How to Make Cowboy Chaps

Chaps are a type of riding gear designed by the Spanish in the colonial period, then called "chaperajos," or leg armor. As the name suggests, chaps were created to protect the legs from damage when a rider was in a heavy brush area. Usually made of heavy leather, today the chaps style has also been adapted into fashion using regular fabric, and into costume wear using fake leather and suede. Whether you want to make real chaps out of leather or flimsier costume chaps, you can create your own custom pattern at home and sew your own impressive cowboy chaps.

Things You'll Need

• Reference pictures
• Muslin fabric
• Safety pins
• Fabric pencil
• Leather or faux-leather fabric
• Heavy-duty sewing equipment and supplies
• Heavyweight needles
• Leatherworking tools
• Notions
• Measuring tape

Instructions

1. Choose the kind of cowboy chaps you would like to make, and determine whether you are making them out of real leather or faux leather. For real leather chaps, you will need a heavy-duty sewing machine and needles, while you can use a regular home machine for faux leather or suede. For types of chaps, you can choose to make chinks, which are short and fringed; batwings, which are wide and flared; or leggings, which are closely-fitted and flared slightly at the bottom. Find reference pictures that show as many angles as possible of the type that you choose.

2. Draft your chaps pattern with a friend. Have the friend drape a large sheet of muslin fabric around one of your legs, over the pants you will be wearing under your chaps. Pin the muslin together with safety pins in the middle of the back of the leg, allowing the fabric on the outside to overlap the fabric on the inside, so that you have some excess there for flaps. Trim the flaps to the length and width you would like.

3. Draw, using the fabric pencil, the leg hem at your ankle, or at your mid-calf if you are making chinks. Draw the top of the chaps, where the leg piece will meet the belt, and add 1/2 inch to the height for a seam allowance. Draw the shape of the chaps on the top inside of the leg, making a curved line from the middle of your front pocket, at waist level, to the back seam, at crotch level. On the back side of the leg, draw a convex line on the flap edge, starting at the back pocket. If you are going to be working with fabric instead of leather, add hem and seam allowances to all parts. Mark the placement of snaps or ties along the back seam.

4. Take the muslin leg off, remove the pins, and lay the pattern out flat. Neaten all of your lines and trim away the extra fabric you will not be using in the pattern. Create another convex curve at the bottom edge of the flap, then take a new piece of muslin. Create a belt pattern out of this muslin, using your waist measurement plus a few inches. Make the width of the belt several inches, depending on the style you are going for. Taper the edges of the belt.

5. Pin the pattern pieces to your leather or faux leather and cut the fabric so that you have one belt piece and two opposing leg pieces. Remove the pattern pieces. On the belt leather or fabric, stitch all around the outer edge for decoration, folding the sides under if you are working with fabric that frays. Do the same to the chaps legs.

6. Create holes in one tapered side of the belt to place the buckle through, and loop the other end through the belt buckle, stitching it in place. Put the belt on and, using the fabric pencil, mark the position of the chaps legs. Remove the belt and stitch the legs to the belt, placing them directly under the belt 1/2 inch.

7. Place snaps all along your back seam markings, so that the middle of the flaps attach to the other side of the chaps. Add all decorative touches, such as shredded fringe or covered buttons, to the chaps.

References

• The History of Western Leather

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Western Chaps Resources