New Buckskin Shirt

[Peatreg]

Got my new buckskin shirt finished. Other shirts I've made were native in style and for this one I wanted a non tribal shirt, something maybe a trapper would have worn. Buckskin coats are well documented during the fur trade but a buckskin shirt isn't very well documented. This is my idea of what one might have looked like.

Shirt is done with imitation and smoked deer hides. I found them harder to sew than braintanned but feel, color and look is incredibly close. As a slightly cheaper material I find the stuff incredible. Shirt is sewn with artificial sinew. There is no collar but the neck is reinforced with blue trade cloth secured with thin strip of buckskin. The shirt instead of being fully sewn along the sides is held together with thongs very much like a native shirt. Cutting the sides straight and sewing might be more of an Anglo look but honestly I was sick of sewing!!  There is much more sewing on a shirt like this.

I plan on attempting to bowhunt in this shirt and took it out this weekend to see how the fringe might affect shooting the bow. Couple minor hiccups but nothing that can't be worked around. I'm going to shoot some more and test it out further.

[Pat B]

Very cool buckskin shirt. 

[Outbackbob48]

Super nice

[loon]

Awesome

[Pappy]

I like it, very nice work.
 Pappy

[chamookman]

Sweet ! Bob

[GlisGlis]

great work and beatiful shirt.

[Chief RID]

Outstanding!

[---GUTSHOT--->]

Great job!

[JEB]

outstanding job. About  how long did it take you to put your shirt together?

[BowEd]

Very nice work.Cool that your gonna hunt in it too.I've thought about doing that with my outfit and should but it still sits in the cedar box come October 1st.Having tight fitting clothing around my bow arm is a must for me.
Not all Indian style shirts have the legs dangling along the bottom edge either.I used to make brain tan clothes with all the esccessive danglies.Even full length coyote hat too.Found out rendezvousing and cooking on a camp fire things get burnt falling into the fire.....lol.
Many many stickery things[bur docks,stick tights,and cocoburs] catch onto those danglies too roving through the brush.At least here anyway....lol, but the feeling of  the outfit on in the woods is pretty cool.

[Peatreg]

outstanding job. About  how long did it take you to put your shirt together?

Strictly dealing with sewing time it took longer than a typical native shirt because of the fully sewn sleeves and shoulder seam. Plus I found it dang near impossible to stitch without using a pliers to push it in and pull it through. That and I had to switch my thought process making this since it's more complicated than a native shirt. All told a couple months but you could probably do it all in a couple weeks.

[FilipT]

A good choice for a first date!

[JEB]

Thanks. I  was at a white elephant sale and saw a  box marked leather for $10.00. Opened it up and saw deer hide and bought it. Got it home and there are 7 complete tanned deer hides  in the box so now I have to figure out what to do with them.  Would really like a vest made but may have enough for a shirt also.