Hi All,
A fellow X-Marker and I have been busy little bees.
Whilst I've been making #5 Hunting Sporrans for the last few months, ShaunMaxwell and I have been collaborating on a design together.

It started many months ago with talk of a full mask skunk. Later, to both his and my dismay, we discovered that our respective wives HATE them. This talk eventually evolved into design plans which I'm proud to now reveal to all.


The cantle is hammered leather (the one pictured is only a trial to test for size with all the stitching, tooling, etc in place. A few small changes and better fit and finish well accompany the final version) which will be braided along the top edges. It will be a functioning 'purse' mouth. Each 'plate' of the cantle is formed from two 10oz veg tanned sides which will sandwich the fur and the leather (for the back side).

The body is skunk in a very rich black. The stripe has very good definition. The interior is a very nice 4oz dark red suede, which can be seen behind everything. This serves a dual purpose. It reinforces the back of the fur (which can be a touch delicate) and also give a bit of visual interest when the sporran is opened.

It will have a gusset to aid storage.

The braiding for the center closure and side ties is a four-strand square sennit. I like this braid particularly as the skin side of the leather always faces outward, giving a nice finished appearance. Please note that the sample is actually blue, I was just demoing it for the commissioner and had a scrap of blue around to use

The top-knot that the center braid wraps around is a manrope knot. This is a very solid knot with HEAPS of history and a very nice finished look, almost herringbone. It is cut of 2oz veg tan dyed black to match the cantle. Again, please note that the sample is an undyed trial.

The design IS finished, final details squared away. Templates are cut and materials sourced. From this point onward, I intend to fully document the build-out.

As always, constructive comments and critique are welcome and invited.