Leather

Pouch
Tutorial
For Costume Jedi Belt

By: Dennis Sonnier

References , Tools and Supplies 2

References:
The Art of Making Leather Cases
by Al Stohlman; This book has all you need for patterns
and some techniques for cutting/sewing, etc.

Tandy Leather Factory Catalog. This is a

must for anyone who does not have a Tandy store
in or near their hometown.

Star Wars: Episode 2 Visual Dictionary

Any Star Wars Book/Movie/Internet Website can
serve as your reference.

Tools:
I have tried to include all of the pertinent tools in the
pictures of each step.
Large metal Rulers
Razorblade/ carpet cutter
Saddlemakers Groover
Edge Beveler
Leather needle
Small plastic ruler
Pencil
Hole Punch Chisel, with interchangeable head
Large rubber mallet
Scissors
Wool daubers, for dyeing.
Several square feet of cardboard
Several sheets of white paper
Scotch tape

Materials:
several square feet of 3-4 oz. tooling leather
Waxed, leather thread
About 12 oz of Tandys Pro Dye, medium
brown color
Neodymium magnets, 6; or other fastener
Goop adhesive
Introduction 3

Here are some pouches that Ive

made in the past. As you can see,
I have made very many errors.
The key is that I learned from all
of them. In complete truth, as I
write this tutorial, I recognize that
I am still not an expert. I am only
trying to outline the important
steps in doing this so that you too
may learn by making your own
1 errors. Hopefully you can learn
2 from some of my mistakes as
well.

4
3

1. This is one of the better pouches that Ive done. Still like number 2, there is a
problem with the way the top fits on the main body of the pouch.
2. Note how short the front flap on this pouch is. This makes for lots of diffi-
culty snapping it shut when youre wearing it. Also note that the front edges
of the pouch are rounded, like number 1 and number 3.
3. I think this might be a pretty good pouch overall, the problem is that I got too
excited while making it and forgot to put the snaps and belt loops on before I
sewed it up.
4. This was my very first pouch. The pattern used here is completely different
than the others and much more complicated. It also requires much more sew-
ing. I sized it to hold my PDA. It worked.

An outline of the steps:

1. Make a Paper Pattern
2. Make a Cardboard Mock-up
3. Pouch Cut-Outs
4. Belt Loops Cut-Outs
5. Grooves
6. Bevel Edges
7. Holes
8. Install Belt Loops
9. Dye Insides
10. Install Fasteners
11. Stitching
12. Dyeing
 Make A Paper Pattern 4

I learned that without doing

a pattern first, its guess-
work. You can not be sure
if your design will fit, or
even be feasible. The pat-
tern also serves as a guide so
that your pouch is easily
reproducible.
f
e As you can see, my
g pouches are made from one
c d cutout of leather (plus the
a b two belt loops)

You can also tell that I drew

lines indicating where the
folds and creases will be.
Also written on the pattern
are the measurements of
each part.

Pertinent Mathematical Formulas

a = Front Flap e = Front Panel
b = Top Panel f= Left Panel b = d ; this means that the length of the top panel always equals the length of the
c = Back Panel g = Right Panel bottom panel.
d = Bottom Panel f = g ; width of the sides must be equal
e = c ; length and width of front and back panels must be equal.

Make a cardboard Mock-Up

This cardboard mock-up serves similar
functions as the paper model above, but it
is much better at it.

It would be difficult to skip the paper

model step and jump straight to card-
board.

Remember fractions.maybe Ill add an

appendix A to the tutorial called
What I learned in Pre-AlgebraAdding,
Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing Frac-
tions, a refresher

Now is a good time to note that if you

make your paper and/or cardboard model
and don't like what you see, dont trash
your model. Modify it or keep it around
as a reference when making a new pat-
tern.
Leather Pouch Cut-outs 5

Making the leather cutouts may seem like a very

simple step, being so obvious that no explanation is
necessary.
This is completely untrue. After ruining several
good pieces of leather, I have found a few very use-
ful tips, listed below:

Always use a straight edge. I prefer a thick

edge, like the L shaped ruler in the picture as
opposed to the more flat, straight one.
The key to making straight cuts is to avoid cut-
ting too deeply to begin with. Make a very su-
perficial (shallow) cut, using your straight edge
as a guide. Repeat several times, going deeper
each time, until you have cut through the leather.
Use a very sharp blade. In fact, throw out your
old blade now, run to the hardware store and buy
some new blades.
USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN HAN-
DLING SHARP BLADES. KIDS SHOULD BE
SUPERVISED BY AN ADULT.

