Collar straps with 12 Swedish bells

Collar bells, short padded straps fastened to the sides of a horse's collar and hames, may have Scandanavian origins. The provenance of this particular set of bells reinforces this theory; these collar bells were originally owned by a Swedish immigrant who farmed in Michigan around 1900. More about Swedish bells...

A stitched-edge strap is attractive, but it has some limitations. The finished strap tends to be firm, so it is not well suited for longer bell straps that need to bend and flex. The strap must also be at least 1/2" wider on either side of the bells to have enough room for the sewing machine housing, so this type of strap looks best with small to medium bells.

This particular item is a custom, one-of-a-kind project made for a past client. Items in this Custom Projects section are for information only; they are not available for regular sale.