Thanks!

In short... I bought a piece of horse butt from Springfield Leather (dot com). You have to cut it a little too small, think far ahead, punch the holes and lace it all up, leaving the thread very loose. Stitch it to the hood part that's already stitched to the lever, then slip it all on to the bar, soaking wet, position carefully, tighten the lever clamp, and then tighten the thread up from one end to the other, repeatedly until it's all right and tight and snug. Burnish with a shiny object and wax... and... well, that's about it!