We have some really talented members! Lisa Cowan recently made a custom habit to fit herself. She wanted a navy habit but was finding it hard to source one for her height and size so she dusted off her tailoring skills and made her own! Amy Magee loaned her a beautiful vintage Busvine coat to use for ideas. Lisa said it took her around 40 hours to complete the entire thing including making the muslin version to check the fit. Now that she has tweaked her pattern to get the right fit, she said it should be faster to make a second one. She has made a couple of fitted jackets in the past (including her shadbelly) and says it's like putting together an intricate puzzle. But while thick and bulky, at least the melton wool has structure. Making a fitted jacket out of something slippery and less forgiving (like satin) would be even harder. She is next making a solid navy coat. She worked out her apron pattern last year after much trial and error so now can now whip up those up pretty quickly.
Above Top Left Photo was of an "in progress" shot of the jacket. Above Left is picture of finished jacket.
Above Right and Both Below photos are of Lisa Cowan showing in Aiken, SC at the Horse Show in the Woods. PC Reichert-Burke Photography
Tammie Conway is fairly new to sewing and it all started because she wanted to make a side saddle apron that fit. Like Lisa, Tammie was originally having a problem finding a habit that fit her (since then she has found her doppelganger- Carolyn Penna). She said it has been a fun adventure which Kate Hopkins and Shelly Liggett have graciously guided her through on her path to independence. They even helped her decide on an appropriate machine to buy which ended up being a great deal on a used Viking Ruby combo sewing and embroidery machine. This allowed the option to embroider habits in the future if so desired. The problem is, she has not really had much time since Kate helped her make a Renaissance Habit (using only the sewing machine functions) to learn the embroidery functions of the machine, mostly due to COVID shutdowns. When a local class opened up recently she jumped at the opportunity to take her sewing to the next level. They didn't get as far as if Kate would have taught the class but here are some photos and videos of practice pieces. She can't wait to start on her next side saddle project using some of these newfound bells and whistles!
follow US
follow US
If you are a member and would like to share your side saddle related project
(this can be sewing, horse, leatherwork, etc.)
then please email information and pictures to
AsideWorld@sidesaddle.com
Photos & Update on Jacquelynn Holly’s western rebuild:
The original Montgomery Ward western tree is off to be professionally rawhided here in Idaho! So excited to be able to keep this saddle’s upgrades within in the Gem State. I posted on one of the horse community facebook pages and Joe reached out to me, offering his rawhiding services. It is the first time he has ever attempted rawhiding a sidesaddle tree, so I expect there could be hurdles he isn’t anticipating. He seems confident and I sent him another tree that is already rawhided so he can follow the stitch patterns. Unfortunately, that particular tree came to me with half the rawhide ripped off on the bottom, so should this new venture be a success, I asked him to please re-rawhide the already rawhided tree.
In the interim, I finished my stirrup leather, but I am also going to offer an alternative to just a stirrup leather – a fender!! I am so excited as this is something I have been yearning to do since I first saw Cait Bascom’s fender on a restoration. Much like the Crestridge saddles, when I offer this saddle for sale, it will come with both the stirrup leather and the fender, which can be switched out to the rider’s preference.
I am also working on a tapadero. I made one version recently, but as I was studying my collection of sidesaddles, R.T. Frazier’s tapadero style really caught my eye. I have since copied his pattern and am eager to see how I can make it my own for this saddle.
At the time that I started this rebuild, I had only one stamp. It reads “Holly Saddlery – Restoration”. I put that stamp on my skirts, but alas, this isn’t a restoration, it is a complete unique build from scratch. So, I had a new stamp made that reads “J.M. Holly – Maker” and I have decided to remake my large skirts to reflect this new stamp.
It occurred to me that this will be the first sidesaddle I build that is entirely my design (with some incredible inspiration). The saddle will use R.T. Frazier’s tapadero pattern and it uses C.C. Cooper’s back skirt patterns. As it turns out, both patterns have one thing in common: the patterns curve to a center point.
Joe hopes to have the tree rawhided in the next couple of months. I am sooo eager, I can’t even put my excitement into words. However, I have plenty to complete before the tree is finished, so my goal at this time is to have all the parts and pieces fully completed so when the tree returns, I have nothing to do but assemble!
Stay tuned!
