments if you're interested and I'll email a copy to you whenever it's done.

Western Saddle Blankets

2011-05-11T16:04:00.000-05:00

Today, most of my studio time has been spent working on saddle blankets. Earlier this year, I experimented with printing them on fabric. It was a huge success, and I've had a few requests for them. The original designs were sort of thrown together, and I wanted to create a fresh set for some projects I have as well as sales. Since I'm waiting for leather to dry, I thought I'd talk a little about how I put them together.

First, a word on software. I design my blankets in Photoshop, but I suppose you wouldn't have to if you wanted to try this at home. Most real show blankets are in geometric patterns, so with some creativity and a steady hand I don't know why this wouldn't work in, say, Paint. It would be easier to do more complicated patterns in Photoshop or some equivalent, though.

In Photoshop, I create a sample pattern in a grayscale PSD that I can manipulate. Each element of the pattern is in it's own layer, which allows me to change the color quickly and easily. The photo below shows you my layers palette, the grayscale template, and a finished pad. Over each layer, I created a second layer that has been told to "group with previous," or CTRL + G for PC users. This means that I can use the paint bucket to dump a color on that layer, and all the elements of the layer it's grouped with will take on that color. Any transparent areas will stay that way. This is much faster than using the paint bucket to dump color in every little area.

Once the template has been built, it's all about playing with color! That's the funnest and hardest part. When I'm putting together a pad, I take a peek at what's winning in the real world and the model horse world. That helps me figure out what's popular right now. No matter what's "in" right now, Hobby Horse's color wheel is a great reference. It makes some awesome suggestions about what color families best compliment specific horse colors.

I'm trying to make sure that the sheet of blankets I'm putting together will have at least one blanket for every horse. I have five color palettes (for now!) that I'm using for the sheet of blankets I'll be selling. The colors in each palette are repeated in the three patterns that I'm offering. I don't think I'm explaining that well, so here's a screen cap of the sheet of blankets so far. The patterns run in rows, while the color groups are in columns.

It can be challenging to repeat the colors and keep each set of three feeling like they belong together. Some colors work really well on one pattern, but it's hard to pull them into a different one. In some cases, I found it easier to drop a color all together on the other blankets. The blue/green ones (second from the left) are a good example. I just couldn't make the orange accent from the top pad work in the other two. I figured that was okay, though, since not everyone will want to make that much of a statement. Once I have the pad done, I save it as a JPG and insert it into a MS Word document. I'll print the pads on some inkjet printer fabric that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.

My original plan was to offer 15 blankets, as seen above. That's about half a sheet of fabric. I could fit another three rows below that, and I had planned to print out extras for myself. After messing with the margins in Word, I found that I can run these things six across and squeeze in eight rows. Now I'm desperately trying to come up with a sixth color palette and a fourth pattern! At $6 for four sheets, this fabric is not cheap. For my sake and the sake of my customers, I want to get as much mileage out of it as I can.

I hope you had fun seeing how I make these blankets. If you'd like to see how I do anything else, drop me a line in the comments! I'm always looking for ideas for the blog.

One Week From Today

2011-05-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

One week from today, my second semester of college will be officially OVER! Yay! I'll have all of three weeks off before the summer interim classes start up, and I have BIG plans for those three weeks! I've still got to go to work, but it's only half days. Still plenty of time to get lots of work done!

My priority will be working through as many current orders as possible before the second week of June, when anarchy will reign in my house. That's the week currently set aside for completing the remodel of my room that was started over a year ago. We'll be tearing a couple of walls down to the studs, so my studio and collection will be packed up and moved to safety for the duration.

If I manage to get all of that done, I'm going to take a serious look at my prices. Right now I'm priced well below other mini tack makers and I've had several people mention that I should really raise them. I'm definitely planning to do that, and when I have it all sorted out I'll reopen my books. Once all of that is done, I've got a couple of boxes of OF Stablemates to sort through and sell. The amount of time and effort involved in photographing, describing, and listing 50 or more Stablemates is daunting, to say the least.

If I'm lucky, I'll make a little headway on some pleasure reading. I've picked up a few used books I'd like to read just for the heck of it. One of these days I might even get to pick up War and Peace again!

