Creating a Saddle Pad

The long awaited for Saddle Pad has finally been completed! During the creation process, I have taken pictures as a reference for myself later on, and also to convey the process to you.

A Saddle Pad can be made either in a 'Western' or 'English' style. This Saddle Pad measures 36" x 33", per the request of its new owner, and is typically known as a 'Western' Saddle Pad, since it is squared shaped.

Saddle Pad-Three Layers.
Top: Corduroy fabric; Middle: batting,
Underside: felted wool
White lines on navy blue fabric is used for the quilting guidelines.

To begin, there are several layers. Personal preference can be given to the outside fabric used; however, one must keep in mind the outside fabrics need to be durable and able to withstand wear and repeated washings. For this pad, I used a medium-wale navy blue corduroy fabric, that is a polyester/cotton blend (not heard of too often for a corduroy fabric), the middle is a polyester batting, medium thickness, and the underside is a felted wool fabric.

Additionally, attention needs to be given to the fabric content of the binding. A flimsy cotton fabric is not recommended, as it would wear easily and would not stand up well to the ruggedness required. I chose for this Navy Blue Pad a tan plaid fabric with small navy blue lines, made in a very durable polyester/cotton fabric. All I had in stock were polyester/cotton fabrics with small flowers and I knew the male owner of this pad would want a 'masculine' look. To create visual appeal, I cut the four 3" strips diagonally across the fabric, as shown in the picture below.

The binding strips were made 3" wide because they are folded before being sewn onto the finished edge, thus having two layers of binding and providing extra durability.



After the binding strips are cut out and sewn together lengthwise, I then quilted all three layers, following the white guidelines.Then, the raw edges were trimmed evenly.

36" x 33" Saddle Pad, all three layers quilted together
and raw edges trimmed. Ready for the binding.

Then, the binding was sewn on by machine starting from the top of the pad. Since I folded the 3" binding in half, then stitched 1/4", the binding now measures 1 1/4 inches. It is then ironed (slightly) from the front and pinned to the underside, where I then hand-stitch the binding to the back of the pad, which is felted-wool in this instance.

The hand-stitching does take some time, but well worth it, in my opinion! By hand-stitching. more control is given to each stitch and how the binding lays on the back-side.

For this pad, I added billet straps near the front on both sides, which are 7" long each. The now owner did not need girth (top) straps, so I did not add these on.

Completed Saddle Pad - August 2011

It is always rewarding to complete a project that was so many months in planning! Hoping soon to open a Etsy Shop to sell my Saddle Pads and perhaps a few Quarter Sheets for our horse friends, (shop name yet to be decided as of this writing), who also need protection from the saddle and weather elements.

Blessings,
Lisa
of Rachels'

Taize Community in France

Bro. Roger Schutz

Brother Roger Schutz

Founder of Taizé, in France (1915-2005)

Soon after WWII, Roger Schutz, a Swiss-born Protestant pastor, founded an ecumenical monastic community on the site of an abandoned abbey in Taizé, France. From the beginning, he hoped that Taizé, which included both Catholic and Protestant brothers, would help to heal the rifts among Christians­ - a hope that achieved considerable success. Without seeking formal conversion, Brother Roger was warmly embraced by Catholic Church leaders, and he received communion several times from the hands of popes. As he noted, “I have found my own identity as a Christian by reconciling within myself the faith of my origins with the mystery of the Catholic faith, without breaking fellowship with anyone.”

At the same time, Taizé became a spiritual refuge for the youth of the world. Tens of thousands of young people flocked to Taizé each year to imbibe the spirit of prayer and spiritual renewal. They, in turn, carried the spirit of Taizé back into the world and across the globe.

Upon Brother Roger’s death on August 16, 2005, Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, observed: “Very few people in a generation manage to change the whole climate of a religious culture, but Brother Roger did just this. He changed the image of Christianity itself for countless young people; he changed the church’s perception of the absolute priority of reconciliation…And he did this without any position of hierarchical authority.”

“For whoever knows how to love, for whoever knows how to suffer, life is filled with serene beauty.” ~Brother Roger of Taizé

For more information, please view the article here, by BBC.

Plaid & Tartan Plaid Fabric

I LOVE plaid. Now and then I would make a dress in a small, flowery print, but there is something special about plaid that has always attracted me. After researching for this article which I enjoyed very much, I now know why. Plaid is organized and will make the person wearing it feel organized and at times secure. The intricate grids and squares repeating in the design, in various colors, has a soothing effect. Lately, I have been able to purchase several plaid fabrics at thrift stores. Not sure what all of these will be made into, but I am sure over time they will be used.

With many Blessings, Lisa

Left to right: A blue striped 2 yd. fabric piece,
although not plaid, is a very organized design..
Black & White: 'House of Stewart 2.5 yd. piece.
This would be considered a 'tartan plaid'
because any way you hold the fabric
piece, the design remains the same.
Light blue, peach and green plaid.
Perfect for a young girls' dress.

Plaid has its origin as far back as 100 B.C., when it was created by ancient Celtic populations. Thus, the plaid pattern in fabric is older than Jesus, but younger than dinosaurs. Although the print had been around for centuries, it didn’t take off until the late 17th century as the apparel of Scotland. Although Scottish plaid came in the form of kilts and not trendy button-downs, plaid became a sign of rebellion against the English so much so that authorities banned it after the Scottish rebellion of 1746.

What is a Tartan Plaid?

Banks and De La Chappelle began their research into tartan six years ago after New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham, who tracks fashion on the streets of Manhattan, noticed an odd phenomenon in the days following 9/11: women were wearing a lot of plaid.

"The world was rocked and they were looking for something that they could hold onto, that they knew would not deviate, because so much had changed overnight," Banks said.

"A tartan plaid, first of all, is Scottish, as opposed to American or English. It's Scottish," De La Chappelle said.

Beautiful Burgandy/Cream plaid.
Courtesy of Gehman's Country Fabrics.

A tartan plaid pattern has to be made up of perfect squares, or it is not 'tartan'. Technically, a tartan plaid can be turned 180 degrees and is exactly the same.

A plaid, on the other hand, can have stripes that clearly run in a specific direction. In other words: all tartan is plaid, but not all plaid is tartan.

But whether authentic tartan or simply plaid, the stripes and squares seem to have a lasting and universal appeal. "It's one of the few patterns men wear, you know" Banks said. "You may find the most conservative man, if he wears a pattern, more than likely it's tartan."

Left to right: Medium green plaid with blue and cream lines.
 Planning to use as binding on a Saddle Pad.
Mauve and cream plaid with very faint cream and green lines.
Planning to make into a early 1800's Regency Short Coat.

"Plaid is very organized," De La Chappelle said. "It has grids. It's possible that these grids make you feel organized."

But tartan wasn't always a symbol of security. At the same time colonists in America were demanding their independence from England, there was trouble in Scotland as well. Scottish Highlanders caught wearing tartan to signify their clans faced arrest, or worse. "It became the symbol of rebels who were against the Crown," De La Chappelle said. "And the British were so angry that they banned the wearing of tartan for 37 years. If you were a Highlander, men in particular, you could not put on tartan without being accused of treason and banished to the colonies for six months." As is often the case, banning tartan only made it more desirable.



"When they were able to wear it again, it came back with a vengeance," De La Chappelle said. Later, it was actually English royals - the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson - who made tartan stylish for the international jet set.