Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
I'm calling this one the Ranger Bag - It takes a lot of work to prototype a new bag design. To get just the right shape and proportion, find the right materials, and choose the appropriate construction technique is a big deal; especially if it's going to be done well. I wanted something that looked … Continue reading Prototyping a New Belt Pouch
Sometimes it's nice to have the security of a bag strapped closely to the body and not swinging around your neck and shoulders. This little 9 x 5 x 2 inch design has done quite well over the past year and has been a popular seller in the shop. Made from 7 oz. veg-tanned leather … Continue reading Small Possibles Bag for the Belt
The heart and soul of a trail camp.
Kentucky Hunter's Pouch - Few words are needed to show this project. It is a Kentucky Hunter style pouch of a style popular throughout the 17th and 18th centuries in America. Its antecedents come from Britain and mainland Europe but changed with the times as North America was colonized. In the days before the common … Continue reading Hunter’s Pouch
"My ceiling the sky, my carpet the grass, my music the lowing of herds as they pass; my books are the brooks, my sermons the stones, my parson’s a wolf on a pulpit of bones." — Allen McCanless (cowboy poet), 1885
In my internet sleuthing I have gathered literally thousands of images, plans, and patterns of things I would like to make or have for reference. Government documents, like the scans below, are invaluable resources for the maker when they are made public. Who would know how to better and more efficiently make a pair of … Continue reading U.S. Army Riding Gloves Pattern – free
It isn't cheap to find good saddle bags these days but excellent ones can still be made with a little time and dedication. The U.S. Army M-1924 model is the culmination of a century of design improvements and feedback from real field use. This model, in one form or another, saw service across the West, … Continue reading Cavalry Saddlebags
A little cowboy movie music isn't a bad thing. Hollywood has produced some good music with the vast resources it has at its disposal. Here is a link to My Rifle, My Pony, and Me / June Apple from the film Rio Bravo (the hot links will take you to lyrics). https://youtu.be/v2ssbgThljU If you know … Continue reading Monday Morning Music
I should say it's Classic Banjo Time. The modern banjo has ancient roots and shares much with it's African antecedents. Its connection to the lute family along with the whole array of drum-headed cousins crossed many lost cultural boundaries in ancient times. This makes it the perfect candidate for bridging musical genres and styles, from … Continue reading Classical Time – for the Banjo-ista
Painting by American Realist Thomas Eakins 1844-1916.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 