Please Help! Looking for leather to make a sporran

[bricelythgoe]

Another possibility is a fabric shop. Often they pick up small lots of leather for jackets, skirts, slacks and the like and just dump them in bins for you to sort through. You don't say wjere in Utah you are, but there must be something like that in, say, Salt Lake. In Vancouver there's one called Dress-Sew (or something similar) and there are at least two I know of in Edinburgh. The weight will be right for you, too. If that doesn't work, tell us how much you need. There may just be one of us with that much surplus

I will go and take a look. I am about 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake. I have looked at some of the local stores, but I will see if I can find some in Salt Lake.

[bricelythgoe]

I bought a cheap brief case one time for about $15 and used the very supple leather for a project.

Think outside the box, i.e., other possibilities than the standard leather suppliers who tend to be quite pricey.

I think that is what I am going to do. I never thought of doing that before. I am going to look at the local online classfieds for some things! THanks!

[bricelythgoe]

I am making a traditional sporran, not the Rob Roy type. But I acctually did what you all said. I found a used sporran for pretty cheap and I am going to use its main body of leather and just adjust the gusset a little bit. I found it for 10 dollars. Thought that might work. I have a really nice tanned skunk pelt that I am going to be putting on it in the next week. So we will see how it goes.

Thanks to everyone for helping me! I never would have known what to do without your help! I really appreciate the support I have recieve here.

[kennethrmc]

Hello Bricekolob

I have made two sporrans now by purchasing old & torn-up leather jackets from a thrift store, for no more than $5 each. Purses and boots can also provide adequate amounts of leather. I've gotten compliments from highland "purist" types on the sporran and the leather has cut & sewn just fine. I don't think I'll ever buy leather per se again.

[bricelythgoe]

Hello Bricekolob

I have made two sporrans now by purchasing old & torn-up leather jackets from a thrift store, for no more than $5 each. Purses and boots can also provide adequate amounts of leather. I've gotten compliments from highland "purist" types on the sporran and the leather has cut & sewn just fine. I don't think I'll ever buy leather per se again.

Found me a leather jacket to use on local classifieds. 5 dollars. Thanks for the idea!

[turpin]

Unfortunately, Fox Valley Tannery in SLC just closed down. I have gotten good product from The Leather Guy, as mentioned above. Here is another place you can get a piece of leather.

BTW, depending on what type of sporran you are planning to make, 8-9 oz is pretty heavy stuff. I use 3-4 oz for most of my sporrans.

[Thunderbolt]

Is there a Tandy Leather in your town/city?

They will sell you smaller pieces.

I wish mine would sell me smaller pieces here...I am religated to buying the cheap, flanky bellys that suck as tooling leather, but at least I can get some projects finished with them. I too can't afford a whole side.

There is a Tandy Leather, but they won't sell me any small pieces. They have some scrap ones, but none of them are black. They want to sell me 15 sq ft for 80-90 dollars.

That's what I've found. Finding a black hide suitable for sporran making shouldn't be that hard, but dying it yourself is easy and probably more cost effective.

BTW, depending on what type of sporran you are planning to make, 8-9 oz is pretty heavy stuff. I use 3-4 oz for most of my sporrans.

8-9 is very heavy, I only use it as support pieces or flaps. Totally unsuitable for the body of a Rob Roy style sporran.

If I had some black hide, I'd just send it to you, but right now all I have is some "football" leather, and a bit of suede.

Good luck.

[Friday]

My wife has a leather jacket. when she wears it she often finds me running my hand over it muttering sporran, sporran, sporran.

Check the yellow pages to see if there is an upholstery shop in the area. You might find a car or furniture upholstery shop that does leather work. You may need 2-3 square feet but that does not mean it has to be one piece. One persons scrap may be another persons sporran.

[ccga3359]

8-9 oz is pretty heavy stuff. I use 3-4 oz for most of my sporrans.

Heed this advice, Turpin makes some absolutly wonderful and invative sporrans.

[bricelythgoe]

Heed this advice, Turpin makes some absolutly wonderful and invative sporrans.

I will take a look at that. It is just in the Book So your going to wear the kilt! it tells you to use that thick of leather. That is why I was asking about that particular kind.