More Progress

I'm plugging away slowly on the Western Saddle Guide. I'm not sure how much longer writing will take. I spent four hours on it yesterday and only finished two pages! Once the writing is finished, it needs a quick proofing for spelling and grammar, then it's off to the testers. I'm happy to say that I have several of the english saddle testers back! They'll test, then on to final revisions and - at last - the final spelling and grammar proofing. Whew. I'm tired just thinking about it.

I've done the pattern and principle photography for the homemade tree version, and I'm working on those instructions. I took 465 pictures of the process, and sorting through and plugging them in is a little overwhelming. It's taken four pages just to explain how to make the tree!

The guide will give a rundown of how to make a western saddle - from a cast tree or a a homemade one - with a list of supplies and tools. I plan to include patterns for both types of tree in several styles. Some smaller patterns for the homemade tree will be included, too, so that it can be made for G1 and G2 Stablemates. I'll include some line drawings for plotting out tooling and silver placement and reference photos based on my own western saddle. The text is sprinkled with some helpful tips, too.

I'm really excited about this project, even if it feels overwhelming from here. There are so many things I want to include here, and many things I learned from writing the first guide that I want to apply to this one.

Somewhere down the line, I'd love to revise the english gudie, too. Maybe 2017...