My first attempt at making a lure

Here is how my disaster of a leather working session went:
I started by cutting a big strip of leather and folding it lengthwise to find the middle. I cut it into two pieces then stacked the two somewhat even strips and tried to cut it into an oblong shape. I figured a pointy tip for the head and blunted for the tail....But it looks pretty much the same on each end to me!

I used a leather punch to make holes for grommets around the edges , but my grommets mushed easily.Those would be the four huge holes on the sides. I bought rivets, but they were too tall and bent over...SOOOO.....
I just brought out the nail and hammer and put EVEN MORE holes in the leather to stitch it up with the synthetic waxed sinew. Poorly, I might add! :)

I put a couple holes to thread the lace for the garnishments and tied that in.


This first picture is about halfway through, I am trying to attach the tail, which I am leery of coming out after much use. (it may be "Too" attractive! ha!) I stitch it in an "X" and around to the top. Then I remembered one lure should be weighted, and maybe padded. I didn't want to use BB's or anything like that for the risk of lead. My sister offered some fish tank pebbles, which sounded like an OK idea...but I ended up using flat marbles, Poly-fill, and leather scraps. I took some marbles back out because I didn't think the weight should be too realistic...I didn't know what would be best. I put in the grommet, added a little more poly fill and stitched it up. ( I say that like that could be considered sewing!)

This last picture is "DONE". All I am going to add a piece of line and swivel and good to go...(kinda) :-)
Hopefully it works...
This is what happens when you pretty much have just books and the internet to figure it out and what you have laying around, or buy cheaply!!! Well, maybe not that cheap!!


EDIT:
Here are some links for other lures:

Mike's Falconry Picture of two lures

Northwoods lures

Squirrel Hawking Lure

Here is a link to a PDF version of an article on Squirrel Hawking By Gary Brewer.
these were all useful to me in creating my first lure, and hopefully more later!!!