Some Horsiemama's Haversacks & Another Petticoat

My sewing passion has really shifted to 18th century clothing, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy pulling out a stack of horsey fabrics and making haversacks!

They are not complicated like time traveling clothing is, and they stitch up quickly so you switch fabrics often rather than spending days on one garment/one fabric. It's quite relaxing, and every now and then, I just want to sew horses, you know?

Here is a just completed batch of Extra Long Traditionals. (XLTs.) They will fit shelf eaters (see last picture) and have velcro closures.  All are lined with a quality grade of plush white fleece and sell for $17. Want one? I'm at horsiemama8 @ gmail com

Blanket Bonanza

You've Won!

Purple and Ponies

Girls Playing Polo

Chariot Runners

Model to show scale of print and what will fit inside.

I have many more fabrics and pouches made up from them. Go to Horsiemama's Haversacks & Mercantile, click on Media, and then Albums to see what is available. 

 I also just finished another 18th century petticoat, a commission from Kalamazoo.

The waist is gathered rather than pleated - at this point, that is the only option I am offering for petticoats. I'm thinking about offering a pleated option, but I'd have to charge a lot more for a pleated petticoat to make it worth my time. 

My Vintage Club Admiral and Wings have arrived. I was getting worried as I'd had no tracking info sent yet the order was showing as fulfilled. 

Then, Thursday evening I opened the front door to let the dogs out and discovered a Breyer box sitting on the park bench by the door. 

I'll open that box later today. Stay 'tooned!

The Carmel Tornado & a Bit More

Photos were coming in all day yesterday of tornado damage across Indiana. There are a lot of places in the state that were hard hit, several of them in the Indianapolis area.

This is the Carmel tornado. Carmel is a northern suburb of Indianapolis and is the location of the place where Craig and I volunteer several times a month.

The Indianapolis temple of our church is just an hour's drive from us. We have been volunteering there since it opened in 2015. 

The Carmel tornado just missed the temple (red dot) and the home on the grounds where our besties, Pat and Lisa, live. (They are the directors of the temple.)

Alerted to the fact that strong storms were on the way, they closed the temple and sent everyone home. The temple was cleared of people just thirty minutes before the tornado blasted through Carmel. And its path was very, very close - it passed just a block or two south of them.

I am so grateful that Pat and Lisa were not hurt and that the buildings did not sustain any damage from the tornado.

Lisa and me in Chicago, 2010.

Lisa and I have been close friends for twenty years, and Craig and Pat since they met as students at Purdue.

She is from Arizona and grew up on a ranch so she is familiar with horses.

Feeding Abby peppermints in 2017.

When Abby unexpectedly died, she and Pat dropped everything and drove up from Indianapolis, freshly baked cinnamon rolls in hand, and came to see how I was doing and offer condolences. Aside from my family, they were the only people I was willing to see and talk to at that awful time.

A month later, Lisa gave me a lovely gift for my birthday, the Abby necklace, that she'd had specially made for me.

Such dear friends, and I am so grateful that they were not hurt in the Carmel tornado.

(I just realized that I've done the same thing I did when I wrote about my western saddle. The topic shifted to Abby at the end of that blog post and I've done it again - I'm writing about my girl even though this was supposed to be a post about our friends and the Carmel tornado.  You never know what will bring your grief to the surface.)

Sewing for Myself: a New Petticoat

Second Post of the Day

We got very lucky last night when those severe storms were moving through. I haven't seen a formal count, but as I watched the live weather news stream as the storms came through, there were lots of spin-ups as well as tornados on the ground.

Lisa and Curt both live on the southern edge of town and they had it much worse than we did. Curt reported strong winds, rain, and lightning.

Lisa already had some damage from Sunday's storms; I am hoping she did not lose more siding or have any further fence damage.

We'd had roof damage on Sunday but had already had it repaired. I doubt I will find any problems today when it is light enough for me to check the roofline.

A tornado actually touched down a couple of blocks near the place in Indianapolis where we volunteer twice a month. I'm waiting now to hear if the building took a hit or has any damage. (UPDATE: Just got a text; no damage!)

It was quite an evening and I am thankful that we are okay. 

Moving on to other things...

