Dressage, Again

The last SM scale tack set I made was an upper level dressage set for the new(ish) mini Valegro mold. Naturally, the next set I felt compelled to make was... an upper level dressage set for the new(ish) mini Valegro mold?

What can I say, I had some nice shiny black leather and new gold wire to try out, it had to be done.

While it's not glossy, the finish on this set definitely has a bit more shine than I'm used to. Upon re-reading one of Anna Helt's older blog posts, I realized that's because my Tandy Satin Shene finish is extremely old, and while it still functions perfectly well as a sealant, it's definitely lost its totally matte quality. 

I think the finish makes it look like a doted upon fancy expensive saddle someone spent many hours buffing and cleaning- perfect for this very fancy set!

I finally got myself some 34 gauge gold wire (something I've somehow gone without thus far), so the bridle sports all-gold hardware for an extra bit of bling. It also features one of the nice etched bits I purchased in a lot off eBay a thousand years ago- I think it looks way sharper than plain wire!

Double bridles are one of those things I'll spend ages fiddling with, because I know that however much effort I put into making all the little straps fit correctly will directly translate into this nightmare of a bridle being easy and breezy to tack up for future users. Hopefully worth it!

This set also uses the new method of making saddle pads I discovered last year, meaning the pad fits the horse's top line perfectly and retains a realistic shape even when it's not on the horse. It's not a particularly difficult thing to do, but it makes my heart extremely happy. 

All together, a very satisfying set!

And finally, a little sneak peak at my cheater dressage girth: the billets are already buckled on the girth, so the regular sticky waxing method works perfectly fine. Hurray for shortcuts!

For my next set, I'm thinking I want to swing back the other way and make something really laid back, casual, maybe suited for a trail ride... we'll see!

Karma

It took me all summer, but my Jennifer Show donation is finally on its way to Colorado.

Today I leave for college 2,851 miles away from home. This summer has been loaded with prep for this, and light on tack making; the dressage set came together over countless little hour and half hour long sessions here and there instead of dedicated studio days.

While this sluggish work pace was frustrating, my belief in the idea of karma kept me motivated. Jennifer Buxton's blog was one of my first introductions to the hobby as a little kid, and her tack was definitely one of the main inspirations behind me trying tack making myself.

Jennifer puts an insane amount of time and thought and love into her blog, providing a near daily dose of hobby goodness, and I just had to spring at the opportunity to say thank you.

I'd already been yearning to try an upper level dressage set for the new Valegro mold, and the donation opportunity seemed like a worthy cause for such a frustrating intricate set. 

The saddle is particularly adventurous, using entirely new patterns, a hand-sculpted tree (as opposed to my typical soda can structure), and...

...actual sweat flaps!

This is my first and probably last ever saddle to have multi-layered flaps, but I really wanted to try out a double layer knee block design. I have to say I'm really pleased with the result. 

As with all experimental saddles, I can see things I'll change for next time, but I think overall it's pretty snazzy!

Seeing as the Jennifer Show sounds like THE hobby show of the year, it seemed only fitting to throw together a champion prize-style blanket to go with.

This is actually my first ever attempt at a blanket (beyond my very stylish felt and scotch tape ones with which I outfitted my herd as a kid), and I had a blast putting it together!

The burgundy color (which also lines the inside of the dressage pad) was inspired by the letter shadowing in the show's amazing logo:

The lettering is all hand-painted with the tiniest brush you could possibly imagine, and the hooks are all handmade and functional, which I'm honestly quite proud of!

The OF Valegro went along with the tack and blanket as well, because I somehow have accumulated four of them someone needed to model my foray into blanket making!

Despite attending an art school, I made the decision to leave my tack making stuff at home, making this my last set for the foreseeable future. I'm shifting my focus to my other art and the whole going to college thing, so the blog is going to be a little quiet for a while. It honestly feels a bit like the end of an era, and I am so glad to have been able to make my last set one that means so much to me.

I'm sure the Jennifer Show will be an absolute blast, and I can't wait to read all of Jennifer's reports! Good luck to all the entrants and both Jennifer hostesses, and thank you to absolutely everyone who has supported me in my hobby journey thus far. The skills and inspirations I've gathered in this hobby have made me the artist I am today, and I know they'll continue to help me in whatever future endeavors lie in wait. 

:)

The Tack of 2014

New Year's Day is always about looking back and looking forward. So without further ado, here is the looking back portion...

My first-ever western saddle!

I'm counting HorseBot as tack because he does technically have a saddle...

The only piece of non-Stablemate tack this year. 

I think I made around fifteen tack sets this year, which is definitely a personal record. More important than the numbers, though, is my pride in myself for sticking to my resolution of slowing down and improving the quality of my tack. Seeing my 2012 saddles next to my 2014 saddles is incredibly satisfying for me, just to see how far I've come.

Enough tooting of my own horn! Looking forward to this brand new year...

Hobby Resolutions 2015

• Attend two live shows (at least!)
• Continue working through my list of waiting orders (secretly, I'm hoping I'll be able to start averaging one order a month, but I don't want to officially resolve to that, because who knows what 2015 has in store for me!)
• Make a full polo set
• Sketch more
• Make a Traditional scale saddle
• Expand my mini halter show string (OF and CM)
• Limit/entirely cut out any Traditional model purchases
• Make a really unusual tack set (I'm thinking Lord of the Rings something?)
• Keep the blog updated

I'm so excited to get started! Do you guys have any hobby resolutions? 

Here's to 2015!

Studio Update: November 8

Every night this week, I've texted Anna: "I AM GOING TO FINISH THE DRESSAGE SET."

Then I would promptly not finish the dressage set.

I sat myself down in my chair this morning with a huge mug of coffee and a determination to knock out a snaffle bridle.

And it's finally done! 

I've been experimenting with new ways of achieving the raised noseband/browband look. For a while I've just been attaching rolled strips of leather to the tops of the regular flat straps, but I think I like this new look better. It's based on Braymere's Tack Tip, with 26 gauge wire substituted for the thread she uses. The wire is flexible, but for the most part stays pretty stiffly in place for a nice close fit to that particular horse's head. (Side note: this mold has such a square forehead, there are actually angles in the browband!)

I'm bummed that the trees behind my picture taking spot (the railing on my front porch, just like the pros) aren't turning pretty fall colors. Here in the northwest we have a lot of stubborn evergreens, but the deciduous' are showing their colors beautifully in some areas. Or at least they were, until a recent wind storm stripped all the pretty leaves away:

All these naked trees (combined with the flood of holiday catalogs clogging the mail) are making me long for winter! I already have a few tack-related elf shenanigans in the making...

...But for now, it's time to just sip apple cider and appreciate the current season.

The stock halter also finally got a matching lead today, and is officially ready to ship off to a new home. I have a ton of stuff headed to the PO this week, which is always a great feeling, but getting stuff off my desk only makes me wish for more projects! I'm in a bit of a lull between commissions, and I have a super long weekend to kill... consider this your warning that another sale set might just happen to pop into existence before Wednesday.

I'll keep you posted!