When it comes to fabricating leather items, many ideas come to mind. The versatility of this material is quite awesome, as they come in handy for making bags, shoes, wallets, jackets, upholstery, and those age-long baldrics. Do you need a leather baldric as a part of a costume? Then, learning how to make a leather baldric would be an excellent and helpful decision.
A leather baldric or baldrick would be an excellent option for that medieval play and bring out the knight in you. It would help carry your shining armor, while you showcase your full costume. That’s interesting right? Well, this item is common in history, with various warriors having it on while they embark on their adventure.
From history, this leather item was part of the military attire and in recent times, it makes an outstanding appearance during ceremonial roles. The two elements gets incorporated in making the leather baldric. The first is the adjustable belt, which you find stretching across the chest, and the frog serving as the sword “holder.”
What is Leather Baldric and Its Uses
Leather baldrics are not new, as they are part of a long age tradition. They come associated with various military men in ancient times, and serve as an honor for most persons who had them. This item is a belt that comes constructed to bear the sword of the soldier and supports the weight of the weapon, while carrying it with ease. Thus, they can enjoy the unrestricted movement while they journey with their sword.
Bandoliers are not left out, as a leather bandolier comes crafted similarly. They serve as a pocketed belt that helps in holding bullets and other ammunition. If you look at some of the pictures of soldiers from the 16th to 18th century, you would find many of them wearing such, and these items come with small containers for their gun powders and grenades.
Although bandoliers are in less common use, we often find baldrics on many occasions. The adjustable leather belt used for crafting baldrics is the major element, as it keeps the weapon steadfast and also allows the bearer to adjust it to a better position. This belt often comes with a buckle that is situated on the upper area of the right chest. Then, is the frog (scabbard) that houses the weapon, holding it firmly so it doesn’t fall off and providing access to it whenever the need arises.
Mind you, almost all the weights of the sword rests around the weight, with the shoulder strap offering some extra support. Thus, it is the perfect solution for wearing a sword. Buckles and rivets are also added for an excellent appearance and easy adjustment, as it helps you adjust the frog area to fit your sword.
Ever had a look at Captain Jack Sparrow’s leather baldric sword-belt? You can see how awesome it looks, having two distinct buckles, as he wears it over his outstanding waistcoat. Have you also seen those pirate baldric in movies? They appear great and duly serve their purpose. Aside from these uses, baldrics also come in handy for caring some musical instruments such as drums, flintlocks, and trumpets.
Are you wondering how that leather piece can carry these items? Well, they come designed in a fantastic manner that supports more weight than the regular leather belt. In recent times, we can find leather baldrics on many occasions, as they’ve become a part of the military and paramilitary ceremonial dress code.
In many cases, they help support the ceremonial swords in various parades and occasions. You can find the Knights of Columbus using this item, as it serves as part of the 4th Degree Color Corps uniform. Baldrics are also a major requirement for some medieval plays, especially school plays; thus, they come along with many costumes. For a fact, various plays would require a leather baldric character.
So, if you got picked for a thrilling role that needs a baldric, you should start thinking of getting one to fit the theme. The Morris dancers are known for wearing baldrics (a crossed pair), as they are part of their uniform. These varying colored baldric worn by these dancers assist them during their performance in telling the difference between the different sides.
How to Make a Leather Baldric Step By Step Guide
Leather baldrics are available in stores, as they offer a baldric for sale in a variety of designs. Thus, you can buy one from a suitable craft store or a reenactment costume maker. Buy one with an outstanding design, made of top-quality leather, which also comes in the right size.
An excellent option that you should check out is the Etrading Genuine Leather Baldric, as it comes made of genuine leather, brass buckles, and brass rivets that are of high quality.
On the other hand, you can decide to make your leather baldric from the comfort of your home. This option would be cost-effective and also allow you to be quite creative while experimenting with leather. You can achieve a suitable result using the following materials:
- Leatherwork belt
- Rivets and setter
- Hole punch
- Buckles
- Button studs
- Scissor (heavy-duty)
- Leather awl
- Wooden mallet
So, you can follow the steps below to make a sword baldric pattern.
Step One: Getting the Right Measurements
If you are making a baldric for an individual, it would help if you measure the belt to ensure it fits right. Using more than one leather belt? Get one end buckle to the other and place it over the shoulders of the person or a model to see if it falls to the opposite hip. Cut out the excess from the belt, while leaving an additional 2-3 inches.
Step Two: Getting the Holes
Using the hole punch tool, start making holes on both belts, making sure that these holes match right. If you don’t have the hole punching tool, you can make use of your leather awl and a wooden mallet to successfully create holes. You can make a total of four holes on each work belt, and get the two ends of the belt rivet together.
Step Three: Making the Strap
Those excess leather you had to cut from the leather belts, do ensure you keep them because you would be needing them for making the leather straps. If they are quite small, it would be best if you look for some scrap leather instead. Get the scrap leather and make three straps, while securing some small leather buckles at the end of each.
Cut them into thin strips and makes holes on each, placing them about half an each apart. Then, get the buckles added to the end, ensuring it stays tightly secured. At the additional length of one end of your work belt, get these straps in place using rivets and setters.
Step Four: Incorporating More Designs
You can add a sheath at the end of the work belt to help you carry your sword using some scrap leather. Cut into the right shape and size; then sew onto the end of the belt using an awl. You can further make a retaining strap, and employ a button stud.
A rich decoration with precious stones or something similar would reveal an outstanding appearance. Then, you can take them along for your play or any other ceremonial occasion.
Note: Normally, the sword support is situated on the left hips but for left-handed folks, you want to create another suitable design. Then, you can consider the left-handed baldric, as creating one would allow an easy use.
If you lack a leather belt, you can create one using any of the suitable types of leather but a combination of genuine leather and a vinyl embossed leather would be fine. Here is how to create one:
- Make two long strips of the genuine leather and one of the vinyl embossed leather.
- Kindly ensure that the genuine leather strips do not come too thick nor too thin, but have an excellent size that would sew and fold easily.
- Sew each strip of the genuine leather onto each side of the Vinyl embossed leather, along the edges.
- Apply some glue beneath, and join the flapping genuine leather.
- Start making holes for the belt, and get a large buckle attached at one end.
Final words
Leather baldrics are an awesome part of medieval history, as various military men and women of that period had one to help keep wear their sword during their adventures. They are a crucial part of various activities in recent times, as many militaries and paramilitary use them for ceremonial purposes.
Whether you need a baldric for your dancing group or your school play, the good news is that you can learn how to make a leather baldric at home. So, instead of spending much on buying one from stores, you can get busy making yours. Are you unaware of the materials and methods involved? A peek through this article would guide you and ensure you get the desired result.
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