Questians regarding making your own sporran

**Doc Hudson** · 24th August 05, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Bob C.

Tell me something you leather-workers. Would I be able to sew leather on my wife's sewing machine?

I suppose there are lots of variables, such as thickness and hardness of the leather, to consider.

Unless it is light garment weight leather, using a regular domestic sewing machine is more trouble than it is worth IMNSHO.

I very much prefer hand sewing leather. The thread is generally heavier and stronger than you can use on a sewing machine, and the stitching can be done in such a way that even if the thread breaks, the stitch remains locked.

**Piper** · 26th August 05, 06:32 PM

I've made a couple of sporrans. I used a pattern from Smoke and Fire Co.. They offer a packet with patterns for two different sporrans. One, the "Highlander" is an older style, soft leather pouch with a stiff leather flap, and reinforcement on the back for attaching to the belt. The other is called the "Rob Roy". It has a stiff back with a softer piece on the front which expands via a thong threaded through holes at the top. I wear the "Highlander" at Rendezvous and Reenactments. The "Rob Roy" I made I used as a prize at the Highland Games at one of the Rendezvous.
I recently purchased a cantle from Stillwater Kilts, and used it to make a dress (maybe semi-dress) sporran. Someone had given me a kangaroo pelt, and I figured that kangaroo was the perfect hide to make a pouch out of. I sketched out the shape, based on the shape of sporrans that my piping instructor has. Came out quite well. Once I get my virus software problems resolved, I can post some pictures of the sporrans, sgain dubh and dirk. I will second the idea of hand sewing on projects such as sporrans, sheaths, etc. I've found it to give much better results on small projects, or projects involving leathers of different weights.

**Sir Robert** · 27th August 05, 01:10 PM

I highly recomend making your own sporran.

Look up "pelt" on e-Bay.

**Brasilikilt** · 27th August 05, 10:28 PM

Hey all
During one of my google searches I found this link:
http://www.badgerland.co.uk/pictures...tic/abuse.html

This link was actually helpful:
http://www.sporrans.com/thompson.html

This one was pretty interesting as well:
http://heritage.scotsman.com/clans.cfm?id=726222005

I was wondering if any of you knew the approximate dimentions of a standard military style sporran. Most of the pictures I have seen are only of the sporran, there's usually nothing nearby to give me a good idea of what it's size is.
I have decided to start with a simple military style sporran as it looks simple to make. I've also had a fondness for military surplus gear for years and years.

Thanks for all your advice.........I'll keep you posted on my progress

**Big Dave** · 28th August 05, 10:30 AM

I too am trying to make my own sporran. I found a pic that might help. http://www.nwta.com/patterns/pdfs/291sporr.pdf

**Freelander Sporrano** · 28th August 05, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by Big Dave

I too am trying to make my own sporran. I found a pic that might help. http://www.nwta.com/patterns/pdfs/291sporr.pdf

It's threads like this I love Thanks big Dave.

This is one that will be fun...May take some time, but it'll go into our "To Do pile" of ideas we have, or find, to give that little Freelander touch.

**MacMullen** · 24th November 05, 02:20 PM

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread. I found this thread a couple of weeks after I made my own sporran, which you can see in my other thread regarding the Early Burns Dinner Pics from da U.P.

My first homeade sporran:

It's just a simple leather pouch of the right size and shape, with simple leather braids on the front and one of those fabric store Celtic knot buttons on the front.

Now, my daughter wants to use the sporran for a purse, so I'm looking to make another one for myself.

So why am I resurrecting this thread? Just to say thanks for the PDF. I wish I'd found it a few weeks ago. It's exactly what I was looking for. Can't wait to get started on it.

One thing that I've found helpful making my first sporran was to try out different shapes, sizes, and methods in cheap vinyl first, then out of leather. It saved me from making the sporran too small, and let me see whether or not it was something I would like or not.

Thanks again for the pattern!

**KiltedKnight** · 9th January 06, 06:27 PM

I too got tired of my sporrans and decided to make my own after reverse engineering an old sporran. I got the leather from Tandy Leather company but I suppose any supplier of leather would do and I order a bear paw and attached forearm skin from the Moscow Hide and Fur Company in Idaho and went to work. The most difficult part was the sewing but I found that if, after I had determined exactly where the stiching was to go I nailed the piece down to the wooden workbench and with a small nail I made the holes in both pieces of leather and later stiched it together. Now that takes a while but it sure beats paying $1400.00 for a leather stiching machine. Other than that it was contact cement and elbow grease and I have a fine sporran from a black bear and it is just at home in a formal setting as at the games. Hope this helps someone.