How To Wrap Large Belt Pouch Around Hips

[ethanv]

hi gang,

new to these forums and new to leatherwork as a whole. but not for long!

my first foray into leatherworking is a festival belt and I've run into a bit of a snag with the design. what inspired me to do this in the first place is that all the belts I'd seen for sale had tiny pockets and I wanted something bigger. to that end, the design I've come up with uses pockets that are about 6" wide and 5" high. I've wet molded the pocket fronts and mocked up a design for the rest of the parts in card stock, and that was when i realized that the pockets are going to have to curve around my hips.

here's what the mockup looks like, with the pockets set in place:

and here's what it looks like on:

the problem I'm having is that when the pockets curve around my hips, the front of the pockets collapse in on themselves. this isn't a big deal for the pocket itself, but I think the flap that goes over the top of it is going to sit funny as a result. I haven't had a chance to mock it up yet, but the flap will be as wide as the pocket and will reach about half way down the front, closing with a swing clasp.

I'm not sure how to deal with the curved pocket thing. a couple ideas I did have were to build a different mold that has some of that curvature built into (this sounds pretty hard) or to just attach the pocket front to it's own backing and then attach that to the belt at a single point (like a belt loop) rather than stitching all the way 'round the pocket. that would let it float free and not have to conform to my hips, but I don't think it's going to look as finished.

what other options do I have?

[TinkerTailor]

I would mold it on a curved form. Try to make the shape in blue/pink household styrofoam and then enamel the surface to harden it. Go easy on the first coat to keep from melting the foam. This works for a one time gentle use mold

[byggyns]

On my first pankake holster, I wanted it molded on a curve, so I used a 5 gal bucket as a round form. That's not the best Idea with a holster as it looses retention when it flattens out, but has enough when its worn.

In your case, I would mold the backing piece first, then stitch the front of the pockets & the flaps to it after it is already curved. You can do a little wet molding again to the fully assembled belt & pouch to help the attached pieces form to the curve. Then oil & seal with resolene or whatever your preferred finish is.

When the 5 gal bucket is upside down, the top of your piece will have a smaller radius at the top & larger at the bottom, much like a person's hips. I would do one of the pouch locations at a time.

[TinkerTailor]

On my first pankake holster, I wanted it molded on a curve, so I used a 5 gal bucket as a round form. That's not the best Idea with a holster as it looses retention when it flattens out, but has enough when its worn.

In your case, I would mold the backing piece first, then stitch the front of the pockets & the flaps to it after it is already curved. You can do a little wet molding again to the fully assembled belt & pouch to help the attached pieces form to the curve. Then oil & seal with resolene or whatever your preferred finish is.

When the 5 gal bucket is upside down, the top of your piece will have a smaller radius at the top & larger at the bottom, much like a person's hips. I would do one of the pouch locations at a time.

I like it. The other thing that would work is a section of sonotube, those cardboard tubes they use for forming foundations for posts. They come in a bunch of diameters, and will take a nail or a tack.

You could just make it, get it wet (case the leather where you want it to stretch), put it on, stuff the pocket full and then wear it for a day...........or 12 minutes if you do it at blackrock.