Remember my rather failed first attempt to construct a model horse headcollar?
Well, now it looks like this:
That's right, I finally went out and purchased some glue (like a sensible person :D), and decided to have a go at rebuilding my earlier catastrophic attempt.
The hardest part was unpicking all those terrible stitches, but once that was done I was able to reuse all the the parts from the original headcollar.
This time, I was careful to make sure that all the ends were tucked under the inside of the headcollar, so the end result is much neater. I also managed to get the buckle on the right side this time (yay!).
Unfortunately, I still didn't have anymore pink ribbon in the exact same matching shade, but this time I decided to use the black part as the throat strap so it's less visible from the top and front. I think it looks much better this way, and actually looks kind of smart, to me at least.
Jewel thinks this headcollar looks much better on her than on its previous owner, and I'm inclined to agree. I guess I'll just have to make a new one for my long-suffering Morgan ^^;
I folded the excess ribbon over the rings just like before, but this time I glued them on the underside instead of sewing them.
To hold the ribbon in place while it dried, I used bobby pins/hair grips! :)
Thankfully, the glue was quick drying, so I didn't have to wait too long.
I decided to leave the pink thread on the leadrope as I liked the contrast and the way it ties together the two parts.
The free end of the strap that goes through the buckle was lined with glue to prevent the edge from fraying.
The glue I used was Anita's PVA Tacky Glue. I'd heard other hobbyists talk about using "Tacky Glue" in the past, so when I saw this I figured it was worth a try.
I hadn't realised that what they'd been describing all along had been PVA, the stuff I'd used extensively in primary school arts and crafts, and the stuff used on children's DIY shows to make papier mache crafts.
At least I've got plenty of experience with using PVA glue, so that helped me to feel more confident using it for my project. I also feel much more comfortable using it around my model horses, as it's less likely to damage them than other bonding agents like super glue.
I was also encouraged by the fact that this glue is described as appropriate for, among other things, "non-washable fabric projects", which sounds like model horse tack making to me :)
Whilst I appreciate that other glues would probably be more durable and hold better, my tack is intended for display rather than play, so it shouldn't have to put up with much rough handling. And at least if this does pull apart it's easy enough to reapply the glue and stick it back together. And the quick drying time is a big bonus.
I love the precision nib on the cap that helps to prevent more glue coming out than needed. It really made sticking the ends of the ribbon together much easier.
In addition to my now headcollar-less Morgan mare, I've got a few other models that are also waiting for halters. Since I now have the glue to stick them together, and I've invested in some real jump rings, I'm looking forward to making more of my own headcollars. I'll try to make sure I've got enough ribbon for future projects, though :)
