WIP Sporran #5 (hunting)- from the very start

**artificer** · 7th June 10, 07:38 PM

Hi All,
emboldened by the relative success of works #1-3 (with 4 slowly coming along) I've decided to do a full documentation of sporran #5, from inception through a (hopefully successful) conclusion.

Browsing over the many images of traditional through modern hunting sporrans I came to a realization. Many of them are too busy for my (admittedly, VERY) minimal tastes. One of them struck me time and again as delightful. HRH Prince Charles'. He has one that appear in nearly all of his day photographs.

Looking more closely at his sporran, it's unusual (to me, at least) in several ways. The bag is structured differently than most. In some pictures, where HRH is walking, the 'break' of a shortened front structural panel can be seen. This implies that there is a harder panel under the softer bag face... oddly, it doesn't appear continue to the bottom of the front panel gusset.

The traditional decoration of 'petals' has been altered to what appears to be a simple gather in the leather. Also, the 'pinked' edge (saw tooth) of the front panel extends down over the very front edge of the gusset on the face of the bag. HRH also appears to have little of the perforation (like on a pair of brogues) that is so common on many hunting sporrans. Many of these details can be seen in the XMarks thread about HRH PC in Highland dress.

Fascinated by the variation from what I see as a 'standard' design, as well as my attraction to it, I've chosen this bag to be the inspiration for my first hunting pattern sporran.

Obviously, I don't wish to replicate the bag entirely, simply pay homage. COPYING is merely plagiarism and IP theft. However, it has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Since I'd be hard pressed to find a smarter dresser than HRH, I feel pretty safe about using his as a jumping off point.

After a few preliminary pencil sketches which I won't show you, as they are illegible to the untrained eye, and the camera doesn't do them any favours either, I will give you my first vector based rendering (Adobe Illustrator).

None of the tiny details (pinked edges or perforations) show here, as it's fairly early. The final proportions need tweaking, and no stitch lines are indicated. This study is JUST for the basic bag shape. It's also out of scale now, as I've converted it to a jpeg for easy web viewing.

I should also note that the face of the bag will be lacking the pinked edge facing of HRH, and have a standard construction, rather than what appears to be the unusual structure of HRH. I may also put a half round 'top collar' above the central roundel, as most hunting sporrans have today. The pattern of perforations for this piece are under development and not ready to be shown.

From here, assuming changes aren't massive, a paper mock-up, then an exploded view, then a layer detail pattern will be generated.

So THAT'S how I start. Any thoughts? Gut reactions? Niggling concerns?

**thescot** · 7th June 10, 08:51 PM

I think that you should definitely "put a half round 'top collar' above the central roundel." The overall look is good, but it's a little bland without some extra show.

What about tassels? That's a niggling concern for me and the tassels are a big deal on hunting sporrans to me.

Finally, how will you finish off the top? You could use a metal cantel or just a leather finish of some sort. I like both; the metal adds a bit of the formal look, but the leather makes it just plain cool.

**Downunder Kilt** · 8th June 10, 12:42 AM

What a great choice you have made to model the design on HRH's sporran.
Your thoughts on doing away with the petals that you see on every other hunting sporran are splendid. I think you should also stay away from tassels and a metal cantle as these seem to be everwhere you look. In my opinion a hunting sporran should be not adorned with flashie tat. It is a workhorse that should not attract undue attention. I really like the idea of the pinched leather under the targe design

As for your comments regarding the stiff board front or lack thereof on HRH's sporran. I believe his sporrans are many many years old and may have lost some of the stiffness through use (I understand that they were given to him by one of his uncles)

**artificer** · 8th June 10, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by thescot

I think that you should definitely "put a half round 'top collar' above the central roundel." The overall look is good, but it's a little bland without some extra show.

What about tassels? That's a niggling concern for me and the tassels are a big deal on hunting sporrans to me.

Finally, how will you finish off the top? You could use a metal cantel or just a leather finish of some sort. I like both; the metal adds a bit of the formal look, but the leather makes it just plain cool.

I will definitely be adding the top 1/2 round... I wish I knew it's name

.
I won't be doing tassels or petals. I think the gathers serve the same purpose. I wonder if anyone has an archive of early pattern sporrans? The gathered leather feels like an older decoration that evolved into the modern petal (of course, I could be way off here as well). I will be doing a leather closure. Metal does indeed add a more formal look, but that seems a bit at odds with what a 'hunting' sporran is.

