Tired of wandering around the entire larp with a weapon in your hand, but you don’t want to set it down and possibly forget it? Well, have you thought about making a frog (a simple loop) for your weapon? Here’s some fairly simple instructions on how to make a fur lined frog which will free up your hand.

Note that the leather I used in the picture was really light in color in order to contrast and show the stitching and fur.

Materials and Tools Needed

Links are provided if you don’t already have the materials.

For leather, I often buy from Hide & Drink off of Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XjAjOE

The Beeswax Trick
To make sewing a little easier, and to make pulling your chisel out of the leather easier, invest in some beeswax, and just jab your tools into them on occasion. The beeswax will lubricate your tools.
https://amzn.to/2AUeFZH

Step 1: The Holster

Cut a 6 inch x 6 inch section of the thicker leather.
When drawing the lines, always use the rougher inside of the leather.
Along two sides draw lines parallel to the edge, one at 1/4 inch, and one at 3/4 inch. These will be the stitch lines for the throats to attach.
Along the other two sides draw lines parallel to the edge, 1/4 inch in. These are the stitch lines to close the holster.

Place down a piece of spare leather, or on the cutting mat, use your mallet and stitching chisel to place holes along the length of all the lines. To maintain even spacing, place one chisel point on the last hole of the previous punch.

–

Step 2: The Throats

Cut two pieces from the thinner leather 1 inch wide by 7 inches long.
Draw lines along the long edges, 1/4 inch from each edge.
When drawing the lines, always use the rougher inside of the leather.
Use the stitching chisel to punch holes along the line.

–

Step 3: The Belt Loop

Start by cutting a 6 inch x 2 inch piece of the heavy leather.
This should accommodate belts 1.5 inches thick or smaller. For thicker belts, double the thickness of the belt and then add 3 inches to determine the minimum length of the loop.
On each of the ends, measure 3/4 inches back on one side.
Cut diagonally across the loop. This will cause the holster to hang at an angle to the ground.
Along this new edge, draw a line 1/4 inches from the edge.
When drawing the lines, always use the rougher inside of the leather.
Use the stitching chisel to punch holes along the line.

–

Step 4: Sew On the Throats

Sew on both of the throats, sewing only the innermost line of stitching. You will find that the Throats are longer than the Holster piece. This is intentional so that you don’t have to worry about lining things up perfectly, and you will be trimming the excess later.

One trick I have found is to begin sewing from the middle, so that you can make sure the piece is on even.
Once you sew to the edge, continue back the other way, making a single unbroken line of stitches.
Trim the excess leather from the Throats.

When reaching the far end, tie off the sinew, and if desired you can melt it with a lighter. Be careful not to melt the rest of your stitchwork.

–

Step 5: Attaching the Fur

Attach pieces of double-sided duct tape along the interior side of the holster. these pieces should be parallel to the edges. Do not remove the backing yet.
Attach thin strips of double-sided duct tape underneath the throats. Do not remove the backing yet.

Cut a piece of fur approximately 8 inches x 8 inches.

Hold back the Throat leather, and peel off the backing of the duct tape. Make sure not to tape your two pieces of leather together. With the fur facing the same direction as the leather, insert the fur between the Throat and Holster, and push it down upon the duct tape. Make sure the fur is nice and tight.

Flip the Holster over. Peel off the backing of the duct tape. Pull the fur down and smooth it over the tape, making sure that it remains nice and tight as you go.

Flip the Holster back over so the fur side is now down. Measure 3/4 inch from the edge of the leather, and cut the fur. Hold back the other Throat and peel off the backing of the tape. Press the fur down over the exposed tape.

Stitch both ends of the Throats so that the stitches go through the fur.
If you have some issues stitching through the fur and both pieces of leather, you can always punch the stitch line again so that it widens the holes and makes new holes in the fur.

Trim the excess fur around the Holster.

–

Step 6: Closing the Holster

Now add two more holes on each side of the Throats, this will allow you to stitch most of the way to the edge.

Fold the Holster over like a taco. The Throats should be on both open ends of the Holster. Stitch the Holster closed.
If you have problems holding the Holster closed during this time, you can take scrap leather and stretch rubber bands over it. The scrap leather will prevent the rubber bands from leaving any marks.

–

Step 7: Attaching the Belt Loop

So, the final step. Your fingers are probably sore from all of the stitching.

Place a small strip of double-sided duct tape on the lip of the belt loop, this will help to hold it in place when you stitch it on.

The belt loop should be back far enough so that it doesn’t overlap the Throat. Each side should be on opposite sides of the Holster, allowing you to use the frog on either side of your belt.

Once you’ve finished sewing, you should be done, and now you have a frog that will hold most straight-bladed latex swords and daggers.

And there you have it, the whole frog:

Optional Step: Latex Maintenance
Spray your weapon with a decent coat of Silicone Spray Lubricant, and insert it into the frog. Hold the frog against the blade (but not too tight) and slide the blade through the frog a few times. This will leave some of the lubricant on the fur and will protect and add to the longevity of your blade.