I signed up after the deadline for an expo next month and kind of got a yucky booth space. I'm confident I'll do well in this venue, even in this spot, but I'm really, really challenged at how to display!

I'll be selling LARGE items (horse blankets, horse halters, - not my main biz but this is an equine event) and usually rely on being able to affix gridwall to ez-up tent poles when I exhibit in order to get the support needed to support a panel with 50lbs worth of nylon hanging off it! But the booth space they have assigned me is 8'x20' (2 8x10's) and I'm absolutely perplexed at how to work in this space!

My EZ-up tents are 10'x10' so they are out. Any ideas on how to create strong free standing vertical supports or change up the display entirely?

[love]

with no pattern, no directions, and NO experience ever sewing an article of clothing before(!!!!!!!), I set out to make the dress that the Character lucy wore in the final Narnian scene of the Chronicles of Narnia. I'd been in love with that dress since I saw it and wanted to make it for a costume class at a horse show I was entered in. It took me forever, tons of practice fabric, and lots of time learning how to make a pattern (and attach sleeves! yikes!) but I'm finally (mostly) finished!

here is is! (the flash made it look way shinier than it really is! it really just shimmers very slightly)
http://www.soloved.org/weight/narnia6.jpg

This was the only picture I had to the original costume:
http://costumes.narniaweb.com/pevensiesfiles/kingsqueens/kingsqueensadamson.jpg

The super disappointing thing is that I made all this very elaborate narnian type costume for me AND my horse, and got myself injured just before she show and didn't get to ride in the show!!   Talk about a disappointment! So I don't have pictures of it all on my horse yet, but here're all the accessories:


breastcollar, part of the saddle pad and drape for the front of my saddle, and reins (w/ the flowers).

http://www.soloved.org/weight/narnia1.jpg



barding (strappy stuff on horse's rump) Turned out REALLY good considering I just used 2" wide nylon webbbing and a metallic jacquard ribbon. Turned out looking more like armor/metal than I expected but I love the effect.
http://www.soloved.org/weight/narnia2.jpg


cool antique bridle I picked up on ebay, thinking it was kind of narnian looking:

http://www.soloved.org/weight/narnia3.jpg



All the accessories kind of lined up together. The only thing I really want to work on is making the saddle pad a little fancier- maybe a scalloped, embellished edge.

http://www.soloved.org/weight/narnia4.jpg

And the PERFECT accesory, the lucky goose that got out of having to play dress up last weekend:

http://www.bigdogboutique.com/personal/nwi/images/IMG_5372.jpg

And there you have it! What do you think? Any suggestions? I had to do the horse tack totally from memory since there were no stills, but I think I got generally close.

I'm so much better at sewing "freehand" than using patterns- when i get that flimsy tissuey written in sew-er-speak pattern in my hands I'm horribly inept. Even when I do try to follow a pattern to the letter things never turn out quite "right".  I have a few patterns I've been meaning to work on for months, any tips on battling the patterns?

Seriously, any hits on cutting, transferring patterns, etc?

It's fairly straightforward. Go with 100% cotton whenever possible, though since the top layer doesn't touch the horse you can go with a blend. It's best to get a pattern by tracing a pad with the right contours, but basically it's about 25" by 40" average. It's sort of hard to explain (but obvious if you can get your hands on a pad) but they're made in two pieces- left side of horse and right, then joined together but not with a straight seam- contoured so it fits the convex shape of a horse's back.

I just cut two pieces out of a 100% cotton flannel, layer on top several pieces of batting, then add the top fabric. Pin together. Quilt the two pieces seperately- join at spine with 100% cotton webbing- then bind the whole thing and add loops to put girth and billet straps to. (keeps the pad from sliding out from under the saddle)

Thanks! I whiped up another one the other day. My male horse was mad at me for a few days, I think,  but I just bought a second horse, a mare, so he's off the hook wearing pink, at least. 

Wow, looks great on your gray horse!  I ride western not english, and there tends to be a lot of color in the western saddle blankets, but maybe you can help break the sterile bland color scheme of the english world!  Custom saddle pads for all! 

Sterile and bland is how we like it.    Draw attention to the performance, not the outfit. 

[per day]

I know this thread is old as dirt, but I think it deserves being bumped up for our newer members. This is powerful stuff- I now make about $12.00 per day doing nothing, just by people visiting my site and clicking ads.

Well... I think your idea is great and all, really creative, but I cannot imagine using one of those. I can't even stand pads, let alone reusable cloth ones. Ick.

I'm a tampons girl, obviously. 

ONE cycle with flannel pads and you'd be singing a different song.

Don't knock it till you've tried it. ALL of us converts were disposable product users at one time... and switched for a reason.

did you not put on billet straps?

I did, but didn't put them on until after the pic, for some reason.

(edited because I remembered) I waited to do the strap until I brought my saddle home so I could fit them exactly where they needed to be for my stubben.

i am trying to make a couple of saddle of pads for my horse, but need to figure out how to make straps for the girth billets, and for the girth to fit through (so it does slide back).

I just used dog collar webbing- it can do a number on a regular home sewing machine but you should be okay with 1 layer. You could also make canvas/fabrics straps with the quad-fold method (take a strip of fabric, fold in half, unfold and fold haves in half, then fold together so no raw edges show, and stitch together)

also, did you sew a quilting pattern into the pad to keep the padding in place or no?

Yes, it'll bunch otherwise. Even just a circle pattern will hold it. (like this: http://skylineequine.com.hosting.domaindirect.com/products/images/Web_1661W.jpg)
 

I made a few more of these the other day- 2 polka dot and a mod-circle one- but haven't finished them because my trainer has me using only foam half-pads till Regal's back muscles fill out more.  I fell off my horse TWICE in my dressage lesson yesterday. I feel like such a dork. my right side is totally black and blue today.

that's beautiful! Just out of curiosity, did you use an old blanket as a pattern, and what did you fill it with  ? What kind of fabric?

I don't ride horses but I do know a little girl that is CRAZY about horseback riding and takes lessons.. this would make a cool gift.

Yes, I used an old saddle pad as a pattern. The top is 100% cotton canvas. If I have  them handy, I like to use old, cut up matress liners as the padding/bottom layer. They are made to prevent, uh, "liquid"  from soaking through, and yet are somewhat absorbant. They wick sweat away from the horse's back, but keep the saddle dry.

Not sure a pad would be a great gift for someone without their own horse, though. Ask her first. A lot of horses need specialized pads, and she may not be able to switch them on lesson horses. I'm lucky, my saddle fits my horse extremely well so all I need is a thin layer to absorb sweat.