yeah and it still looks the same! mad!
It's gone a bit swish now, though: you can buy gilets!
Exactly how I was trained, hand made threads, making our own edge stain with pearl glue, we'd flock seats and knees rolls too. Methods I still use today when I make any saddlery which is very rare now as no money in it, although we hand stitched all our saddlery and avoided machines especially on the rubbered rein grips, we spot stitched those by hand as less stitching along it's length to perforate the leather (weakens it). Points on the riding bridles we'd use bridle points, egg points (as in the vid) you can do quickly compared to bridle points and egg points were for harness and show bridles, so even then in 1981 they were starting to lean towards mass production probably because of the quantity of work they had to make it was the quickest way to do it even if it wasn't always traditional. May have been regional variations too though.
Oz
Interesting to see that the cheekpieces and reins were sewn onto the bit. I guess there wasn't as much changing bits around back then.
I've googled but can't find an answer - what are egg points and bridle points, and what's the difference?
Roundy or pointy...
Loved watching that film. I was also amazed that the cheekpieces were sewn onto the bit.
We used 12 stitches to the inch back in the day but further back 16 to the inch wasn't unheard of, which is HARD to stitch!It used to be that all "posh" bridles (i.e. for showing, and hunting) were sewn in. I remember (and I'm not that old) cleaning show bridles that had the tiniest stitches....
We used 12 stitches to the inch back in the day but further back 16 to the inch wasn't unheard of, which is HARD to stitch!
Most modern bridles etc are stitched 8 to the inch or there abouts, the smaller the stitching the better quality as a rule.
Oz
Brilliant vid. Some of my old sidesaddle gear has 12 and 16 stitches to the inch. I am definitely visiting that shop when I'm finally living in Ireland.
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