(Please click  on Photos above to enlarge them)

After sending the Mother Hubbard I set to the Autry Museum for Sale, I decided to start on a second set.  There were things that I wanted to change from the Mother Hubbard I set and improve upon.  Firstly, I wanted to make it a bit smaller so that it would fit smaller sized models.  Secondly, I wanted to change the tooling pattern so that this saddle would be different from the first.  Thirdly, I was completely and utterly determined to learn interweaving of my knots.

In the  middle of making this saddle, we decided to make an addition to our little family of me, my husband and our two shelter cats.  So in March 2007 I became Pregnant.  I didn't do anything in the studio AT ALL for three Months.  I was just entirely too exhausted and sick.  Then in the Second Trimester, I started feeling better and I absolutely missed being in the studio.  This is when I started to make strides forward in my braiding.  Everything came together very slowly because of my "Pregnant brain" (which, I found out, is no exaggeration or myth!) but at least it came together.  Then in December, munchkin made his appearance and again, I couldn't get into the studio for months due to exhaustion.

I am just now coming out of that and making a point to get into the studio as much as possible.  As of October 2008 I've completed the Saddle, the bosalita, the mecate and the bridle.  I now just have the cinch left to do but it's not going to be an ordinary cinch...  If you're interested in reading my whining about the Set, you can read my blog here:  http://desertnightcreations.blogspot.com

I truly think that this saddle set  and the Mother Hubbard I saddle set showcase just about every skill I have as a miniature tackmaker. From pattern making for the saddle, to leather tooling, to silversmithing and braiding.  I'm extremely pleased with what I've managed to come up with for this set.

This saddle set was truly MADE BY ME!

Again, the only pieces on this set I did not make were the saddle tree and the Stirrups.  The stirrups were hand made out of real wood by my friend and woodworker, Robin Hudson.  The tree was customized from a Jennifer Harris Tree.