See these two fabrics on my tent? I've had them for three years but had not gotten around to making them into something, something that was for me and not for sale. 

This year I decided I would finally make them into period clothing that I could wear to events.

My friend and fellow sewist Marge had the same idea - we both made bedgowns from the green and thistle fabric!

The bedgown finished, I then needed to do something with the pink. I had not made myself a petticoat for several years, and I had some ideas that I wanted to try. That meant working with the specific pattern of the block print to create one that was a little more unusual and eye-catching. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could do it.

It took some effort and a lot of math to get all the measurements right for cutting the fabric the way I wanted it to fall, but I did it!

Usually hems are easy, but this one was more of a challenge.

I wanted a narrow stripe of pink flowers at the bottom and measuring to be sure it was there was tricky. 

The waistband is pleated and while I love pleating, this time I had two vertical stripes on both the front and back panels of the petticoat to work with. If my measurements for the pleating were off and those stripes were not placed correctly, that would spoil the look of the petticoat.

View of the back of the petticoat.

Luckily it all came together and I have a new petticoat!

Now, just six more months to wait until I can wear it to the Feast!

Some Quick Breyer Updates

First Post of the Day

Before I write today's blog post, I did want to get some Breyer news out to everyone. 

Pal O'Mine News

Sadly, the Pal O'Mine was just an April Fool (although judging from the comments on social media, it would prove to be a popular seller for Breyer, so maybe down the road?)

However, three test runs from the Pal O'Mine joke are available for free! But act now because entries close today, April 3, at 11:59 PM EDT.

New Stablemate Blind Bags Available

These came out yesterday and when I got the notice, I looked at them briefly and then moved on. The price point seemed too high to me for Stablemates. But that Indian Pony "nagged" (LOL) at me and soon I was back for a second look.

"I do collect Stablemates now," I rationalized as I put four (yes, you read that right) into my cart. "And I like them all except for the Smart Chic Olena mold, but he is a black pinto and black is my favorite color." 

Lets hope I don't get four of the same thing like I did the Christmas blankets last December! 

Look for another blog post coming soon!

Historic Saddles: Part 5

Second Post of the Day

I saved my most cherished saddle for last.

My western saddle. It's not rare, although it is at least 55 years old so it's vintage, I guess. (So am I. LOL)

But the story behind it is part of why it is so meaningful to me.  I shared that story in a blog post several years ago.

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The Jar - April 21, 2023

Earlier this month, Jennifer Buxton wrote a blog post about a cherished hoof pick from her childhood and how it represented her hopes to have a horse of her own some day.

"That reminds me of my jar," I mused. "I should pull it out and look at it."

I knew exactly where it was, even after all these years.

On my bedside table, full of cash from my 1974 (!) trip to Europe that "some day" I'll distribute to the Cowpokes and the Pony Pals.

It's an old Ball canning jar, but like Jennifer's hoof pick, what it represents are my hopes and dreams to have a horse.

The cash that originally was in it was money I earned babysitting. Along with the money was a note, "Dear Thief, this is money for my horse. Please do not steal it. Thanks. Lynn"

Yeah, right, like someone robbing your home would leave a jar of cash alone! But a horse crazy eleven year old whose heart is full of dreams wasn't taking any chances on protecting her money!

No thief ever entered our home and when I got Amy, my Dad paid for her and I used the accumulated money to buy her saddle.

I remember running my hands all over it, feeling that soft leather and smelling the leather - still one of my favorite scents. 

I remember thinking, "My dreams have come true!" and the happiness in knowing that I helped make them happen by working for them. Such a feeling!

So much so that the saddle is in the barn at Tim's and the jar remains on my bedside table, just as it did when I was a kid. More childhood memories are in it beside the European money.

A show bill from a long ago horse show. (I carried the flag in the pre-show parade around the grounds - a big thrill at the time.)

A joke in our family about meaningful possessions and things gets said about the glass jar. "That's going to the nursing home with me!"

And it will. (Hopefully a long time in the future! Hah!)

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There is much to be said for working to make your dreams come true, and even now I still feel that glow of happiness that I earned the money for my saddle.

