Hello! When it comes to the model horse hobby (or any hobby in general) you’re going to run into issues. Trial and error is just a way of learning! I know that in the past, I’ve faces SO many problems! I remember when I was so dedicated to learning how to sew that I would sit in my craft room and sew for AGES! My family would only see me at meal times, but other than that I would be sewing. There were many times I felt like just throwing everything down and quitting.
Developing my saddle pattern was so much work! It’s awfully hard to create a saddle pattern from scratch when you can’t remember what an English saddle looked like. I had to sit down and fully study the parts of a saddle so that I could just sketch out a pattern. And let me just tell you, it was not easy. I would try to construct an entire saddle, but something would always go wrong. The saddle flap would be too big or small, or the girth was too short. So I would start all over again. I probably made about 5 different saddles before I was remotely satisfied with it. I wish I had kept my failed saddle attempts, but most of them are in the trash or in my backyard. (I put them in a time capsule.)
An old buckle that I made out of a paper clip.
My first attempt at a girth.
A BIG problem that I had with my saddles was the bulk. I tried many different ways of reducing it. But I found that skiving makes a big difference. I also learned how to create a saddle tree that reduced bulk as well. In the photo below, you can see the difference. It may not look like much but in the model horse world, it is.
Another thing that took lots of trial and error was my saddle pads. When I first saw a mini saddle pad I thought, hmm that doesn’t look too hard. But boy, was I wrong. Sewing the saddle pad itself is easy, the really hard part is the edging to go around the outside. Keep in mind that I had no idea how to function a sewing machine, so first thing I had to do was watch videos on how to use a sewing machine!
These were all of my failed saddle pad attempts.
Some have terrible stitch work,
Some have uneven sides,
I even tried to glue the edging on! (That did not work, it made them Rock solid.)
Starting something new is always challenging, you never know where to start. If you keep on trying again and again the things you make or do will always improve. I mean they can’t get worse, right? For example look at my saddle pads now compared to my old prototypes!
While my tack can always get better, I’ve come a long way! I guess the point of this post is to encourage you to keep on trying and don’t give up! Learning is a hard thing especially when you don’t know where to start. Also know that everybody makes mistakes! Nobody makes something perfect every time!
