Introduction: Leather Knife Sheath

The Mora 2.0 knife is one of the more popular bushcraft knives out there. It's affordable (inexpensive, really), made in Sweden, and has a carbon steel blade which keeps a wonderful edge.
However, because of the low price point, the knife comes with a cheap plastic sheath. There's nothing wrong with it, really, however I wanted something a bit more custom and made of leather for such a handy and handsome knife.

This Instructable will detail how I made my leather sheath.

Step 1: Determine the Design of the Sheath

I had some scrap leather around, stuff I had picked up from a remnant pile at a pioneer craft show sometime last year. It was small, but I figured I could fairly easily turn it into something useful at some point.

After selecting a piece, I roughly shaped the sheath, wrapping the leather over the knife and determining the best placement and use for the remnant I had. Once I had a rough sheath I was comfortable with, I used a simple ball point pen to draw the line where I would be cutting the sheath out.

NOTE: I cut the sheath out exactly. Had I been thinking, I would have added up to a quarter inch extra on one side (the side I was cutting out) to give myself a little extra room. Following the stitching, I would have removed the extra material, finishing off the sheath and simplifying the stitching process.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This sheath is designed for left handed use. If you want yours to be right handed, you need to make sure the edge of the knife faces behind you when sheathed and in position. THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT, YOU GUYS!

Step 2: First Stitches - Build Out the Belt Loop

The belt loop, since it stitches into the back side of the sheath, needs to be done first. I wanted to make sure that it was strong and secure. As such, I made two separate paths across the sheath and belt loop. One was on an angle, and the other was straight across (see picture).

To stitch the leather together I used a Speedy Stitcher Awl (there are several different manufacturers, but they are characterized by having a built in spool which holds a bunch of waxed thread. The thread passes through an eye on the tip of the awl and is very handy for stitching up anything, from manmade fabrics to naturals). Following the directions supplied with the Speedy Stitcher, I was able to move through the stitches fairly quickly. Pushing the awl through the leather was much more difficult that through ripstop or rubber (the other two things I've used the stitcher on). A solid whack on the back of the awl really helped drive the point through the multiple layers of leather.

NOTE: Make sure that your belt loop is large enough to pass your belt through. This one fits my belt well enough, but it's perhaps a bit more snug than I would normally have it.

Step 3: Fold the Sheath Together and Sew Sew Sew!

Starting at the point of the sheath, begin stitching towards the top of the sheath. You want to start the stitch on the front of the sheath, so tying the knot at the end of the stitches will be done on the side of the sheath which will rest against your body (the same side the belt loop is on).

Keep your front stitches smooth and continuous. The back might have a little deviation, but that's all right, because it's not on the 'pretty' side.

I added an extra stitch at the opening of the sheath to help strengthen it, as it could potentially have a lot of stress placed on it.


Step 4: Wet Form the Leather

From here, your sheath is completed. However, if you want, you can do a little "wet forming" of the leather. In order to do this, simply wrap the knife in saran wrap or aluminum foil, wet the sheath (but don't soak), place the knife in the sheath and use something hard (like a bone folder, or a spoon, or a heavy Popsicle stick) and smooth in order to contour the leather to the knife. Once you've reached a point you are happy with, remove the knife and let the sheath dry for up to 24 hours.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed the instructable and that it inspires you to get into leatherworking, if only a little bit.

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