Question about making shotgun chaps

[J.B. Gunnison]

Hopefully this will make some sense...
I'm making a pair of shotgun chaps, as close to Meanea style as I can by looking at pics, etc. Never having done this before, I have a few how-to questions.
I've got the legs cut out, as well as the front and back pieces for the yoke (right terminology?). I've also got pieces of chap leather cut for a straight border around the bottom of the legs, and the approx 5" long reinforcement pieces with top edges that will go under the yoke and extend along the top of the leg opening at the crotch and the side of the leg.
My thoughts at this point are to glue the bottom-of-leg border pieces on, as well as the reinforcement pieces. I would glue the reinforcement peices in place so that the yoke would cover 1-2" of the top portion after it is put in place. I'll also glue on the pockets and flaps. Again, all these will be chap leather. I thought I'd then take them to a local shoe repair shop to machine stitch them in place after I've glued them on.
After that, I'll dye the front and back yoke pieces for each side, and hand sew them in place, covering the tops of the reinforcement pieces. Lastly, I'll make a belt and buckle piece and hand sew them to the yoke after dying them.
Does it sound like I'm doing things the right way, or is there a better way to approach this?
Thanks for the help,
JB

[knucklehead]

sounds good to me.

havent made chaps yet. tandy leather factory has a pattern pack for chaps.
also you may want to check out dusty johnson's(pleasant valley saddle shop) video on chap making.

[Gun Butcher]

  JB, that sounds right to me. I have only made 3 pair in my life and 2 of them had zippers but it sounds like you got a handle on it.

[Arizona Cattleman]

JB sounds like you have a real handle on the construction.  I made a pair from the Tandy pack, but because it didn't discuss different sizeing, I had to convert them to modified Bat Wings instead of shotgun.  Also the pattern is more 1900+.  I think yours will turn out great.  Post pics when you get done.  Thanks

AC

[Don Nix]

I've built more chaps than I care to count over the years and it sounds like your on the right track.
My only suggestion is to do your dyeing  before you sew the pieces together.
that way if you were to make a mistake you wont have to rip them apart.
i like to  sew my belt pieces at the same time I sew on the yokes but it will work either way. Its what ever way works best for you that counts.

[J.B. Gunnison]

Thanks to all for the input. Don, I thought about sewing the belt pieces to the front of the yoke piece before sewing on the back yoke piece so the belt sewing would be hidden, but thought that might make for a pain of a repair job if the stitching ever broke (or if I got fat and needed a longer belt).
I plan to use contact cement to glue before sewing. Somebody stop me if I'm wrong!
Thanks again.

[Gun Butcher]

JB, I would try the glue on some scrap and see how it holds. You sure don't want anything moving around when your guy sews it.  He will probably not be as easy with it as you would be.