For my 42nd birthday, my good friend Wade Stoner made me a powder horn and a neck knife with a leather sheath. He made the knife from an old file he found on his property, and used a deer antler for the knife handle. He ground down the file and hardened it, then filed down the antler and pinned it together. The sheath is made of soft leather. He cut the shape of a very small turtle out of leather and delicately sewed red wool to the inside to show off the cut-out, which was a common practice in the 18th century.

The strap is one of a set of legging ties made by the very talented Laura Spickerman, who weaves wonderful cotton straps, tapes, and bindings. (Laura and her sister Teresa Gage are active members of the Burning of the Valleys Military Association.) Many women use her long bindings for my stays.

Wade had bought a matching set of legging ties (garters) and strap (e.g., for a musket sling). He used the ties as straps for the horn and knife sheath, and the big strap is now on a leather bag I have made to complete a set for shooting. You can see the bag below.

It is still a work in progress. It is my first attempt and I'm pretty new to working with leather, so it's not very good. But I hope when it is done that it will be servicable. The powder horn will eventually be attached to the bag straps.