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A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:38 am
by Melthrist
I feel that momentum on my kit has fallen behind, mainly due to a lack of inspiration on my part. But, with the holiday season edging closer, I find this the perfect time to start planning a proper first project. At the moment I have no solid idea of what to make, but it has been suggested to me before that pouches would be a good starting point. I've never tried my hand at proper leatherworking before, but I'm fully willing to give it a go. So, I come to ask for help. Are there any patterns I can find that would get me started on making a pouch, one that would fit on a belt to carry a toolkit of some sort? Or would it be better for me to create my own? Am I even right to start with this as a first project, or is there something else that might be better for a beginner? And, I would like to say thanks again to everyone who responds to my relentless flood of questions :) .

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 8:23 am
by Iodo
I usually design all my own patterns, but usually only because I have no idea where to get them :lol: the advantage of designing your own is you always get exactly what you want, and can work it around the material you already have. My hatchet sheath (blade cover? Not quite sure what it is called) was going to be completely different until I looked in my leather scraps box and realised I didn't have a piece big enough :P
Of course the amount of time and effort required to make a paturn I like, that works, really anoys me for simple, more standard things. If any fellow forumites have a good pattern source it would probably help me to :mrgreen:

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:19 am
by Elleth
As it happens I was about to cut out my belt pouch this weekend. I'll take some pics of the pattern today and post them. Mine doesn't have a particular historical model, but was designed for woods tromping.

For more cityfolk pouches of a high medieval feel, google "purses in pieces." Its a hideously expensive book, but there's a free pdf summary floating around with more than enough detail to make a pattern from.

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 5:27 pm
by Elwindil
in this thread I posted a pattern that was for sale, and is indeed still rather inexpensive. it has several different pouches and a water bottle carrier. I'm currently in the slow process of putting together the one with the feather behind it. I've got it all cut out now. just waiting to get the thread for it.
http://www.middleearthrangers.org/forum ... ale#p38179

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 1:26 am
by Taurinor
I think the style of pouch you make will vary depending on what leather you make it out of and what you want to put in it. I find veg-tan lends itself to more rigid, structural pouches, and lighter garment-type leathers work better for drawstring pouches, like sporrans. Both those styles are pretty easy to scale up and down as you need, though.

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 9:14 am
by Melthrist
Thanks for all the suggestions from everybody. I think I've decided to do something akin to what Taurinor made for the MERF Birthday Photo Contest, which could possibly fit a tinderbox, sowing kit or something along those lines. For this veg-tan leather seems the way to go, and now I've really just got to find a good piece that I can use.

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:20 pm
by Elleth
I apologize for the delay getting my pouch pictures up the other day - company ran longer than expected.
As it happens I didn't have time to get my ranger belt pouch cut out, but I did have time to do the rescue work on a smaller belt pouch I've had in storage a while.

If this still helps -
merf-medieval-beltpouch-construction.jpg
merf-medieval-beltpouch-construction.jpg (51.81 KiB) Viewed 15367 times
It's fairly simple- three half circles (ish) sewn together such than when they're turned inside out you get a slim little pocket in back and a fuller pouch in front. The one trick is to cut the front panel a little wider than the others so it "poofs" when everything's sewn together.

Then a top panel forms the belt loops up top.

Once upon a time this was going to be a woodland necessaries pouch bundled with my coustille on a shoulder strap, but first I bungled the flap and then I shelved that carriage idea entirely. Recently I realized it would make a perfect small belt pouch for a waist quiver setup I've been thinking of trying out.

It's a fairly easy pattern if you'd like to give it a whirl. And if it's not easy enough to make out in the photos, I can post a drawing if you'd like.


edit - the trick with sewing leather is to realize it's really not that different from hand sewing fabric. It's just thicker and stiffer is all.
(Oh - and it can stretch/deform in the lighter weights if you're not careful)

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 1:59 pm
by Elleth
Oh!

It occurs to me that if you're *just* getting started, a perfect project would be a coin purse. They're exceedingly simple: just fold over a piece of leather, stitch up the side, stitch up the bottom, and add a drawcord. For a little more body you can sew in a circle on the bottom instead. The only trick is make certain there's an even number of drawcord holes on each side.
merf-faire-coinpurse-construction.jpg
merf-faire-coinpurse-construction.jpg (123.96 KiB) Viewed 15377 times
They're a great simple project for dealing with leather for the first time - and you can start with a small piece of just about anything. I like mid-weight goat the best, but that pouch is from a (presumably upholstery leather) cowhide from a Ren Faire dealer. If you've got a local Tandy, scraps of thin pigskin would be great and inexpensive to practice on.


edit - here's some more ideas. On the left is one of my very first purses ever, sewn from a scrap of pigskin with regular sewing needles and thread. The skin was so thin I don't believe I even needed an awl or punch. A thin goat or calfskin's the same way BTW - as long as your needle is stout and sharp, you can sew just as if you were sewing fabric.

You're not limited to a single piece for the body of course. Two (or three, or more) long panels tapered into a bowl at the bottom make a nice shape. Also note how you can piece sides, like in that purse on the right. Caedmon's talked about that kind of precious-resource economy before, and besides the nice verisimilitude I find I rather like the extra visual interest it adds.
merf-coinpurse-ideas.jpg
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A great place to get more inspiration is Karl Robinson's site - his work is absolutely gorgeous -

http://www.karlrobinson.co.uk/

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:00 pm
by Kortoso
You can get a little pouch kit from Tandy, all the parts you need are there, no guesswork.

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 6:40 pm
by Iodo
Nice work Elleth
I never even thought of making a coin purse as part of my kit, maybe I will.

I exspect a way of carrying gold would be very important to a dwarf :mrgreen:

Re: A call for inspiration.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 11:39 pm
by Manveruon
I came here to say basically everything Elleth just did, haha.

Anyway, yeah, I feel like pouches are a great place to start with basic leatherwork. Making a pattern is relatively easy, too - you just need to decide how big you want it, and go from there. Keep it simple in the beginning and you'll be happier. Personally, I love the closure design of the "Birka" Viking pouch (a quick Google search should turn up a lot of results) - it requires no buckle, but keeps the flap securely closed until you are ready to get inside, and what's more, you can open and close it easily with just one hand. But buckles, buttons, toggles, and ties are all pretty good for closing a pouch, too.