Hand made sporrans?

[Mountainman]

Was thinking of making my own sporran, got a bunch of leather around the shop, but was thinking of using sinew and hand sewing it. Comments? Suggestions? Would this be a good idea?

[Dreadbelly]

I'm gonna have to say go for it, and post pictures when you are done, then we can tell you if it was a good idea or not.

[Kilted KT]

dread nailed it. go for it. The worst that can happen is that you swear off making sporrans. The best is that you now have a great looking sporran that you will be very proud to wear and show off.

[Mountainman]

I probably will try it, tho it will take a while my next project has to be putting up a chain-link fence for the new pup that will be coming soon.

[Kilted KT]

hmm...I don't think I would want to wear a chain link fence as a sporran.

[PiobBear]

Whether or not it's a good idea depends on what you're looking for. I assume you're familiar with hand-sewing leather?
Personally, I like the look of white nylon stitching better than artificial sinew, but to each their own. Leather lace can make an attractive detail, too.
Sporrans in their most basic form aren't difficult; just a bag hung on a belt. How fancy or artistic you get with them is entirely up to you.
One suggestion; make the back out of some really stiff leather; it'll give the sporran some body and it'll look better.

[Mountainman]

PiobBear, actually i am not familliar with hand sewing leather, and the sewing machine we do have i don't think can handle leather, thats why i was going to hand sew.

[PiobBear]

There are a few tools that you'll want to get to do a neat job.
Using a groover, you emboss a groove 1/4" in from the edge, then you run a
ponce wheel along the groove, marking where the stitches will go. Using a block of end-grain softwood (like a cut-off from a 4X4), you punch holes where the wheel marked them with an awl, taking care to get them vertical; not at an angle.
Finally, using a needle and sailmaker's palm, start a few holes down from the end of a seam, stitch up, then backstitch back down and continue along the seam. Some people saddle-stitch with two needles (on each end of the thread), crossing each other at every hole; I just use one, and when I get to the end of a seam I back-stitch back to the beginning. Try to keep the tension on the stitches as uniform as humanly possible.

[Mountainman]

Thanks for the tips!

[Nick]

I've used artificial sinew in many projects, and it is an excellent choice for a strong seam. I've used it on sheaths for knives and medieval shoes. On the shoes, one is sewn with heavy duty nylon thread, the other with artificial sinew. Why? Because the sinew sewn one was resewn after the nylon blew out, and the other shoe which is still stitched with nylon is starting to come apart, while the newly sewn one is as sturdy as it was the day I sewed it.

I don't use a groover or a ponce wheel, but use what tools you feel you need and that suit what you're doing. I use an awl, dividers, two glovers needles, and a thimble for most projects.