Belt Loop Cut-Outs

The belt loops are just rectangular pieces of
leather. Their size depends on the size of
your belt and your pouch. Their position on
your pouch determines how the pouch will
hang on your belt. If you place the loops
high on the back of the pouch, then the pouch
will hang rather low. If you place the loops
very low on your pouch, your pouches will
ride rather high.

Tip: use pencil to make outlines of where

you will place the belt loops.

Also, you can see that I used a blue sharpie

pen to outline where my folds and creases
will be on the pouch. Doing so is a good
idea, but in the future I will always use pen-
cil. The sharpie ink does not readily fade
away and can cause a problem when dyeing
the leather
Grooves 6

When carving the grooves into the leather, you have

several different options, depending on the desired
final shape and function. (The bottom picture may
be more revealing. )

The first function of grooving the leather is marking

the area where you will punch holes for sewing. The
result is that you get a definite, straight guide for
punching.

Secondly, the indented areas allow the seams/

threads to be sunken-in instead of raised. This con-
tributes largely to the final look of a smooth seam.
If you are still in doubt, look at the bottom left pic-
ture below. This is from one of the first pouches I
made, before I started using grooves.

The next function of grooves does not involve the

threads, but instead involves the folds/creases in the
pouch. The options are as follows:

Grooves on the inside of the pouch are a must. These

help the edges to fold and keep their shape both dur-
ing sewing steps and afterward.

Grooves on the outside of the pouch are optional.

Your choice here will weigh heavily on the final
shape.
If you want decidedly more curved edges, espe-
cially in the front, on top and on bottom, then do not
use grooves here. See bottom right photo for an
example of more curved edges.
If you want a more boxy, rectangular shape, then
do make grooves along the fold lines.

The tool used here is called a Saddlemakers Groover.

Also remember to use some sort of straight edge tool to
prevent errors. This tool was used to make the grooves in
the front of the pouches as well.
 Beveling the Edges 7

This step might be very difficult to spot in this

picture, but is very evident in the final result,
especially if it is left out.

This tool, creates a 45degree angle on all of the

edges that will be sewn together. When sewn,
the two edges fit together much better. I think
this detail is worth the extra effort and makes a
difference in the final product. It can be elimi-
nated if one wanted to save time.

Beveling is done on the inside edges of

the pouch. In other words, use the tool on
the flesh side of the leather.
Punching the Holes 8

This is by far the most laborious part of making

the pouch. If you take your time and do it right,
the results are worth the work.

There seems to be an inverse relationship be-

tween the size of the holes and the difficulty of
making them. As a general rule, smaller holes
look better. In correlation with our rule, smaller
holes require more holes to be punched and make
it more difficult to pass the needle through when
sewing. Despite this difficulty, go with smaller
holes.

I use a punch that has interchangeable heads. I

use one with flat more rectangular holes that
are 1/16 each. There are three on this head.
Also, a rubber mallet is appropriate here. Some
sort of cushion beneath the leather will keep your
chisel sharp, your floor intact and your neighbors
happy.

Dont forget, now is the time to punch the

holes for attaching your belt loops too! Four
holes should be sufficient for each side of the
loop.

That reminds me, it is helpful to count the

number of holes punched on each side. If
you have 19 holes on the left, it is a good
idea to have 19 holes on the right.

Also, this chisel has three prongs. Your first

punch along each edge will make three holes.
For the next punch and for all subsequent
punches, place one prong of the chisel in the
last hole made on the previous punch. So
each time you will be making two new holes,
not three.
Install the Belt Loops 9

This step is fairly easy. Also, if this is your first

pouch, it will be your training in using the needle
and thread with leather. Get a thimble.

I think that on my next pouches I will use a rivet at

the top of each belt loop and a snap at the bottom of
each. I think that it will save a little time and add a
little more functionality to the pouches.

