*sigh*

My glue died.

I hate when this happens.

And of course it always happens when I'm in the middle of making something. Murphy's law, eh? (For what it's worth, this house was built by a Murphy, and the previous owners were Murphys, so I think we are fairly well steeped in it by now.)

I'm on my last tube of Duco Cement, but I don't think I'm too upset. Next week I will hit up Kmart, Big W, Safeway, Coles and Riot Art, buy all the glues I can find that are reasonably priced and seem like they might do a reasonable job, and then come home and experiment.

Really, I'm not a huge fan of Duco - it doesn't really dry clear, it's really runny (especially when it's a warm day), and just tends to go everywhere. I have been considering investing in a dispenser like this or like this, as the nozzle on most glue tubes is far too big and you have little control once the glue decides to come oozing on out. I have heard of some tackmakers squeezing out a small amount of glue at a time onto a piece of paper and then using a toothpick to apply it, but since Duco dries fairly quickly, this method thus far hasn't worked for me. Maybe I can try this again if I find another glue that I like that takes a little longer to dry.

In other news, Dan received her racing set gift from me and not only is it (almost) a perfect fit, but she's really thrilled with it. :D Not bad for working off measurements! Only the browband needs to be adjusted, which is an easy job and should only take a few minutes. The saddlepad is from another set; Ruffian, show name Miss Melbourne, will eventually have a white saddlepad.

Next up for Dan will be another racing set, this time for Smarty Jones - a much easier task, seeing as I actually own a Smarty! I'm not sure on colours yet, but I think green will be nice on him.

The Western halter order from a few posts down has been received as well. I was a bit anxious about this order - always am when an order is made purely from measurements. Thankfully the halter looks excellent and has no issues with fit! The customer has promised photos for the blog, so I hope to share them soon.

I've started making progress on the harness orders. Lisa has dropped her order down to one harness for now. Both she and Dan are ordering trad spider phaetons from Cheryl Campbell of Argyle Farm. I still haven't managed to get up to Lisa's yet to take measurements, so I've started working on what little I can. So far for hers I have done the trace carriers, and prepped heaps of lace. I've got a little further on Dan's; as well as trace carriers, I've started the hanging buckles for the breastplate and breeching, started to work on the saddle, and tonight I started on the bridle since I now have measurements.

With these harnesses, I get to try a new method of stuffing for the saddle. Earlier in the year I purchased a pool noodle, whose foam will be used underneath the saddle. Hopefully. It's a nice dense foam that mostly holds its shape even when the girth will be done up (the stuffing I used on my classic harness last year collapsed as soon as the girth was buckled), and so should give a nice outline. Hopefully it won't be killed by any glue I need to use on it!