Hello all...After spending a good bit of time in the living history community, both American and Scots, as well as modern events, I decided to re-evaluate what the original function of a sporran was. This is the conclusion I came upon-it was meant to hold STUFF. Now, granted, folk likely had less stuff back then, or different stuff, but without the luxury of autos, and five or more pocket cargo britches, or a wife with a purse like we do, they adapted both ways, by making stuff carriers to carry whatever stuff they had.
So I did the same-and below is the result. It's a winter badger, skinned cased and well tanned, not from the native land, granted, but does the job well.
Photo 1 is of it on my belt, in situ with dirk and pistols (real ones, and fine shooters-not for modern events though!). I have a pair of snaphaunce 1612 pistols on my drawing board, and barrels being made…another project. You can never have too many pistols-fighting with a sword or pitchfork is tiring stuff…
The second is with my junk-left is the period stuff, right is modern.
The third is the method of how it the “straps” attach to the sporran-brass buckles and slip thrus so the extra strap length isn’t poking me, or looking goofy sticking out. The fourth one is of the straps separate-these allow me to remove the sporran without removing my great kilt.
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/m...-sporran-4.jpg
The fourth is of the straps laid out, in case someone gets adventurous and tries the method.
The fifth is with the flap open. It’s here that I haven’t finished…While making reinforcing at the mouth out of elk skin (similar to stag-which would have been authentic, but getting a full hide out of the native country is a pain... heavier than roe deer), I decided to sew a pair of small finger pockets immediately out front, for pistol balls and wadding. This way I can at least get one reload into my pistols, instead of firing and tossing in the reputed traditional way. The button strap is light weight book leather-I was forced to sew a piece to the back where the button hole is for a couple of reasons-One, the leather was too thin-if a sword swipe caught it, it was done for, and I would have to replace the whole piece. The second reason was that the loop post on the back of the brass button I used was long, and the leather slid around too much-didn’t want my sporran popping open, so when I close it, I button on the thin top, then pull up on the strap to snug things. Discourages picksporrans and handsy wenches.
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/m...-sporran-6.jpg
The sixth photo is of the inside-no false bottom in this one. I sewed a pocket at the back early on, to ensure I could stash things like a wallet, or in the old way, a quill case and portable inkwell. Also of elk leather-because I did not want to deal with the thinner stuff tearing out, and be forced to a half arse patch up and new pocket things. Similar mentality went along with the leather backers to the buckle pieces-I riveted thru an extra piece of harness leather-badger skin isn’t but about twice the weight of rabbit, and I didn’t want the burs biting thru. Waxed linen cord used to sew throughout.
When folks ask me why the heck I used a whole badger, I generally have two responses, depending on the temper of the questioner…One being “they don’t skin bears cased style, just rug style”, the other…"Well, it covers a multitude of sins". It isn’t pretty, or formal (not that I wear it to formal events!), but nobody has criticized me yet…No idea why not…
) Planning to flannel line the hood, and split the tails to go around the outside of the cowl. It will be a dry winter cloak, and blanket. At least, that's the plan. Anybody know of someone who can make BIG cloak clasps from tempered steel? Or cast copper with a steel piece inside for a hook? Thinking a pair of bosses with link hooks at the neck, and some smaller bosses at 1/3rd points down the front, with an overlap. Leather reinforcers behind, of course, to mount the rivets thru.
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