That being said, this method is a solid way of attach-

ing your loops in a strong and aesthetically pleasing
manner.

Start the needle on the flesh side, near the bottom of

the pouch, so that the ends will be at the bottom, and
rather hidden. Make 2 quick stitches, stretch thread
up to the top, 2 quick stitches, bring it back down to
the bottom, make one quick stitch, then tie off the
ends.
 Dye the inside of the Pouches 10

This step is important and can be done now or

after a few more steps, but should definitely be
done before stitching the pouches together.

Use gloves. This leather dye gets everywhere.

Its made to dye leather, which used to be skin,
making it prime product for your skin as well.
Use gloves. I dont care what kind. Use Gloves.

The insides of your pouches do not have to

be dyed, but it is simple and I think it makes
your pouch look better. One coat on the
inside will be good enough. Use two if you
are either a perfectionist or an overachiever.
Use three if you are both.
Design and Trimming 11

After this step, we will be adding our fasteners and

our pouches will no longer have a flat front flap.
The fasteners will make it difficult to do this trim-
ming.

Now is a good time to trim the front flaps. This step

isn't necessary, but adds a personal style to your
pouches. I used a rounded bottom design. You can
use a trianglular, ziz-zag pattern. Whatever you
choose. Plain also looks quite nice.

This is also a good time to carve the score lines into

the front flap of your pouches. Again, this is not
required, but if you have a certain design or brand
that you would like to carve, use the Saddlemakers
groover and a ruler, and get to work. Use pencil, not
ink for drawing your design onto the leather.

Lord Vader slashes at the leather with his glowing

red saber blade. The Emperor has foreseen this and
continues to laugh, sinisterly, while Vader does his
bidding.
 Install Fasteners 12

No matter what kind of pouch, it requires

some sort of fastener to keep it closed tightly,
yet allow you to open and close it easily.

There are many options for a fastener:

Velcro, snaps, studs with a slit (like blue
jeans) . I chose magnets. Neodymium rare
earth magnets. These guys are super strong
and give my pouches a nice snapping sound
when they shut. They are easily opened and
closed.

I found snaps to be difficult to close, unless

the pouch was full. I was not interested in
noisy Velcro. The choice is yours.

Also, youll need a STRONG adhesive to

hold these magnets. I used GOOP.

Emperor Palpatine looks on as Mara Jade,

The Emperors Hand uses the force to ma-
nipulate the objects...using her budding force
powers towards construction of the pouches.

Imperial construction droids

work long into the night to com-
plete the final stages of the
pouches.

In the early morning, the droids

are now doing the final checks
and test-fitting the pouches to-
gether. Success. The Emperor
will be pleased.
Stitching and Dyeing 13

Get ready for a battle. By that I mean, both stitching

and dyeing can be time consuming and require much
patience. You must learn patience!

I dont have the time here, now to go into the intrica-

cies of stitching leather. I suggest you do your best
to make the stitching look clean and neat. Try to
make the work remain symmetrical.

When dyeing the leather, as in painting, use several

thin coats. Trying to glob-on lots of dye will only
make a mess and possibly give you a color thats
darker than what you wanted. Remember, the more
coats you apply, the darker the finish.

Drying time between coats is about 30-45 minutes

between the first three coats. After that, Id wait
longer, 3 hours to overnight, so that you can judge
the darkness/evenness of the color.

Also, remember your gloves...don't forget the gloves!

Final Product 14

I know it seems like I skipped several steps, or as if

the work has progressed a lot since the last step, but
you didn't miss much. Just a few details on stitching
that youll soon figure out for yourself.

Maybe in the future Ill write an appendix to this tuto-

rial on leather stitching. Essentially, stitching is just
stitching.

Get to know your local Tandy Leather dealer, if

youre lucky enough to have one.

I hope you like the pouches and this tutorial. It took

me several months of trial and error to make a product
that I like.

Leather working has a very steep learning curve, so

stick with it.

Leather working also involves acquiring tools and raw

materials. This can be a bit expensive, so I suggest
you an a friend or two chip in and share the tools and
materials. Learn together.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Send

email to densonnier@yahoo.com
My Jedi Belt 15