Sew What! Bags: 18 Pattern-Free Projects You Can Customize to Fit Your Needs (37 page)

1.
DECIDE YOUR SIZE
. What are you going to holster? Your phone? Pruning shears? Whatever it is, lay it on the fabric and measure it to determine the size of the pocket. Be sure to include the depth in your measurement and allow for ease (a little extra room to get your tool in and out).

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To shape the pocket, think about how wide and how deep the pocket needs to be and map out the measurements as shown. Our finished pocket is 1½" deep and 2½" wide at the front. Don’t forget to allow for ½" seam allowances.

Measure your waist (or hips, if you like to wear it low) for your belt length (
see page
15
.). Be sure to include plenty of extra inches for tying the belt. You can always cut off what you don’t need. We cut our belt 3" wide for a finished width of 1".

2.
CUT YOUR FABRIC
. Draw the pieces on the wrong side of the fabric and cut out the following:

two holster back pieces

one holster pocket

two belt ties

3.
MAKE THE POCKET
. Enclose the top raw edge of the pocket with bias tape and edgestitch. (
See page
46
.) Fold the fabric right sides together, matching the cut-out corner edges. Stitch to within ½" of outer edges and backtack, so the corners can be spread when stitched to the holster back.

4.
MAKE THE HOLSTER BACK
. Pin the back pieces wrong sides together and round off all four corners. Stitch all the way around ½" from the edge, and trim the seam allowance to ¼".

5.
MAKE AND ATTACH THE BELT TIES
. Make the belt ties in the same way you’d make a strap. (
See page
42
.) Pin one end of each belt tie to one side of the holster back, as shown.

6.
ATTACH THE POCKET
. Pin the pocket to the holster and stitch a ¼" seam around the edge, catching the belt ties as you stitch. Enclose the edge of the holster all the way around with double-fold bias tape (
see page
46
).

To improve how the holster hangs, fold each belt tie as shown. Pin and test the angle until you have it the way you want it. Stitch two lines to hold the straps in place, backtacking for reinforcement.

SKILL LEVEL
daredevil