In "real" life, my new job is going so, so well. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is. My boss is thrilled with how quickly I'm picking up the newspaper biz and the software they use. He keeps saying that I'm a "fish in water." Is that not the coolest thing ever?! Plus, I only spend ten minutes on the road instead of 40! I've been at work the whole week, and my gas gauge is still reading "Full."

Oh, right, pictures! Here's Heather's finished set for the pony. Please excuse the missing ear and tail...one was the post office's fault, the other mine.

Leather Storage and Epic Win for Target

2011-04-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

I bought half a hide of leather last week (thanks, Nancy!) and realized once it arrived that I had no idea how to properly store my leather. I've been making tack since 2007, but only in the last six months have I used thin tooling hides and dye. Previously, I scavenged leather from purses, wallets, and the scrap bags from Tandy that I found at Hobby Lobby. All of this worked, but I started to think that there had to be a better and more efficient way to do this thing. I was right, and now I love using dye and the nicer hides.

Inquiries about leather storage on Blab brought up two important things. One: leather should be stored flat or rolled to prevent creases. Two: leather should be stored away from direct sunlight or bright indoor light to prevent discoloration. I had everything crammed into a moderately sized snap-lock tote that sat on a shelf in my supplies cabinet. Stuff was hard to find and scraps of special leather or suede that I was saving always ended up on the bottom or lost between layers. When I was out and about yesterday, I scoped out some new storage ideas.

As usual, Target had a winner. This little tote is about 7 1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide, and 9 inches long. While it wouldn't hold large enough pieces for Traditional scale purposes, it works great for me. Each section unsnaps, so I don't have to dig to the bottom for what I want. The third compartment has two smaller containers in it, each divided into three sections and with a lid.

I've got suede, lace, and other small pieces of assorted leather in the bottom, thicker leather in the middle, and my finer tooling leather in the top. I'm going to HAVE to get another one of these totes to keep my props in! Another epic win for Target! (plus, I found a super cute pair of purple tye-dye socks for 70c!)

Adding...I had someone pick up a second one of these for me tonight with the thought that it would be PERFECT for my Stablemate scale props. Unfortunately, quite a bit of my stuff is just a hair too long, wide, or what have you. So, plan B: art supplies. Also backfired. My art supplies fall into two categories; things I use constantly and things I use once in a blue moon. It's just not practical to store them all in one tote. I don't have a plan C, but I desperately love this storage container and want to keep it. Plan C may be taking it back, though, because I can't justify keeping a $8.00 container that I don't really need. $8 is two gallons of gas nowadays!

I Am Sick and Tired...

2011-04-26T22:24:00.000-05:00

...Of being sick and tired. I've been fighting a painfully sore throat, stuffy nose, and pressure on my left ear since last Tuesday. Pretty much nothing has been accomplished in the last seven days, and until I'm feeling better not much is going to happen. My attention span is astonishingly short right now and my five hour shift at work completely wiped me out. I have a couple of papers to write, and those need all of the concentration that I can muster.

This is day four of my ten day antibiotic, and I DO feel much better, but definitely not well. Hopefully, prayerfully, I can get this sinus infection or whatever it is (the doctor was surprisingly stingy with the diagnosis, and being sick I didn't have the presence of mind to ask questions) beat and be back to my cheerful, perky self (there may be some sarcasm in that statement).

I'll have an actual update, with, you know, progress and pictures, as soon as there's something to update about.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Christ is risen! Happy Easter everyone!

Another One Down...Ninety Billion to Go

2011-04-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, between Disney movies, popcorn, and six or eight episodes of the X Files, I wrapped up Shauna's saddle. She asked me to recreate a really neat eventing saddle with front and back kneeblocks. It was a really fun project that came together very easily. I got to try a new technique, too. Protective legwear is much easier to tack up if reinforced with wire. Who knew? Plus, I'm on a five or six pair roll for laced reins! No breaks in a long time, so I think I'm really getting good at that.

I've still got a LOT of work to do, though. Seven saddles are still to be started, with varying levels of difficulty. Seven might as well be ninety billion right now, since the school semester is drawing to a close and I start a new job in exactly two weeks! Yikes.

All of that said, though...this post is useless without pictures, right? Right!

Pssst...if you want to bid on the Working Girl set, you've got until the 23rd!

Red Deer Rebellion Live: Finished!

