Calling all DIY Full Face Sporran Owners

[Donnie]

The one on the right will give you much more room. I would put the gussett in (even though it can be a bugger to do corectly)

[Bart_In_A_Kilt]

How deep ?

The one on the right will give you much more room. I would put the gussett in (even though it can be a bugger to do corectly)

[turpin]

[QUOTE=Bart_In_A_Kilt;664612]

I have settled on a bag dimension that is about 6 inches wide at the top, 8 inches tall, and 7 1/2 inches at the widest point. I use a stiff enough leather to give it body, but remain soft enough to accomodate what you need to carry.[snip]

Tarpin,

About the sporran case itself... which construction method, and if it's the one on the right, how deep should it be.

It's the one on the right. Make a symmetric template for the rear panel and flap, and use the bottom portion of that for the front panel.

For my "fixed shape" sporrans (i.e., not soft bag) I cut a gusset about 2.25 to 2.5 inches wide, by the length of the perimeter of the front piece. This will give you a gusset about 1.75 inches wide when finished. Many standard sporrans have a gusset about 1 to 1.5 inches. Depth is really your choice. I wouldn't go deeper than what I've said or the front can start to sag.

One option I sometimes exercise if I can is to glue and sew pieces of the belly fur to the gusset to continue the fur theme around the side of the bag. It just depends on whether there is sufficient good hide to do so. If you choose to do this you need to cut two pieces as identical as possible from opposite sides of the belly and sew them together, making sure the direction of the hair is toward the center. When completed, the hair will fall naturally from the top towards the bottom. It is extra work, but it looks good. You would have to do it prior to sewing the gusset to the panels.

Use paper clamps to hold the two long edges of the gusset together and punch holes along the edge (one pass gives you the same number of holes in both edges to ensure symmetric installation from front to back). Similarly, do the same for the front and back panels. I use a 4-prong diamond tip punch available for about $10 from any leather supply store. It ensures even spacing of the holes.

When you sew the gusset on, sew the bag inside out, so that when you invert it the gusset rolls over the front and rear seams on the inside. Otherwise you have a raw edge that will need a piece of trim.

Mark the center at the bottom of both panels and mark the center of the gusset. When you sew on the gusset, start at the center bottom and sew up one side, then the other, and repeat for the other panel. This is to ensure that the holes in the gusset don't get off-set front to back and result in a skewing of the two panels relative to each other.

Take your time. Be patient. Think three or four steps ahead to avoid having to re-do something. Above all, take your time and think ahead.