There have been lots of IMTM changes in 2020; one of them is a goal to begin creating a library of easy to follow projects for participants. This is the first - a Traditional scale bareback pad. No leather required, but hobby buckles are recommended!

Traditional Scale Bareback Pad

Welcome to the first IMTM tutorial of 2020! This bareback pad was made on the PAM mold, but should be fine on a wide variety of models. The supply list is simple and as long as you have basic crafting skills you should be okay!

Supplies

Felt (two colors, or substitute one color for fleece)
1/8 inch grosgrain ribbon (2 feet, ish)
Sewing thread (either to match or contrast, your choice)
Scissors
Sewing needle
Buckles (Rio Rondo B5 etched buckles preferred, but anything that fits your ribbon will work)
Pattern (download here. Set your printer to Do Not Scale or Full Size.)

Instructions

Transfer the pattern to your material. I’m using a sheet of grey felt for my top layers and some white fleece for the underside. You’ll be sewing the two halves together, so make sure you trace mirrored pieces! Add an 1/8th of an inch or so on the spine for a seam allowance.

2. Place your pieces right-sides together and get ready to sew.

3. Follow the line you’ve drawn in and check both sides frequently; it’s easy to wander off track on the backside. I used a simple stitch here. You don’t need anything fancy, just keep your stitches small and even.

4. Sew all the way to the end, then backtrack a little bit before tying off. This will make your work a bit neater.

5. Flip your piece over and gently stretch and flatten that seam as much as you can. You can trim the seam allowance down a little if you’d like.

6. And repeat steps 1-5 on your second layer of felt/fleece!

7. Trim both seams as close as you dare and snip the corners off the ends. Line up your pieces with the raw seams together. You can pin this if you’d like; it’s small enough that I didn’t bother.

8. And then begin carefully sewing them together. Check both sides frequently to make sure that you aren’t becoming crooked. Use small, even stitches. I used a backstitch here so that I would have a solid line on my topside, but other options are a running stitch or a double running stitch (a quick google of those terms will bring up several tutorials).

9. When you’ve made it all the way around, knot off your thread. Before you cut it, slide your needle through an existing stitch and run it between the two layers of material for an inch or two, then come up on the underside. Snip flush against the fabric and voila - the tail of your thread is neatly hidden and your knot won’t come undone. I have circled the tip of my needle in red below.

10. Your pad is almost done! Now you can do the padding. I chose to do one round of stitching that follows the shape of the pad about a quarter inch from the edge, but you could get really creative with how you choose to add this padded texture. An image search for bareback pads will bring up some neat ideas.

11. Your pad is done! Now it’s time to add the webbing. Grosgrain ribbon is strongly preferred; it’s stiffness holds buckles and takes stitching better than satin ribbon. Trim a fresh end on your ribbon and dab a little of your clear nail polish or super glue on the end to seal it and prevent fraying. You can also very, VERY carefully melt the ends with a lighter or candle flame.

12. We are going to do the hand loop first. Cut 1 3/4 inches of your ribbon and finish the raw end. Double it over while the end is still wet and hold together for a second to allow the ends to stick. Line up over the center seam and place a small stitch to hold it down.

13. Now for the billets! Cut a 6.5 inch piece of ribbon and finish the ends. Find the center and place it over the end of your hand loop, as shown, and begin stitching. End your stitching about a quarter of an inch above the edge of your pad, cross under, and stitch your way back up to the center line. Alternatively, you can use fabric glue or Aleene’s Tacky Glue to hold the ribbon down. I like the security of thread.

14. Back at center, begin stitching down the other side.

15. Knot off your thread and hide the end in the pad, like you did in Step 9.

16. On to the cinch! Cut your buckles off of the sheet or trim down the ends and then file.

17. Cut 4.5 inches of ribbon and finish the ends. Thread a buckle on one end and fold down about a quarter of an inch. Place a few stitches to hold it down, then knot your thread on the back and repeat on the other end. Knot your thread but don’t cut; you can keep sewing.

18. Cut a strip of felt 3/8 in wide by about four inches long. Line up the short end under a buckle and begin stitching down the length of your cinch. Alternatively, you can glue this down instead of sewing. You may not need your entire strip of felt; see where you end up and trim as necessary.