Kristian Beverly

I was given a few days off from classes so my professors could transition to online. It took my college a bit to decide what they were going to do with us, but eventually they followed the course of action that so many other schools did. They did allow students to have the option to stay on campus so that they could finish out the semester. I’m a commuter, so I was already set up at home!

To get ready for International Model Tack Month, I ordered a bunch of supplies. Thin lining leather, a couple of saddle trees, a lot of hardware, and leather dye were acquired. Did I plan on using it all during April? Nope. Now that the pandemic is the dark cloud in everyone’s lives, it looks like I’ll have more tack time than I initially thought.

Rio Rondo really outdid it with the grab bag this year.

Last night I decided to start on a western working saddle. First I traced the pattern pieces into the leather.

Then I used my little swivel knife to cut out the shapes.

Finally I defined them using an awl, stylus and a needle. After dying the pieces I’d finished, I called it a night.