Originally Posted by Downunder Kilt

What a great choice you have made to model the design on HRH's sporran.
Your thoughts on doing away with the petals that you see on every other hunting sporran are splendid. I think you should also stay away from tassels and a metal cantle as these seem to be everwhere you look. In my opinion a hunting sporran should be not adorned with flashie tat. It is a workhorse that should not attract undue attention. I really like the idea of the pinched leather under the targe design

As for your comments regarding the stiff board front or lack thereof on HRH's sporran. I believe his sporrans are many many years old and may have lost some of the stiffness through use (I understand that they were given to him by one of his uncles)

I know HRH has had this sporran since the 80's, based on the pictures. As to the bag's structure, if you look below

and here

about an inch below the bottom of the targe there is an irregular, downward (left to right) slanting bump. It may be that the full 'face' has just softened from use over time, but I don't know. The irregular nature of the fold does point to you being correct. The placement would seem at odds with where the bag opens though.

I am interested in the way it hangs below the 'bump' - it seems odd. It's almost as if the front face is stiff for the top 2/3 (the area that makes up the 'purse closure' and backs the targe), and below that point it is just soft bag with little gusset- it remains flat and in profile with the back of the sporran.

After all, what is HRH really going to keep in his sporran anyway? I'm sure most of the time his assistant is carrying most of what he might need.

Thanks both for the comments, I'm mocking up in paper right now, hopefully I'll have pix in a bit.

**artificer** · 8th June 10, 07:30 PM

Hi All,
I hate posting over myself, but I'm going to- as I'm adding the next stage as promised. The Paper Mock-Up.

It's in it's roughest stages, not all layers are fleshed out (the targe) and pinked, and the folds are applied rather than generated from the layer they are meant to be part of. The gusset will also need a bit of work, but will do for now as a rough approximation of it's proposed form. I should add that the gusset looks mangled, as I've creased it to obtain the proper angle for the two faces, which goofed up the edges where the 'seams' are.

Front

1/4 Front, showing relief of 'petal folds' as well as a nicely shadowed, partially 'pinked' edge.

Neither image shows the perforated top section yet. I'm still working on hole placements.

Initially I was a bit concerned about the lower 1/3, but I think making the petal folds a bit larger will help this. I'm hoping to use a waxed and oiled (or pull-up) leather for this bag, which will give it a very dynamic, interactive surface.

For those who don't know their leather that well, a pull-up leather shows scratches and stretches by a lightening of colour, and reacts very easily with the oils in your hand to darken those areas back down. It also develops an amazing patina with use. After a few years of regular wear this type of leather will look AMAZING and be totally unique, based on it's owner. Like an old satchel or a much loved saddle.

It's not the type of leather for everyone, but is the one I'm planning on using for the piece, based on it's type and purpose.

I'll probably make a Rob Roy in that same leather, and possibly the Jacobite bag, although I already bought a gorgeous doeskin for that purpose...

As always, general thoughts and constructive commentary is always welcome.
Thanks for looking.

**CMcG** · 8th June 10, 07:40 PM

I don't have much to add except that I'm following this thread with interest.

**Downunder Kilt** · 8th June 10, 08:33 PM

Artificer, your skills never cease to amaze me. It is fantastic of you to show the steps of designing thus far. I am sure most of us would never have thought what an artist, such as yourself, has to do to get a creation up and running. Most of us just go to the shop or order online and that's it.

The leather you are using for this sporran sounds fantastic and will become a heirloom for the lucky owner. The more that I see of the pinch pleats below the targe, the better I like the concept. I think the lengthing of them has provided more of a balance between top and bottom

**billmcc** · 8th June 10, 08:40 PM

Looks good so far. I like the idea of using petal folds.

**thescot** · 8th June 10, 08:48 PM

Artificer, I have to ditto what Downunder Kilt wrote. Your choice of leather is superb, and the petals/pinch pleats are going to look really nice.

BTW, I kind of intende the word "tassel" above to include petals. I own both types of hunter sporrans, and the use of either can really make a sporran, dpending on how they're designed. Yours are going to be really nice, I think.

What color will the finished produc be? Light brown I suppose? Rather like the--is it pigskin?--leather on HRH's sporran. (I have lusted after that one ever since I first saw it.)

**artificer** · 9th June 10, 01:51 PM

Thanks everyone for the interest and comments.
The leather will be a medium brown- probably not as rusty as HRH's appears in many images. The surface of a pull up is smooth rather than pebbled like Prince Charles' appears to be. I thought about pigskin (which is what my guess would be as well, thescot) but don't want to copy HRH's, just pay homage.

The most exciting thing about the pull up is how it ages. The areas most touched (like the purse closure) will get very dark and glossy, while the area that folds (gusset) will lighten over time. It's the most 'live' surface I think leather can have, and makes for the most personal of items.

I'm excited to see what came in on my local leather store's new shipment. I stopped in earlier today and they hadn't yet uncrated it. The manager knows what I'm looking for and will set them aside until I get back in late this afternoon.

Hopefully, I'll have pix late tonite of the new hide.