Sporran semi-dress upgrade

**Terry Searl** · 10th December 16, 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Dollander

I'm not sure if this belongs here, since I only modified it rather than making it. So if it should go somewhere else, then I'm sure whoever approves it (it's my 10th post

) will move it there.

Anyway, I had a cheap deaywear sporran that I bought, well, just have a sporran. I was messing around with it a bit, playing with the tassels and pushing them in to make them stick straight out (what can I say, I have a low boredom threshold

), and one of the rivets popped off. Rather than just fix it, I got the idea to remove the others and replace them with dress tassels. Only I couldn't seem to find replacement tassels in plain leather instead of bovine fur, so it just sat two-tasseled for for a while until I decided today to make something with the existing tassels.
sporranbefore.jpg

I probably spend a good half hour checking out the various jewelry findings at the local Jo-Ann fabrics until finally choosing some antiqued bead cones, along with a somewhat-matching chain and some triangular jump rings:
sporranfindings.jpg

Here are the modified tassels in various stages of construction. First I cut the leather strips and notched them to accept the rings, then folded and stitched the remaining stub with the ring and chain in place before sliding the cones on (with a little E6000 adhesive to make sure they stayed in place):
sporrantassels.jpg

It was then that I realized I forgot to get regular round jump rings to secure the tops of the chains, so I just looped them over the top and linked them to themselves. I also bored a few holes with my woodburning pen (yay sulfur fumes

) so I could attach the crest badge that I've had since I was a teenager, and figured it was better off adorning my sporran than on the diced Balmoral cap that I haven't worn since I last went to the Highland games 25 years ago:
sporraninside.jpg

And here it is. Maybe it's not quite a semi-dress sporran...a quasi-semi-dress sporran, perhaps?

But either way, it's something nicer than my Rob Roy sporran for those rare occasions when I find myself at a formal event:
sporrancomplete.jpg

By the looks of the photos, sometimes a low boredom threshhold is a good thing. Well done I say, you've done a grand job

**Dollander** · 10th December 16, 06:06 PM

Thank you all. I'm glad you like it

Originally Posted by Terry Searl

By the looks of the photos, sometimes a low boredom threshhold is a good thing.

Yeah, the doctor called it ADD, but I prefer to think of myself as hypercreative.

**Hielandman** · 10th December 16, 09:34 PM

From the point of view of a professional sporran maker, I have to say that you did a very good job!!! It looks a whole heck of a lot better than it did, you are very creative!! Take care,
Donald