deer and elk hide leather

[yoippari]

My dad went hunting this morning. Drove a couple hours away, walked around for 40 minutes and shot a blacktail. He is planning on tanning the hide and I was wondering, would deer hide make a good kilt? There isn't enough in one hide for an entire kilt, but might be able to stitch multiple hides together. I am going elk hunting during late season so depending on how the finished product looks they might be able to be both used in one kilt.

Besides if it will work, who would do it? Full grain deer or elk leather would be a bit harder to work with than wool.

[Freelander Sporrano]

If not a kilt they'll make wonderful sporrans

[clancelt]

If not a kilt they'll make wonderful sporrans

I was thinking the same thing! ;)

[Canuck]

you will need at least 4 deer or 2 Elk, possibly 3 to make a kilt

[yoippari]

Well, Roosevelt elk are fairly large elk, but I kinda suspected that it would take more than one. How would deer or elk leather compare to cow leather? I know that deer skin gloves are supposed to be softer than cow. Would this affect the kilt in any way? And once again who would do it? For that matter would it affect the price?

Edit: We can choose to leave the fur on or not. Hmm, a fur on leather kilt...



note: I am not actually considering a fur on leather kilt, but a sporran with one piece of it having the fur might work.

[Canuck]

Well, Roosevelt elk are fairly large elk, but I kinda suspected that it would take more than one. How would deer or elk leather compare to cow leather? I know that deer skin gloves are supposed to be softer than cow. Would this affect the kilt in any way? And once again who would do it? For that matter would it affect the price?

Edit: We can choose to leave the fur on or not. Hmm, a fur on leather kilt...



note: I am not actually considering a fur on leather kilt, but a sporran with one piece of it having the fur might work.

I build leather kilts The logistics of me building one for you may just be cost prohibitive because of the border. On average it takes 1.5 large Cows to build one of my kilts. I hand pick the skins, and am very particular on the size and quality. It will depend on how heavy the split hide is. Idealy I work with 2.25-3oz/sq.ft This gives optimum results for a good swish factor. Yes Elk are large but most of it is leg.
I think the Elk would be comparable to cow and the deer to lamb. I find lamb tends to stretch too much and the yeild isn't as good as the cow.
I have had a number of people approach me this past summer to build a kilt for them, however once I tell them how many skins are involved and the labour they rethink the endeavor. What takes the time is the planning. One has to look at each hide and invision how to get the most yeild out of it and how many pleats per section can you get. I will say it would cost more for deer as it would require more pieces.

[Riverkilt]

Hopi men around here still wear leather skirts for traditional dances, sort of a wrap around arrangement with no pleats or gathers.

Seems like deer would be so wonderfully soft that if it was made into a kilt like cow leather it wouldn't hold the shape well.

Have a Shoshone made fringed leather pouch that I sometimes wear as a sporran that I like a lot. Think there's a pic in my gallery. Deer and elk do make elegant sporrans.

Ron

[Magnus Sporrano]

Have a Shoshone made fringed leather pouch that I sometimes wear as a sporran that I like a lot. Think there's a pic in my gallery. Deer and elk do make elegant sporrans.

That's a sharp pouch. I could see wearing one of those.

There are some great pics in your gallery. Wish I had as many MUGs in my wardrobe.

[Whiteraven]

First off I think an Elk or Deer hide kilt would be fabuless. Although in my experiance deer hide has a great deal of stretch ( at least 1 1/2 times ) this might pose a problem to the kilt maker.
Also it would take a great deal of hide to create a kilt out of even elk. When I make extreme weather Mukluks out of elk. I can only get 2 pairs out of a hide , with a little bit left over for other projects. :grin:
As for the sporran, I would advise, that when you make it. Put the inside out and the outside in. ( an old northern Cree and Inuit saying ) Meanning put the fur side inside and the inside side out. What this boils down to is , the smooth side out. I have a sporran made the opposite way and it get all this little leather lint all over my kilt. A real pain to remove. Rite now I'm stitching a sporran the with the inside out, from some elk hide remnents :mrgreen: .
Anyways thats all for now later.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bad spellers of America untie!

[Riverkilt]

Hey Mangus,

It was easy...right at the time I was infected with the kilt addiction bug the bank decided I was worthy of more credit...I got smart fashionwise and stupid financially and away we went. Sure do love the kilts though.

Ron