Bareback Pads

      Bareback pads are an item that is slightly trickier to make than some others, but they a pretty cool thing to have. I keep on looking for buckles that are large enough to accommodate the wide ribbon so I an have a single girth buckle, which is the most common, but so far the widest buckles are just not wide enough. And there doesn't seem to be a grosgrain ribbon in between 1/8" and 3/8" ribbon*. The largest of the buckles I can find are too small. So I make double buckles, which I have seen on real pads, and it takes a bit longer to make everything. If I switched to a leather girth I could easily make a single buckle, but then my bareback pads would be quite a bit different than they are. So I keep on doing it this way. And looking for different ribbon or different buckles. 

      I also keep on looking on Spoonflower for different fabrics that I think would make fun model horse items. Some stuff is just too big. Some patterns work out pretty well and I end up with some pretty cute prints on tiny items. None of these bareback pads are quite finished yet. As I was doing the finish work I realized that I was out of buckles! So I ordered lots of buckles, to solve that problem, and I can just work on more bareback pads, or other things, while I wait for them to come in. I still have time. 

       The other day I was thinking about doll storage. Dolls, for the most part, are super durable, and don't need anything particularly special for storage. But some people would really like something special to store their dolls in. So I had the idea of making doll pouches, potentially similarly to the micro pouches, but doll sized, with a super smooth lining fabric. I also though of doll sized plastic boxes, potentially decorated with custom stickers. I don't know if either item would be something people would be interested in. But I would love to hear thoughts on that.

*note* I looked up 1/4" ribbon, again, and found a website that looks like they actually have it. Most places will give you 3/8" and call it 1/4". We'll see if I get what I actually need...