Ok...so what do you think this beauty is?!!
If you guessed a Camel Saddle, well, then you would correct!
"Wow!" is the first thing I thought when I laid eyes on this beauty. My wonderful client has asked if I could make a bag out of her late Grandfather's camel saddle and I thought she was referring to the color!
Boy was I excited to start on this project!! The saddle was gifted to my client after her grandfather passed away. From what she told me he was a vastly interesting person with a colorful history. This saddle came into his hands in sometime she guessed in the 1960s in Egypt.
I felt like an archeologist when I began to take it apart.
Especially when I opened it up...
My friends, That is hay and dirt you see in there!!! No wonder she warned me that the saddle might make me sneeze! I NEVER would have guessed that this was why!
After taking it apart I devised a plan for the style...which I learned quickly was not going to work! (tear)
There was a lot of dry rot from the item (picture below) so I had to design the bag in a way that protected the original material as much as possible. I had to incorporate some of my leather to ensure durability.
And then she alllll came together!
I am so grateful to have such interesting clients who share their family history with me and allow me to become a part of that history
xo