New Fabrics, a Cloak, and Packing Ponies

After fourteen (!!!) stops, my wandering package of fabric finally arrived yesterday, almost two weeks after it had been sent. To say I am relieved would be an understatement.

I spent some time taking photos to post on the Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile Facebook page and thought I'd share them here, too. I'm always on the lookout for unusual fabrics and these fit the bill. (You can find really neat fabrics by doing a Google search looking for local fabric shops state by state. Most will sell their fabrics online.)

Multicolored Dala Horses. These always remind me of daughter-in-love Emily whose father is Swedish and mother is Canadian. She has more than a few Dala horses in her home.

Strutting Stallions (I love the distinctive colors used on this fabric.)

Greek Horses

Mid Century Cut Out Ponies

Retro Circus Horses & Stripes

Liberty Circus Horses

Pastel Ponies (This fabric is flannel, not cotton like the others.)

I'd like to get started on turning these into haversacks, but that will have to wait a day to two - I need to do some more 18th century sewing first. (More on that tomorrow.) Actually, I started that yesterday. I am working on an 18th century wool cloak. Yesterday I asked Craig to take some pictures so I could see how it was going to look when worn.

It needs a fastener on the neck (blue silk ribbon is on order) and some ironing, but essentially it is done. I like the color and I love to sew with wool.

Talk about being cloaked! I hadn't realized that Pepper had joined me in the photo until I downloaded it to my computer!

Truth be told, I am not happy with the back of the hood. It is supposed to be gathered like that with a small hole in the middle, but I want to see if I can redistribute those pleats so that they encircle that small hole more evenly. (Right now, most are on the top.)

Now I'm off to put prices on sales models and pack them for travel. I'm taking them to the March Great Lakes Congress show so I have plenty of time, but they are taking over space in my office that I'd like to use for other things.

Oh, and if you want a haversack from any of those fabrics (or see something in the sales models that you'd like to have), just email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com.

Hope ya'll have a good day!

Stitch On!

Now that the riding habits are done, I can spend more time working on haversacks and embroidered items for Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile.

Orders that came in while I was sewing the riding habits were completed, and they provided a nice break from the intense concentration required by the habits. 

One customer wanted two haversacks in the Palominos fabric that would fit the Hamilton and Emerson molds. I had a model on the Hamilton mold that I could check for fit,

but I don't have an Emerson. She said that Man O'War was about the same size and that if he fit, 

then Emerson should too. Despite the way these models look due to the camera angle, they both easily fit into the Palominos haversacks and so I was able to complete her order. (The first photo without a model has the Hamilton model inside the haversack.)

I knew this customer had graduated from Purdue, and I had some Purdue fabric in my stash that I offered to her. She took it all!

It was a big order of seven haversacks, but I got them done and she has already used them for a show last weekend.

Just because I am working on a major project like the riding habits doesn't mean I am not keeping an eye on fabric sales.

I have about fifteen new fabrics that I cannot wait to make into haversacks.

Some are not your typical horsey fabric (like these plaid saddles), but to me, finding unusual fabrics is part of the fun of making and selling haversacks.

Sometimes if the scale is unusually large or small, I photograph it with a model to help show the scale. This ladies western shirts fabric is cool, but the scale of the shirts would not work well on a Stablemate sized haversack.

I've got some Christmassy/holidays fabrics ready to stitch up

and some that are just plain fun (although this would work for Halloween, too.)

Currently I have four orders to finish and bring to the October Great Lakes Congress show, and then some gifts to make for Happy Trails which is the week before GLC.

The riding habits may be done, but there is still a lot of stitching to be done on my work table!