My DIY Semi-Formal Sporran Mod. Thoughts, please.

[KiltedSergeant]

Well, I received the sporran, and as can happen on E-bay (or, sometimes elsewhere as well) it is not as nice as the one pictured, though not different enough to return it. Can I make a silk purse of a sow's ear? I may make it a project just to see what I can make of it- for fun, so to speak, to learn a bit about leather-work or whatever. If I produce something worth looking at I'll post my result here. Thanks to Taskr and Terry for their input.

[RichardtheLarge]

Well, I received the sporran, and as can happen on E-bay (or, sometimes elsewhere as well) it is not as nice as the one pictured, though not different enough to return it. Can I make a silk purse of a sow's ear? I may make it a project just to see what I can make of it- for fun, so to speak, to learn a bit about leather-work or whatever. If I produce something worth looking at I'll post my result here. Thanks to Taskr and Terry for their input.

I am consistently dismayed at just how poor the build quality of a lot of the mass-produced Highlandwear is!

I’ve learned a lot about leather craft from cutting and sewing “junk leather” items. If nothing else, some of these greatly improved my saddle stitching. But if you had that gut-level reaction upon opening the box, I.e, “this is junk...” then it’s doubtful that making minor modifications to it will overcome your first impression. My two cents.

I agree with Taskr that the way to go for a project like this is to open some or all of the front panel seams. Glue works its magic best when used in conjunction with stitching. You can often get away with stitching without glue, in my experience, but glue without stitching is bound to separate over time.

[Dollander]

Well, I received the sporran, and as can happen on E-bay (or, sometimes elsewhere as well) it is not as nice as the one pictured, though not different enough to return it. Can I make a silk purse of a sow's ear? I may make it a project just to see what I can make of it- for fun, so to speak, to learn a bit about leather-work or whatever. If I produce something worth looking at I'll post my result here. Thanks to Taskr and Terry for their input.

Sorry to hear that. I was gonna offer some suggestions as well, but didn't have time this morning before work. Oh well...though maybe if you show us pics of the actual sporran you have, we could still offer up some ideas.

And I have to ask...did you do those mock-ups in Preview? Because this is what I did while waiting for the sporran to arrive, before receiving the wrong one and the broken badge led to what I wound up doing instead:
originalplan.jpg
Incidentally, the reason I ordered that specific one was because the seller had pics of the actual sporran for sale rather than stock photos, so I knew exactly what I'd be getting. So let that be a lesson learned...

P.S. Regardless of how it turns out, I'm glad that you found my own project to be an inspiration. My initial response when I saw this thread was "Oh, geez...did I start a trend?".

[KiltedSergeant]

Sorry to hear that. I was gonna offer some suggestions as well, but didn't have time this morning before work. Oh well...though maybe if you show us pics of the actual sporran you have, we could still offer up some ideas.

And I have to ask...did you do those mock-ups in Preview? Because this is what I did while waiting for the sporran to arrive, before receiving the wrong one and the broken badge led to what I wound up doing instead:
originalplan.jpg
Incidentally, the reason I ordered that specific one was because the seller had pics of the actual sporran for sale rather than stock photos, so I knew exactly what I'd be getting. So let that be a lesson learned...

P.S. Regardless of how it turns out, I'm glad that you found my own project to be an inspiration. My initial response when I saw this thread was "Oh, geez...did I start a trend?".

I did those crude mock-ups in Paint Shop Pro by just coloring over the sections I was thinking of putting cloth on. Now, I may cover/modify the flap which I don't like. It's late here now, but tomorrow I'll post a photo of the current sporrran, should you like to see it.

Thanks, Dollander!

[KiltedSergeant]

Here is a comparison of the photo on E-Bay (first photo) with the one I received (second photo).

Sporran a.png Sporran A (2).jpg

The main difference, in my opinion, is that the first looks to have a soft grain leather in the center, while the one I received had a very hard piece of leather that almost feels like plastic or cardboard. I could stick with my plan which would cover much of the disturbing front piece with tweed or a short nap fur, but the flap is also not very nice, so I though of covering that with the same material as the front, and adding a Celtic brooch for appearance.

Or, I could give it to a youngster that just got his first kilt, but has no sporran! Then, find myself a decent one somewhere else.....

[LKM]

From the picture I would have guesses a soft goat or calf leather yet it looks like might have a chromed leather in the picture you took. This type of leather finish is not one I like to work with as it does feel hard and close to plastic. When I saw your picture my first thought involved replacing the leather on the front with either goat or sheep. Replacing the leather on the front would not be the easiest, yet depending on how the stitching was done and if there is an adhesive behind the front leather it could range from fairly easy to very difficult.

[KiltedSergeant]

From the picture I would have guesses a soft goat or calf leather yet it looks like might have a chromed leather in the picture you took. This type of leather finish is not one I like to work with as it does feel hard and close to plastic. When I saw your picture my first thought involved replacing the leather on the front with either goat or sheep. Replacing the leather on the front would not be the easiest, yet depending on how the stitching was done and if there is an adhesive behind the front leather it could range from fairly easy to very difficult.

I will consider those options though, should I undertake its modification, it will be a learning process as I've done only a little leather work before. I have learned that it is best to ensure one buys a sporran made in Scotland, Canada, or the US.