2011-04-12T18:36:00.000-05:00

I wrapped up and photographed my donation for Red Deer Rebellion Live. Nothing like deciding to donate three weeks before the show, right? The saddle was half done anyway, but I've been a little worried that I promised more than I could actually accomplish

Want this saddle? Bid on it in Red Deer Rebellion Live's silent auction!

Books Closed!

2011-04-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

I want to send out a huge thanks to all of my customers! Because of you, I've got enough work to keep me busy for quite a while! My order books are closed until the backlog of work is done and/or further notice. When I'm able to take orders again, I'll let everyone know through the usual channels: MH$P, Blab, and the website.

For those interested in commissioning a piece by me, you can still send me an email. I'll be taking names and contact information while my books are closed so that I can contact you when I've got everything cleared from the bench. Be on the lookout for updates to the website; I'm planning to update my prices before I reopen my books.

Again, many, many thanks to my customers!

(I posted this on Blab and MH$P, as well. I have a huge backlog of work in addition to school, my "real" job, and, well, life. I'm probably going to need a slight break after I actually finish all of this stuff!)

Things I Can't Live Without, Part One

2011-04-06T16:52:00.000-05:00

Everyone, no matter what part of the hobby they're involved in, has at least one hobby-related something they can't live without. As a tack maker, I have quite a few somethings, so I'm going to share a couple!

Mini Clothespins
Okay, so this one isn't new to most people. In fact, it's pretty obvious and already used a lot by other tack makers. Me? I discovered them exactly three weeks ago. I can be a little slow on the uptake sometimes. They're perfect for holding pieces together while glue dries. I'm sure there are other uses, too, I just haven't found them yet.

Sharp Pointy Objects
Needles, straight pins, and my personal favorite: a random sculpting tool that I bought from a garage sale. It's got a stiff metal rod in a wooden handle that's pretty comfortable. Probably through misuse, the very tip is slightly bent. This is actually hugely helpful, since it makes a slightly larger hole than might otherwise be expected. It's great for punching holes for fake buckles, stitch marking, and removing any excess glue that might seep out. Needles are pretty obvious: good for lacing reins and any other sewing. Tip for lacing reins: turn your needle so that the eye opening is perpendicular to the lace, so that there's less stress on a narrow part of the rein.

Scissors
I only use one pair of scissors and I've had them so long it's unbelievable. Slightly larger and definitely more pointy than school scissors, they're the perfect size for the leather I work with the most. They don't handle thicker leather very well, but that's okay. I sharpen them periodically with scissor sharpeners and pray that I never lose them, because I haven't seen a pair like this in years.

Show Photo!

2011-04-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Here's Manuela's photo from Show for the Cure! She got 3rd place in H/J with this setup. Great job!

There's not a whole lot to write...I've been really busy with tack, finishing things, packing them up, and doing a little bit of painting on the side. Usually I'm tack only, but I do dabble in pastels occasionally. I'm finally finishing my Dinky Duke up, just have details to do now! No photos of him, unfortunately, but he does have a name! Secondhand Serenade, but no one will ever hear it because he'll never be shown, poor fellow.

This week will be devoted to english homework and finishing up two projects: Shauna's english set and a donation for Red Deer Rebellion. Because I am just that brilliant, I have less than two weeks to wrap up a saddle and the assorted gear that goes with it. I completed the carving this evening, so theoretically it's smooth sailing from here on out. That's in theory, though, so just you wait for something to happen!

Progress Report

2011-03-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

It feels like it's been a long, long road on this set. It really hasn't, but everything seems longer when you only get to work on it on the weekends.

As a general progress report, I've got quite a bit of work lined out. I think it'll be enough to keep me busy until June, but I'm never very good at projecting a time frame for saddles or predicting how much time "real life" will take up. I'm keeping my books tentatively open, just in case, but I'm going to work through the 10ish (holy cow!) saddles I have down right now before starting any brand new orders.

And a more specific progress report!

Natalie's WeeJay set is DONE. Working Girl needs laced reins, then ready to ship.
Shauna's WeeJay set is in progress, probably 75% completed.
Heather's set for the HA riding pony will be started next.
Morg's Working Girl english set will be started once Shauna's tack is finished.

Everyone else on the list, I'll be contacting you for deposits as things move off of the work bench.

