Bracer project for Michigan Renaissance festival

I am working on making some leather bracers for my wife and I for the Michigan Renaissance Festival this year. Each year we have tried to add a little bit to our outfit and this year I decided to make leather bracers for us. It has been fun really, to see the progress and to learn more each time I work with them. I bought the materials from Tandy Leather factory's local store in Westland, MI. They have been a real big help.

 

This is the pattern and leather for Tamara's bracers before being cut out. I made the pattern by putting a plastic bag over her wrist and covering that with duct tape, onto which I traced where the bracer should sit when she wears it. I cut that tape pattern out and transferred it to card stock to make the template.

 

Here I have transferred the pattern to the leather prior to beginning to cut in and tool the leather.

 

and like on television when they put a dish in the oven and banm! it's already done..here is the tooled leather before dying.(well actually I did a test run on the first bracer that I tooled to see how it would look dyed black.

 

 

The bracers were dyed and left to dry overnight and here they are with the conchos set on top to see how they will work out. Now to set the conchos and grommet the lace holes after making them of course. Final pics to follow.

Thanks for lookin'

Chris