fabric pocket sock for SAK

[shibafu]

As mentioned on another thread I've been experimenting with making pocket slips for SAKs out of t-shirt material.  The stretchiness of the fabric means you can make it close-fitting, it doesn't increase the size of the knife like leather sheaths do.  The idea is to give just enough protection against scratches from keys or coins, and stop the knife getting gummed up with pocket fluff.

This is the best pattern I've come up with so far.

1. For a 4 or 5 layer knife, start with 2 pieces of material 6 x 10cm and 21 x 10cm.
2. Fold each piece in half (inside out) and sew down the edge to make two tubes 5cm wide.  Rotate the tube so the seam is in the middle and iron it flat.  Then sew a curve across one end of each tube.  On the shorter tube, trap a loop of fabric tape or gutted paracord into the curved seam, pointing inwards.
3. Turn the two pieces inside out and you get this.  The loop of paracord makes a tag to pull the sock closed.  I added an extra row of stitching across the ends of the paracord to reinforce it.
4. Fold the open end of each tube in on itself to hide the rough edge and iron them flat.  Put the two parts together, with the open ends aligned and the seamed faces outward.

[cont'd in next post]

[shibafu]

[cont'd]

5. Now sew the two pieces together across the square end like this.  Trap another loop of tape or gutted paracord between the two pieces in the seam, again pointing inwards (you can't see it in this photo, it's hidden between the two pieces).
6. Fold up the long piece so it overlaps the short piece and sew all the way up the sides.  The length from the top seam to the bottom fold needs to be 10cm for a 91mm knife.  The width measured between the two side seams needs to be about 4cm for a 4 or 5 layer SAK.
7. Turn the whole thing inside out and here's how it ends up.
8. Pull the top tab back and down to open the sock, to close it again pull the front tab over the end of the knife.  I put the SAK in the wrong way round in this photo - it works better if you put it in keyring end first.

No doubt it would take about 5 minutes on a sewing machine, considerably longer by hand!

[Gareth]

While I'm not certain about your taste in t-shirts, I like the guide a lot.

[kirk13]

While I'm not certain about your taste in t-shirts, I like the guide a lot.

Maybe shibafu is really James May?

Good guide mate If I could sew worth a damn I'd give it a go!

[ducttapetech]

I like that. Matches the blue scales nicely.

Nate
That's us mobile

[Don Pablo]

Seconded about the tee-shirt taste.
I am a fan of James May though, have you seen his toy stories?

Back OT, I like the design, though I just use a small silk bag to keep it in... 

[shibafu]

While I'm not certain about your taste in t-shirts, I like the guide a lot.

Well what can I say, when it comes to fashion I'm a leader not a follower

Although in truth I didn't have any qualms about cutting that particular t-shirt up

[shibafu]

Seconded about the tee-shirt taste.
I am a fan of James May though, have you seen his toy stories?

Back OT, I like the design, though I just use a small silk bag to keep it in... 

Silk is an interesting idea.  I wonder how this design would work with silk.

As for James May's Toy Stories, I have only just forgiven him for the Meccano motorbike-and-sidecar debacle.  Having heard on the radio that they had departed the start line on the Isle of Man TT course, we waited out on the course for over an hour to see them come round, to no avail.  I discovered later that they'd given up after 1 mile and went no further until the following day.

[Don Pablo]

Sorry to hear about that... Makes me chuckle though. 

Yes, silk could be interesting. Pity about the dead silk worms or whatever they are called.