Leslie and me on our annual Christmas Eve ride; me on Amy and Leslie on Pokey. 1972 

Riding Amy out by Fort Ouiatenon. 1978

Competing in it while riding Cee at the 1974 Tippecanoe County 4-H Fair, 1974. 

Sadly, I've neglected it for several years. Since Abby was not rideable, the saddle has sat in Tim's barn office for years. Very much out of sight, out of mind for me.

Just as I need to do with my English saddle, I need to thoroughly clean and oil it.

But... it's still hard to go to the barn. My heart hurts when I do - it's difficult not to focus on how Abby's life ended, although I realize that in doing so, I let the manner of Abby's death push aside the years of happy memories I had with her.

For the sake of my saddles, I need to push through that.

That is tough.

Breyer's Gone Freeman Leidy!

Apparently I am not the only one who loves those fanciful eyelashes on Freeman Leidy's circus horses. 

Hand painted and unique to every piece, they are a big part of the Freeman Leidy charm.

Yesterday Breyer announced that they had finally made their mascot, Pal O'Mine into a model, and just look at those eyelashes!

So what if the ears are thick and wonky - the eyes have it!

Of course, yesterday did happen to be April 1 and Breyer does do an April Fool's joke every year. This definitely was it, but there is also a brief teaser video of the piece so at least one has been made.

Judging on the reaction on social media, this piece would sell very well. (I'd be interested in adding it to my collection.) It makes sense, too, to release Pal O'Mine as part of Breyer's 75th anniversary.

My guess is that there is some truth in this April Fool's joke and that we are going to see it offered, either as a part of the regular lineup in the 75th anniversary items, or maybe even as a web special. The text does say this summer and regular line, so...

Please, Breyer - do it!

(Another post may be coming today if I can get it done soon. Stay 'tooned!)

 

Historic Saddles: Part 4

The term "historic" has several meanings. In the case of the sidesaddles, it meant something that was truly a part of history and thus important to preserve and keep.

Today's saddle is not important historically like the sidesaddles are, but it is important to me and my own personal history. It comes from a time when I was having children and was a stay at home mom. I thought my horse-owning days were over, but a highly lucrative early morning job filling newspaper vending boxes changed all that.

I bought and boarded Indy, a sweet half-Arab, with the money I earned from that job. I also bought this English saddle.

Indy's English Saddle, 1970s

After Abby died, Tim told me I could keep my saddles and tack trunk at the barn if I wished. Both of my saddles are still there on a saddle rack in Tim's barn office.

Indy and me, Champaign, Illinois, 1984.

Shortly after I got Abby, I wrote a blog post about this saddle.

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Leather, May 7, 2012

I love the smell and sound of leather. It evokes happy memories of rides on Amy and Cee and quiet times spent cleaning tack. Now that I have Abby, I have gotten my saddles out of the garage, had them checked for safety, and taken them out to the barn.

Today the pasture was really muddy when I went out to check on Abby, and so I decided to clean my English saddle.

It looks pretty good despite being at at least twenty five to thirty years old.

 It's a German saddle made by Theo Sommer. I bought it from Linda Duesterhaus and used it for Indy.

 The leather is still very supple and soft.

 A little bit of history - Indy was used as a therapy horse for disabled riders. You can tell by the extra holes punched in the stirrup leathers that we had to shorten the stirrups for children who rode him!

 The leather billets under the panel are in great shape.

 Finished! All clean and oiled.

Next up is my western saddle. I bought it in 1970 with money I earned babysitting. Like the English saddle, I have kept it cleaned and oiled over the years. It will take a lot longer to clean, so maybe I will wait until the weekend.

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I'd estimate that Indy's saddle is pushing 45 to 50 years old. Theo Sommer began making saddles in Munich in 1965, so the oldest it could be would be 60 years.

It is a very comfortable saddle and puts your backside right where it needs to be.

Mountain Mama Jessica riding Indy in my Sommer English saddle. (1987 or so.)

Now that the weather is warming up, I plan to go out to the barn and give my saddles a good cleaning. But I'm not quite ready for that emotionally, yet. Abby's loss is still too present for me.

But it's a good saddle and I'd like to keep it in good shape, so hopefully soon I'll be ready to tackle that task

One more historic saddle to share - stay 'tooned!