DIY Custom Leather Tool Belt Pattern

Assemble this leather tool belt pattern to hold your most-used tools. Learn how to make a leather tool pouch with custom tool loops to perfectly tackle any project.

By Dennis Biswell
Updated on January 6, 2023
article image
by Richard Biswell

Assemble this leather tool belt pattern to hold your most-used tools. Learn how to make a leather tool pouch with custom tool loops to perfectly tackle any project.

In previous issues, I wrote about how to turn deerskins into leather (October/November 2016) and how to craft moccasins out of that tanned animal skin (February/March 2017). Now, I’ll describe how to make further use of your home-tanned leather by turning it into a set of tool-belt pouches.

The tool belts you can buy at hardware stores are unwieldy, because they need to account for every potential tool and task. They have loops, pockets, and pouches that add weight and bulk. When I’m working at the top of a ladder or on the roof, I don’t want to carry any extra weight, and I’d hate for an unused loop on my tool belt to get caught on something.

After you learn how to make custom pouches, you can construct them to hold tools for all sorts of projects around your home or homestead. So, to get started, select a belt that fits you well and plan which pockets you’ll attach. With the ability to craft individual pouches that slide onto a belt, you can pick and choose the ones you need for a particular job, or make a belt that’s perfectly suited to the tools you use most.

This project uses both cow and deer leather. The heavier cow leather is perfect for the backing, and the deer leather is good for the pockets, pouches, and holders. To make it easier for you to distinguish between the cow and deer leather in the photos, I used contrasting black cow leather and tan deer leather.

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