How about a Coyote Haversack build-a-long?

[Bel007]

I've been wanting a haversack for some time.  Seems my hunting pack keeps getting bigger and bigger and grows in weight with each size increase.  I decided this year I would try my darndest to minimize both size and weight this year.  I looked at several haversacks available on the market and decided I wanted something a little different.  Here is what I came up with.

I purchased a tanned coyote hide from Kim Burrows (LoneWolf73) a few months back with an idea to turn it into a haversack.   Having never made anything quite like this before I scoured the internet for ideas.  Everything looked more complicated than I wanted to tackle until I found a site with some pics of a longhunter's possibles bags that was simply a tri-folded cotton material with a button to hold down the front and a shoulder strap sewn on.  Now that I could handle.

I drew up a tri-fold pattern.  Then I decided it should have sides.  OK, that was easily added to the pattern.  On another site, I found woven wool sashes for mountain men and they would custom make them to the colors that I requested.   Now that, I thought, would make a pretty cool strap.  I ordered Maroon and Grey.  And a brass buckle would complete the strap.

Here is my original pattern.

 

When my sash and buckle arrived it was time to get to work.  Thinking the process through a little before hand, I decided to add a lining material so that the inside of the bag was not the tanned hide.  Considering all available materials that might look period authentic, I figured some nice blue stripped pillow ticking would do the trick so a quick stop at the fabric store and I was ready to get going.

 

 

   

[Missouri Bowman]

Cool project.

[Bel007]

First I opened up the hide to see what dimensions I really had to work with.  I found a cigar box that looked like a good size to use as a template and laid out my pattern on the backside of the pillow ticking.  

 

After that was complete I noticed the width of the pattern with the two side wings would be too wide for the mid-section of the coyote so I would need to move the wings bottom of the pattern which would end up being the front panel of the bag.

I then cut out my fabric, staying about an inch outside of the lines so I could fold the material.  This
moved the raw cut edge to the underside of the material so it would not show in the finished bag.

 

I ironed the pillow ticking with the flaps folded over.  I used some "stitch witchery"  between the fabric and the flaps to keep them in place.  This fusible bonding web acts like fabric glue when you iron it down.  I also ironed in the folds between the front, bottom, and sides of the material so I could more easily see where it needed to fold during the sewing process.

 

Here it is loosely folded into the shape it would take once sewn together inside the hide.

 

 

[memo]

Very cool,
Can't wait to see the finished product. Might have to make one out of a fox skin for my son.
Memo

[SS Snuffer]

That is exatly what I've been lookin for!
Thanks for the info.

[jbat73]

lookin' great so far        

[Bel007]

Before laying down the pattern and cutting up the hide, I knew that I wanted the back of the bag to have the fur running  down and I wanted the front of the bag to also have the fur running down.   This meant the hide would need to be cut in two and spliced back together  bottom edge to bottom edge so to speak.  So I traced out the rear of the bag and flap...

 

then flipped the pattern around and traced the front, sides, and bottom a bit lower where the width would allow.

 

There were a few small holes in the hide.  I maneuvered  the pattern around them as best I could.  I considered patching and sewing those in the middle but figured once the lining was in place... it wouldn't matter.  So why sweat the small stuff.  I just left them in there.  If any would have been to big, I had plenty of scraps, I could have easily sewn/glued in a patch.

I used a utility knife to cut the hide along the pattern.  I left no excess this time.  The raw edges would be sewn together.

 

Carefully stretching the hide I would lightly cut along the lines until the hide separated.  Yes, there was a cutting board underneath for most of the cutting.  My wife would not like my carving up her dinning room table.

 

Stretching the hide and cutting slowly and softly allowed me not to cut through all of the fur and hair beneath.

I left the head on the top to become the flap.  Here you can see the bottom/front/side piece rotated so I could splice the hide back together and have the fur oriented as I previously described.

 

[Bel007]

I used a small two hole punch I had picked up from a craft store some time ago to punch sewing holes around the edged of the hide.  It is pretty light duty and I think intended for paper rather than leather, but it worked fine on this thin coyote hide and I have used it in the past for punching holes in tanned deer and elk skins for wrapping bow grips.

 

Not the prettiest job, but again, I aint sweatin the small stuff.  Someday I will get a better punch for doing this kind of work.

 

Next I began sewing together the two pieces of hide, bottom to bottom, so the fur ran into each other at this seam.  I used a curved needle and some artificial sinew for all of the sewing.  Every now and again the needle didn't like going through the two layers of folded over cotton ticking (four layers where I was joining sides).  So a little assistance from a hemostat to pull the needle through did the trick.

 

I began attaching the liner to the hide at what would be the top of the front panel.  It would be a raw edge so running stitches over  the edge, then through a punched hole in the hide then through the fabric seemed to finish it off nice enough.

 

In junior high school, much to my father's displeasure, I did take home economics one semester as an elective.  We did have a sewing project.  I learned in that class, when you sew something together like I was, it was best to sew it inside out then flip it right side out when completed.  That is how I was going to sew this haversack.

Next I started joining sides.  First was the bottom of one side panel to the bottom panel.  Inside out.
 

These stitches would go through the folded over cotton ticking through a hole in the hide then find another hole in the other part of the hide and through two more layers of the folded cotton ticking.  I spent a lot of time checking between stitches to make sure everything was staying lined up at the end so I would not end up with too much fabric and too little hide or vice versa.

 

Again, always making sure that at the end I finished with the same amount of hide and lining on both sides.

 

[PowDuck]

Looks like a really cool project. Looking forward to seeing it complete.

[Pat B]

This is a cool build along. I made a coyote Plains type quiver a few years ago and added a small detachable possibles bag with the coyote face as the flap for the bag. I added red garmet leather behind the face so the eyes shined red. I'll post pics later id you are interested.

[Bel007]

I would enjoy seeing that Pat.  I am planning to use the eye holes as sockets for a toggle closure.

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

What's Big Sexy into now?? No end to this guys talents!! Most guys would sew it up, realize the fur is going the wrong way, etc. etc. Somehow I'm not surprised "Mr. Detail" already has that covered. Cool thread..Thanks Brian!

[Bel007]

Now I had both side panels attached to the bottom panel.

 

Getting ready to join the long back panel to the first side panel.

 

The first long side is joined.

 

Now both sides joined and an inside out haversack is starting to look like it just might work.

 

 

[Bel007]

Next I needed to figure out how to go about handling the head which was to be my front flap.

 

I trimmed up the edges to match the width of the bag for about 4-5 inches, up to his mouth opening.  I punched holes along this edge then  folded over my lining and sewed it along that edge.  I left the lining long and tucked it in and ironed it down (with some more stitch witchery) leaving the last few inches of his head unlined.

 

 

The haversack is almost complete

 

I then took the sash and sewed it in place around the outside in the inside out haversack.  Once the bag is righted, the sash will line the sides and bottom of the bag and support the weight of it's contents.

 

 

Next I sewed the tail onto the sash at the top of the rear facing side panel.

 

The haversack is now  flipped right side out.

 

[Bel007]

Your truly dressed warmly modeling a new hand made coyote haversack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I will add a fastener to the front.. stay tuned.

[Bel007]

.

[Mike Vines]

Pretty cool build along.  I'm sure it looks a lot easier then it looks.

[maineac]

That looks great!  Nice job.  Been rolling around the idea of making one.  I dont know if it will look as good as yours.  Wear it with pride!

[Thumper Dunker]

Thats real cool . I got to try and make one.      

[Pat B]

Here it is Brian...