Experimenting

I finished up a halter order today, then felt like making one more for one of my own horses. I really wanted to try sewing the tabs together instead of just using glue like I normally do. I know there are other hobbyists out there who do this, and probably do it well. I can’t help but cringe at the ads that declare their halters are SEWN, NOT GLUED as if glue is completely evil or something.

No, it’s not evil, but it’s not completely sturdy or waterproof. At least I don’t think so… I’ll have to dunk one of my halters in water and squish it around to see for myself. (why anyone would have their halters submerged under water is beyond me… unless you got caught in the rain or something.)

Anyway, I’m always trying to think of new ways to make my halters stand out and able to stand the tests of time. And while I think my halters ARE sturdy on their own, I want to be able to improve them even more.

Hm, easier said then done. Most of the little x shaped boxes I sewed on this halter didn’t turn out very well at all. The one above was one of the better ones! 😀 I used black thread to help me see my stitches better. I figure that if I use a color similar to the ribbon’s color, the lopsidedness won’t stand out quite as much. But the whole point of this was to start practicing.

Here is the finished halter on my Zippo:

Ah! Black thread poking out from behind! Lovely. I’ll need to go over that with fray check. >_<

For now, I won’t be sewing any halters that are ordered until I get more familiar with doing this. I’ll probably try a few different types of stitches as well, to see what looks the nicest. Eventually I would like the sewn tabs to be a “standard” feature, as it does make the halter stronger. Someday I’d like to have them use tongue buckles as well… seriously! I know how, I’m just not consistant with keeping it all neat. 😀