Lakota quiver build-a-long! COMPLETE!

[adeeden]

Well, I have been wanting to do this for a while now after following along on other build-a-longs and have finally got some free time to get this started.
   
    Let me start off by stating that I am far from an expert on this but have made several of these and I'll do my best to explain everything in detail. This will be my first build-a-long so please be patient!

    This will be a Lakota or plains style quiver that will hold about 5 arrows comfortably. As for materials I'll be using some leather about 1/16" thick and 30" by 16" for the body, Contact cement, Artifical sinew, small pieces of tooling leather for reinforcement, and Various beads and teeth for Decoration.
 
    First off cut a 30" long by 16" high piece of leather. Use a carpenters square to keep the corners square!
 

[snag]

I'm looking forward to this adeeden. I have made one backquiver that turned out pretty good. So I am far from an expert. Is 1/16" leather what they would call 6 oz.? or would it be lighter?

[adeeden]

Now that the body is cut out, we need to mark a line 4 inches up from the bottom of the 30" side. Make sure you put this line on the rough side of the leather. And run it the entire length and just make it light enough so that you can easily see it. I'm going to mark my lines a little darker then normal so they will be easier to see in the pictures. Use that carpenters square again and it will be an easy task! I'm doing this line in blue ink.
 

[adeeden]

Snag,
     I am not sure how leather is measured in ounces. I just use thickness for reference! Most any thin leather will work for this project This is leather I picked up from a rummage sale But it is real close to the same thickness of deerskin. But I suspect That 6 ounce would be pretty thick.

[adeeden]

Next were going to cut out our fur trim. This will be 12" wide and 7 inches long. The hair needs to run in the 7" direction! (head of animal at one end and tail of animal at the other) In order for it to lay right when the quivers finished. I'm using faux fur for this one which is a synthetic fur. It can be bought at Wal-Mart or most craft stores for just a couple bucks. It comes in a variety of colors but I choose a dark brown for this particular project. Real fur works just as well I just didn't have anything suitable at the moment. Once again use that square! Heres the fur cut to shape.
       

[Dano]

Nice start Dennis, here's a chart thats helpful when ordering leather.
 http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/conversions.html

Thanks for takeing the time for this buildalong, I know they are alot of work.

[adeeden]

Now that we have our fur cut out we need to mark our leather again to position it. On the left side of our quiver body (for a right handed quiver) measure in 4 inches at the top and 4 inches at the blue line we made earlier. Use your square and mark a line connecting the marks top to bottom. I did this line in red.
       
         

[adeeden]

Dano, Thats a great link thanks! So it appears this is around the 3 1/2 oz range.

[adeeden]

Now that we have our line laid out it is time to apply some contact cement in the rectangle created by the red line we just made. I use the loctite brand contact cement it's available at most craft stores. First apply a goad coat of contact cement in our rectangle. and let it set for about 5 minutes.
             

[adeeden]

After the contact cement has set for around five minutes apply the fur in the rectangle. There will be 4 inches on the leather and 3 inches hanging off the side. The fur should run towards the quiver! Be careful doing this as this contact cement is almost an instant bond (similar to super glue). So make sure it goes on nice and even becuase your only getting one shot at this. Run your hand over it a few times with a little pressure to insure theres good contact everywhere. Then I like to run a light bead of duco around the inside edge. It doesn't take much. Let this sit and dry for 20-30 minutes.
             

[adeeden]

After this has dried, Flip the entire piece over. Apply a good coat of contact cement to the fur that is hanging over the quiver let it set 5 minutes and then fold it back on to the quiver. Once again position it carefully as you'll only get one chance! Apply a little pressure with the palm of your hand to make sure you have good contact everywhere. Let this dry for 30 minutes.
 

[adeeden]

Now that we have attached the trim and let it dry, we need to flip the whole piece over again to attach the tooling leather. This leather is quite a bit thicker then our body leather at 1/8" and will be inside the foot and bottom of our quiver to protect us from those scary sharp broadheads. The first piece we need to cut will be 12" tall and 5" wide. It will be on the opposite end of the quiver from the fur. The next piece will need to be cut 1" wide and 22" long. It will go just above the blue line we made earlier. Apply contact cement to both pieces let it set for 5 minutes then line up and settle them in position. use your hand to smooth them out and apply a little pressure for good contact. Heres the first piece applied.
           

 And heres the second applied.
 
   Tooling leather can be picked up for around $3 for small scrap pieces at most craft stores. This came from hobby lobby I beleave. Let this set up for 20 minutes or so.

[mike g]

Snagg....
1/16 leather would be about 2-3 oz. 5-6 oz is about 1/8....

[adeeden]

Now we need to make a line 1" in from the edge (back) of the bigger piece of tooling leather. Use a good straight egde to make the line. Then apply a good coat of contact cement along the area and on the 1" piece along the bottom. Give it 5 minutes to get tacky then carefully fold the top of the quiver down to the bottom edge of the 1" piece and along the back where you applied the cement. Go slow This is kinda tricky to line up and you will only have one shot at it! use your hand and run it along the glue area to make sure you have good contact. Let this set for 20 minutes or so. Here it is folded over.
 

[adeeden]

After the cement has set up it's time to punch the holes for the stictching. I use some high tech equipment here (a hammer and small nail). Punch holes about 1/8" up from the bottom edge (outside edge)of the tooling leather I space them at about 1/4". Then put another row 1/4" above the first. Keep them as equal as possible. This needs done on the back as well. I have found that when punching the holes if I place a piece of cardboard under them it is much easier to get the nail out! I also do this on a piece of plywood so I don't accidently put nail marks in something I shouldn't! (like the kitchen table!)
   Heres the holes I am punching.
 

[adeeden]

While punching holes I realized that I messed up a bit! I forgot to put a piece on the back of the quiver to cut for fringe! This should have been done after the tooling leather was glued in and before folding the quiver over. I went ahead and added it to the back of the quiver instead in this case. It won't look as good but it will be better then leaving this out so we'll see how it works out. I simply put it on with contact cement and we'll stitch over it when we do the edges. heres a picture with the holes punched and back piece for fringe added. It is 4" long and 6" wide for reference.
 

[adeeden]

Now it is time for the stitching. I'm using artifical sinew for this and a large needle with a big eye. Cut a piece of sinew anout 16 feet long. Thread it through the needle and double it up tying a knot on the thread end. This should leave you with a legnth of 8 feet or so. Now if you look at the last picture you want to start the stitch on the bottom left hand corner. Bring the needle through the back hole closest to the edge. Then from the top take the needle through the top 2nd hole so it is at an angle. Then back to the edge hole and repeat the entire lenght. Here's a picture that will probably explain it easier than I can with words. Heres the front view of it.
 
 And here is a view fdrom the back.
 

[adeeden]

When you reach the end hole simply tie the sinew back to the last stitch to hold it in place. I put a drop of suerglue on the knot to be sure they don't come undone.
   Then cut another piece of sinew the same legnth as before for the next stitch. Start it on the hole above where you started the first, and follow the opposite pattern as before to make a nice cross stitch. It should look like this from the front.
 

And from the back.
 

[adeeden]

When I finish the stitching and have glued the knots. I go ahead and give the leather a good rub down with mink oil. I have found this is the easiest place to do it. Because after the fringe is cut it's a pain to do. Heres a shot of the final stitching and getting ready to be oiled up.
 

[adeeden]

Next i cut the fringe. I prefer to do this with a box cutter as a utility knife blocks my view of the leather (make sure you have a new blade). I try to cut the fringe width between 1/8" and 1/4". Heres the begining of the cut. This takes awhile.