Show for the Cure Update and Progress

2011-03-26T11:36:00.000-05:00

The Show for the Cure was last Saturday and from what I've heard was a raging success! At least one of my customers was there and had an entry in an english class with a saddle I finished up a couple of months ago. I'm not sure how she placed, but Jennifer Buxton (of Braymere Saddlery) judged the class and had a photo of the set on her blog. And I quote: "The tack was made by Anna Kirby and without a doubt, it's the nicest stablemate scale English tack I've ever seen." Can we say "squee"? That pretty much made my day!

Jenna, the hostess of the S4tC, got back to me on Saturday and let me know how my set did. My jaw absolutely hit the floor...it went for $255! It's a charity show and so I know that people are often a little more liberal with their funds, but I was astonished all the same.

Right now, I'm working on Natalie's WeeJay set. The saddle is very close to finished, the girth is done, and I'm working on the breastplate and bridle today. I forgot how much I hated WeeJay's mane. While glue is drying and such I'm working on a carved western saddle as a sales piece. I'm thinking it'll be a working saddle when I'm all through. Photo-etched bits are running low, though. Gonna have to get some more, pronto.

Over My Head

2011-03-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

You know that sinking feeling you get, when you realize you've scheduled too many things into your calendar over a given period of time? I've got that feeling. I made absolutely no progress on anything last week. School, work, and some volunteering thrown in made it impossible. Class should be seriously slowing down now that I've submitted my final project for the 1/2 semester mess. I'm hoping that with a decent sleep schedule and the now easier workload at school I can get things back on track.

I'm still exhausted from last week, but I'm going to try to make some progress on Natalie's WeeJay set today. That needs to be ready for AHL in May, so it's my priority right now. I have a pair of laced reins 3/4 of the way done, assuming I don't break them when I lace up the the other side of the second rein. I already broke the first one I tried, so I should have it out of my system for now.

There are issues with the server that hosts my website and email right now, too. The website is working periodically, but mostly it's just timing out. The same thing happens with my email, so they sit in my inbox until the server lets me log in. The whole thing started four or five days ago and was a legit problem on their side, but now they say it's fixed and don't know what's up. If you need to reach me and haven't gotten a response from the usual email, give me a shout at tuffspot90@live.com.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Photos

2011-03-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

One of my wonderful customers, Barb, sent me some photos from the Mid-Atlantic Regional show held last weekend. She used some western tack I made for her way way back in 2009 and the english set that I finished this month and got some pretty nice results!

Second in dressage

Second in trail

First with a Dreamflite halter

Western Challenge High Point award!

Second in a barrels/poles/games class

First in trail!

Carnage.

2011-03-13T16:09:00.000-05:00

This was my studio as of 4:09 PM, Sunday.

A weekend's worth of tools, scraps, and projects are littering the desk. Somewhere on there are two english saddles, a saddle seat saddle, and part of a failed attempt at making a basketweave pattern on a stablemate saddle.

And this is my studio as of 4:29 PM.

Ah. Peace. Quiet. My brain was getting overwhelmed by the carnage and now it's starting loosen up. I can breathe again! I am not necessarily a tidy person, but I do have limits and this afternoon I had had it up to here. Now the studio is nice and clean. Or as clean as it's going to get.

And a photo of the saddle on the tidied desk:
This is a commission piece and my very first attempt at a five-point breastplate! It took a while to get done, but I'm really happy with the result.

A pattern of school-during-the-week, tack-on-the-weekends, is developing and I'm plotting out some posts that don't require any sort of productivity during the week. I'm thinking posts on favorite tools, organization, and patterns might be coming up in the future. If there's something you'd like to see, let me know in the comments!

Show for the Cure Donation, Take Two

2011-03-10T23:01:00.001-06:00

If anyone would like a chance to own this saddle, Jenna (hostess of S4tC) is auctioning it! Here's the link: http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?path=Gallery&id=839752

The lovely ladies on Blab pointed out a couple of issues on the saddle, so after revising here it is!

Also showing the six different saddle pads I made for it. I fooled around with printable fabric and let me just say...AWESOME. The pattern sizes and whatnot need some tweaking but oh wow. I will never use felt for a western pad again!

