Chicken Saddles and Imaginary Conversation With the Cat

I know you've all been waiting with bated (baited?) breath for the spring line. I could hardly stand the suspense my self! It took some doing, searching and researching, pinning, cutting, measuring, fittings with ill tempered models. Their agents squawking and crowing at the smallest adjustment. But now, without further ado, I give you..........................

Alright, I'm just not clever enough to keep up that shtick! I finally got chicken saddles made for some of my ladies. This is Babalouis (Wheels named her after a local bakery that makes wonderful bread!) from her first fitting. I had to take in the elastic a bit so that the saddle wouldn't go all screwy, but it's fitting her now and has actually stayed on since yesterday afternoon.

"You know you look ridiculous, don't you? You won't catch ME parading around
in such garb. Why, the nerve!"

It took a bit of figuring, but I came up with a pattern to my liking. I had looked online, to no avail, until about a week ago when Homesteading Today got a thread reestablished with a pattern. Then I bought a copy of the February/March 2012 Backyard Poultry magazine that happens to have a picture of a pattern. Using these two as a guide, along with pictures from Chicken Scratch, I was able to figure out my own pattern. I measured and fiddled until I got a pattern made out of a piece of corrugated cardboard. Then I sewed the first saddle, sans elastic, and headed out to the coop/run. Fortunately, there was a lady laying in the nesting boxes, so I just layed the saddle on top of her and quickly sized the elastic on her. The saddle was the right size and I had a good idea of how long the elastic had to be. So I headed back in to sew on the elastic and back out to try it on my first victim lady. The elastic was a bit too long, so I had to go back in to take it in. Phew! I got tuckered out just typing about it! Then back out for the final fitting. Babalouis did pretty well with it, and only walked backwards a couple steps after I first put it on.

Now, I'm going to attempt to describe how I made these saddles. I'm not so good at this, as in my attempts to make things clear, I tend to muck up instructions with too many words. Here it goes.....

I used some standard (but pretty colored) cotton material and some quilted material. (You know that material that has some thin batting already sewn onto it that you can use to make baby blankets with?) I used 3/8" wide elastic because that is what I had. And you need thread, some pins, scissors (obviously right, like I really needed to type that.) and a sewing machine. (Unless you want to sew them by hand, more power to you!) And here is a pic of my pattern with the dimensions written out. (Actually it's a pic of my pattern traced onto a sheet of paper so that it is easier to see)

I laid the quilted material face up, then put the cotton material on top and traced around the pattern with a white marking pencil. Then cut both materials at once, on the line. I measured my elastic to the length needed and cut two straps.

Taking the plain material off of the quilted, I pinned the elastic to the top of the saddle, crossed the straps, and pinned the elastic to the "shoulder" area of the saddle. Then I laid the plain material back on and carefully re-pinned with the batting material face up. (You might be better at this than I am, but remember those Martha Stewart tendencies of mine? Right, moving along!) You want the batting material facing up so that it doesn't catch on the mechanism that feeds the material through the sewing machine. Using about a 1/4" to 1/3" seem allowance, sew around the saddle, leaving an opening at the bottom of the saddle so that you can turn it right side out. I stitched back and forth over the elastic a couple of times to make sure it was secure. Turn your saddle right side out and sew it closed. Ta-da! You've got a saddle made for your chicken-ista!

See the elastic peeking out? Make sure to trim it before turning the saddle out.

Oh, and I also sewed two lines down the back to make it have a little more body and to help it mold to the chicken's back. Sew, did I make sense? Sorry if I didn't. My Martha tendencies don't extend to any gift for giving explanations.

 

Babalouis, Bigfoot and Fanny with their Spring fashions. Fanny refused to be made
into a Worldly hen, preferring the modesty of her buff feathers. (I think she might be Amish.)

And, of course, Merlin knew I was up to something for the chickens. Her tail was all bent out of shape as I fired up the sewing machine. Seriously, I think she really knew. I have photographic evidence! See:

"Now you're sewing for THEM!!!!! Really? Get a grip lady! That's it, I've had it.
I'm calling PETA, the ASPCA, that Dog Whisperer guy! Can't you see how
neglected I am?"

Oh, really?

Miserable life, isn't it, Merlin?

Isn't that you scarfing down the homegrown catnip?

And isn't that YOU sleeping on Princess' lap?

"Alright, you win. Now, go scamper off and make something for those noisemakers
on legs so I can take a nap. I've only had 12 today."
;)

Have a lovely day, Friends!
Blessings,
Kelly