This is awesome stuff Tomas. I actually just bought some leather working tools the other day. I have never made a leather sheath before or anything leather. I have recently been doing some research on making a sheath. So your tutorial couldn't have came at a better time.

Great tutorial! Thanks for your time investment.

Thanks for sharing this tutorial!

This is awesome Tom. Even though I have been making sheaths for....well, a really long time, and have used everything from a Speedy Stitcher to a Tippman Aerostitch, I have come back to the harness/lock stitch and hand work. I agree it just looks and wears the best. I have already learned a new trick in the first post with that arbor press, and hope to get another arrow in the quiver from this. Thanks for the tutorial.

You're welcome. I appreciate the positive reinforcement Gents. I feel it is our duty to share these skills to keep the crafts we love alive. I'm enjoying this just as much myself. Joshua, its great to hear this is already helping someone out.

Alright, lets dive back in....

When I left off showing the awl'ed out holes, I feel more detail is need in that area. This is a critical step. Side Note: I could not find pictures with the detail I am looking for to demonstrate this part of the lesson so I did a couple rough drawings to help demonstrate what I will be trying to explain. I feel it necessary to show it this way because you might not notice it once we get to pictures of actually stitching leather.

The blacked out areas represent the holes that the awl makes in the leather. One of the flats has to stay in line with the inside edge of the stitching. Once you pierce the first hole, they all must stay turned the same way. The arrows at the bottom of the sheath in this drawing is my attempt to illustrate the need to rotate the leather when you get to the bottom to continue piercing with the same awl orientation. Once all of the holes are thru. Its time to thread your needles.

You need one on each end of the thread. A common question is "how much thread to use". Its does not matter. I will be teaching you how to continue if you run out or break off the thread. I look at it this way, thread is cheap and the easiest way to do this process is to have enough the first time so start off with a piece the span of your arms width.

These next couple drawings illustrate threading the needle.

Cut the end of the thread at a very shallow angle to create a very fine tip. This will greatly ease guiding the heavy thread thru the small eye of the needle. Pull the thread thru the eye about the length of the needle. At that point, lay the point of the needle against the running thread and pierce it as close to the middle as possible. If you don't get it close to centered, you will break off at some point and get to practice trying again!!

now pull the needle thru the piercing and pull the tail snug. Hold both parts of the string in one hand and the needle in the other and pull in opposite directions. Once snug, spin the needle while the string is still under tension. One down, now repeat with the other needle. Once both needles threaded you are ready to stitch.

The actual stitching process is three simple steps.

You will notice that in the drawings, I started the stitch two holes from the mouth of the sheath. I do that so I stitch up to the mouth and then down the entire stitch. This doubles the stitch in the highest wear area. Double stitching is tougher physically because of the amount of thread in the holes. The needles must be pulled straight to ease the tension on the eye, so use the needle nose pliers when you are coming back down those first two and save the wear on you and the needles.

Now, not to get ahead of myself, the same three step process is the same no matter which direction you are stitching.

Lets look at it in detail.

Starting the first stitch, poke thru the leather and pull the thread thru until you have equal lengths on both ends. Now take the end on the front side of the leather and poke thru the next hole. pull the rest of that needles thread thru. Now look at the back side of that hole. While pulling the thread down and away from the leading point, thread the second needle thru the leading point of the awl hole. Pull the rest of that needles thread thru to the front. Pull both threads evenly tight. You will feel the thread cinch down. That is "locking" the stitch. Congratulations!! You just completed one saddle stitch. If your sheath is for a 3" hunting knife you have about 40 more. 14" bowie...you'll be a while!! Haha All in good fun.

Lets get more detail in that three step process. Go thru the second hole front side first and pull all of the thread thru. On the back side, pull the string that you just pulled thru the front down and away from the leading point of the awl hole and Poke the backside needle thru at the leading point of the hole.

The importance of performing the rear part of the stitch this way is due to the fact that this is the part of the process that if done correctly, will make the back side of your stitch look as good as the front side. In the last page of drawings, notice the picture that says. "do not do this" If you fail to pull the front string down and away and end up crossing over the strings, your stitch line will wander back and forth and they will not stack up evenly on the other stitches, which should be the goal.

Now, going back to the picture showing me going up two stitches to the mouth of the holster, you now know why it doesn't matter which direction you go in. You are always threading the rear needle thru the leading point of the awl'ed hole with the other string pulled down and away.

I want to be very clear by stating...these steps shown today are crucial to making your entire stitching job look uniform and pleasing to the eye. Unlike the artistic feat of carving leather and forging steel, the actual stitching process, one loop after another, after another has to be exact. If you can follow the three steps I have shown...and repeat them, over and over and over,you will have your stitching down pat.

I'll call that a wrap for post two. I'll be back to continue.

Take care,

Tomas- thank you so much for this information. It is very helpful! I've been wavering on starting making leather sheaths and this is reducing my anxiety for sure.

This is really great stuff. I'm gonna start working on my first sheath this weekend.

I had forgotten about some of those tips you showed.

Thanks for the reminder!

Tomas on your recommendation for the Awl (Diamond awl blade# 83022-01) I looked it up and they have like 4 different sizes to choose from. Which 1 do you suggest They have a "small, medium, large, straight, or curved" to choose from.

Jason, I bought the set but found that I use the medium size almost exclusively.

I'll be working my day job thru most of this weekend. Hopefully sometime early next week I'll work on my next leather project so I can wrap up the details for the tutorial. I'm glad that this was able to be found helpful by numerous people. Your past posts have certainly helped me with the forging questions I had.

Have a great weekend All.

Take care,

Thanks for the info Tomas

|quoted:

Jason, I bought the set but found that I use the medium size almost exclusively.

I'll be working my day job thru most of this weekend. Hopefully sometime early next week I'll work on my next leather project so I can wrap up the details for the tutorial. I'm glad that this was able to be found helpful by numerous people. Your past posts have certainly helped me with the forging questions I had.

Have a great weekend All.

Take care,

Tom- I bought the materials and basic tools and I'm ready to follow along! Can't wait for the next steps

Hello All. Im glad so many people found this information helpful. I have been compliling info to start another thread on sheath building. Before starting that, I want to jump back on here and tie up some unfinished business, pun intended.

Where we left off, you were taught how to do the stitching in a three step process. What do you do if your thread breaks or you run out? How do you finish the stitch? We'll get those questions answered right now.

If your thread breaks off, you need to pull out enough of your already completed stitches to have some thread to pull on with your needle nose pliers. You want the threads to be on the same hole, one on the front and the other on the back of the sheath. Once you have that, you need to prep a new piece of thread with your two needles and start the thread two stitches behind where the loose threads you pulled out are. The idea is to double stitch the last two holes of the broken thread. Once you get about a half a dozen stitches past the break, cinch the broken ends by pulling both at the same time, you will feel them lock in. Then cut them off as close as you can. Continue your stitching till you get to the end.

If you can tell that you are not going to have enough thread to finish, just double back and double stitch two holes, cinch down the stitch and cut the thread flush. When you start the new stitch, you can double the first by starting one hole away from the last finished stitch, go back the one hole and then continue till finished. I try to conceal these kinds of doubled stitches in corners or anywhere where the stitching changes direction.

To finish your stitch, just back stitch and double the last three holes, cinch tight and cut flush. Run the over stitch wheel over the completed stitch to dress up the way that the thread lays. You are finished.

Any questions, please ask away.

Take care.