How to Make a Leather Shot Pouch
Any hunter would appreciate a traditional, handmade leather shot pouch to hold their ammunition. All it takes is a few simple materials and tools. Leather can be found in fabric specialty shops, on the Internet, and at many trade fairs. Or you may want to repurpose an old, out-of-style leather coat or purse to create a pouch. Simply cut the old garment apart to glean large, flat pieces of leather.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 yard medium-weight leather
- Ruler or yardstick
- Cook pot lid approximately 12" across
- Pencil or marker
- Sharp scissors or box cutter
- Awl
- Sinew or cording
- Large leather needle
- Leather punch
- Large metal, bone or wooden button
Instructions
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Cutting Out and Sewing the Pouch
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1
Cut a piece of leather approximately 1 1/2 inches by 36 inches in length to form the strap. and set aside.
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2
Lay the remaining leather out with the wrong side facing up. Place the cook pot lid on one half of the leather and draw around it with a pencil or marker. Move the lid to the other half of the leather and trace another circle.
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3
Cut both circles out with your scissors. Use the ruler to draw the straight line across one circle. Cut the half-circle out. Set aside one of the half circles for use in another project, or a second pouch.
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4
With wrong sides together, lay a half-circle on top of the full circle of leather. Thread the leather with sinew or cording. Strong, waxed cotton string can also be used if you cannot find sinew. Sew around the rounded edge, joining the two pieces with a running stitch. You may need to use the awl to poke holes through the doubled leather if the needle is not sharp enough. When you reach the end of the half circle, reverse your stitch and sew to the other side, so your running stitch becomes one continuous line. Fold the other half of the circle over to become the pouch's flap.
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5
Punch two small holes in the center front of the pouch flap using the leather punch or awl. Thread each end of the 4-inch piece of leather or leather lacing through the holes and tie off on the inside of the pouch leaving a loop hanging on the flap front.
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6
Fold the flap down, and use the leather button loop as a guide to mark where the button must be sewn on the pouch. Use sinew or waxed string to attach the button on the pouch.
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7
Punch four holes on each top side of the pouch: two slightly to the left of the seam and two slightly to the right of the seam, though no more than 1 inch apart. When punched, the holes will form a square. Place one end of the strap beneath the holes on the left and mark through the holes onto the strap. Punch holes in the strap with your awl at the marked points.
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8
Thread a leather needle with sinew, cord or waxed string. Line up the holes on the strap with those on one side of the pouch and sew them together in an "X" formation through the holes. Repeat on the opposite side of the pouch.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit 00 buck 2 image by Lee O'Dell from Fotolia.com
