Instructor: Ty Skiver
Course Length: 3 hours | Lessons: 42
Skill Level: Intermediate–Advanced

Design and craft custom chaps tailored to perfection.
In this course, master leatherworker Ty Skiver shows you how to take a client’s vision and turn it into a pair of high-quality, personalized chaps. You’ll learn how to create custom patterns based on measurements, add unique details like tooling, initials, and underlays, and finish with professional stitching and buckstitching.

Whether you’re building for work, rodeo, or show, this course gives you the skills to produce durable, eye-catching chaps that stand out in both function and design.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to take measurements and draft a custom chap pattern
• Techniques for cutting, gluing, and shaping fringe
• Buckstitching methods for clean, decorative finishes
• Adding underlays, initials, and tooled details
• Attaching straps, buckles, and final hardware for a polished fit

Inside the Course:

• Patterning and Measurements
• Cutting, Gluing, and Fringe Prep
• Stitching & Buckstitching Techniques
• Tooling Underlays & Adding Initials
• Straps, Conchos, and Final Assembly

About the Instructor:
Ty Skiver has been a bootmaker and leather craftsman for over 30 years. His work often features western and rodeo-inspired figures, with cowboy scenes and bronc motifs woven seamlessly into his tooling. Featured in Western Horseman magazine for his unique artistry, Ty now shares his expertise through Skiver Bootmakers in Fallon, Nevada, while traveling nationwide to western lifestyle events.