Something Constructive

2011-03-09T09:16:00.000-06:00

I actually did something constructive before work this morning! I took photos of the corrected S4tC donation saddle and all six saddle pads that go with it. The only problem is that my computer is doing strange things...it has a history of oddness, actually, but only recently has it started refusing to recognize my camera SD card. I haven't had time to see if it's just the one card, just my computer, or what.

That issue is prompting me to take charge of my computer again. Despite being the sole user and administrator (or so I thought...) Vista won't let me do certain things. Like remove a piece-of-junk program that I don't want. So today I've got some homework out and I'm backing up files to prep for a deep clean of this monster. Actually...the back up is looking a little stuck too. What fun!

I miss the bright, clean newness of factory settings. I'm almost tempted to restore this PC, but I'm not sure that's a great idea. For one thing, I don't have the disk for Photoshop! Can't lose that, and with a huge car expense/new car looming over my head, can't afford a new version, either.

Just so that this post isn't totally worthless, here's some studio updates. This is just the stuff on my desk right this minute. I know there are a few people on the waiting list and so forth but I keep those files on a flash drive that is currently not connected to the computer, so I can't check or name names.

In Progress

Natalie's WeeJay set: saddle mostly built
Shauna's WeeJay set: saddle mostly built, bridle started
Mindy saddle seat set: bridle done, saddle started (will be a sales piece)

Another One Done!

2011-03-05T18:39:00.000-06:00

I wrapped up Manuela's saddle today. I'm pretty happy with it, but wow that little driving horse has some chunky legs!

I'm starting on two orders for my new WeeJay now, and I'm really looking forward to them. The last time I had a WeeJay in the studio was this same time last year.

Random Studio Photos!

2011-03-04T15:06:00.000-06:00

So, because this has been a crazy week and I have no other progress to report, I'm posting three random studio pictures!

The fluffy yellow cat has decided that he needs to be my studio buddy. He's too much of a wimp to jump two feet to my lap (probably because he's fallen a few times) so he sneaks up behind me and paws at my side until I lift him up. I was trying to get a shot of him pawing me (that doesn't sound quite right...) in the second photo, but it didn't quite work out.

The last photo is a shot of the cups that I use to keep track of tack orders (also in the photo: the reminder that I need to call the vet to get my cat and dog in....sent a month ago. Whoops.). I write the customer's name and the date I started the order on the outside of a Dixie-type cup in sharpie and make sure that anything associated with the order makes it back into that cup. I started hanging them on the board after I got really tired of knocking cups over on my desk. The only problem with the big alligator clips is that they unbalance the cup when it's on the desk. I set them down and WHOOMP they fall over.

So, that's it for today! I've got homework to finish up and then I'm going to turn on some music and CLEAN like a maniac! I'll be able to spend most of tomorrow in the studio and I should be able to finish up Barb's tack and get a start on the WeeJay order!

Making Headway

2011-02-25T19:12:00.001-06:00

I finished up Manuela's order today, hurray!

Still in the queue:

Natalie's order for WeeJay (just waiting on my copy to arrive)
Barb's order for the WEG Driving horse - saddle and bridle mostly done, just working on accessories.
Kris's order for the Rayne resin, waiting on him to be shipped

Plus a few in the waiting list. I should be contacting the next person soon.

And We Are Go!

2011-02-12T19:44:00.000-06:00

Everything's back up with my webhost and email! Hurray! Let this be a lesson to me: always, Always, ALWAYS make sure that any paid service has your correct email account! In my case, my correct secondary email account, since my primary is tied in to my domain name and web host. The tech support guy was helpful, just slow. Eventually I got everything sorted, people emailed, and I'm good for another year. Huzzah!

In other news...I need to stay far, far away from the Model Horse Sales Pages! I picked up a Mindy, Frank (SM scale mule), and now a Sheza Little Pebble and Rimspark all in a month. I got great deals on all of them, but that's a lot of spending for me in a pretty short time period! Purchasing a new resin can be justified with "Oh, I need it for tack fitting!". That's a dangerous thing to do!

Technical Difficulties

2011-02-12T11:30:00.001-06:00

I'm having some issues with my web host and email provider right now, but doing my best to iron them out. Website's down for the moment, but fingers crossed it gets back up soon. I can't email out at the moment, and I've had emails bouncing like crazy because someone on my shared IP was sending spam. Fun stuff, right? I'll update when things are back to normal.