Leather webbing and satchels: Oliver Pattern Water Bottle and Holder and Challenge Details

I have been fortunate to receive an original Oliver Pattern bottle carrier to study and measure. The bottle with it is an antique bottle that fits perfectly, as do my own bottles. I'll use this post to illustrate it. What I said under the heading Oliver Pattern Belt and Accoutrements can otherwise stand.

These measurements and photographs below give all the information anyone might need to try their own reproduction. I invite everyone who's handy to give it a go and send me your pictures. I will post them as a group and we can see what we can come up with collectively. If this idea takes root we can try the same with the Oliver pouch or a Ross scabbard and frog.

The leather used in construction is about 3/32", but the base circle is closer to 1/4" which allows for the angled stitches to get lost in a slice around the perimeter.

Good luck with the challenge!

November 17:

Here are some up-date photos of patterns and measurements to help with the challenge!

The first thing I'd suggest is to find a bottle. It should be about 9 1/2" high with its shoulder at 6 1/2".

The diameter should be 2 1/2".

I fitted a piece of scrap leather around the bottle to get the circumference and gave myself a 1/4" seam allowance with the expectation I would trim back the finished seam. It was a good thing I gave it this much because the leather shrank a bit after I wetted it to score the line around the edges.

Here's the pattern I formed off the original. The numbers 1 to 6 refer to stitching order.

Here I've laid out the pieces. The long strap is 12" to the buckle and then 1 1/2" doubled back. It's 3/4" wide. The buckle on the original is a brass roller buckle with a steel tongue.

The belt loop strap is 6 1/4" long.

Here, below, are the first pieces laid out and the stitch holes poked with my sharp awl. I have cork flooring upside down on my table. It makes a great surface for cutting and poking. I also use leather contact cement. It saves me from all angst. It's hard enough doing this without a helping hand.

Then I wetted things, scored my pieces ( which might have been better done first ), and bent the straps up to their proper places. I left it to dry over night. The needle which I left on the damp leather, inadvertently, left a blue rust line. The first mark on the next 100 years!

I glued the straps the next day, pricked, and sewed them. The buckle area was a dog. The keeper wraps around the whole strap and all is sewn through. My stitch colour should be yellow and my stitches should be machine done.

After this I folded the leather down the middle and sewed to within 1/16" from the edge. I used glue again as one might use pins on cloth.

Once it was sewn I stuffed my bottle in and used the rounded base to draw a circle for the bottom on my 1/4" leather.

Here's the round bottom with a 3/8" hole in the centre. This let's air out when the bottle is put in. The photo below shows my sharp knife cutting a slice 3/16" from the edge and at 45 degrees. This is to hide and protect the stitches.

In the next photo I've pushed the disc from the top to the bottom after applying contact cement. Now I'm starting to sew with my sail maker's needle. This is not an easy job either but the glue saved me. I wonder if originally they stuffed the carrier with a piece of cylindrical wood to hold the form. That would certainly help. Though all other stitching is machine done it is clear that this was a hand done aspect of the job. Since the Boer War was not an industrial war like WWI it was no great problem to have someone stitch away for a couple of weeks on the bottoms. Making these reproductions is certainly a way to make one scrutinize a piece for details and appreciate the labours.

The finished bottom is a little rough, but the stitches vanish. One wants to keep the corner square. I wetted everything again and used a wooden spoon to push things as I wanted them. Once again it struck me that a wooden form would be a great asset...it would give you something to work against. I love using my antique number set in the wet leather, especially when I put in the present date.

Here's the finished pair. Now I must make a stopper.

I have word that a bottle carrier reproduction is now available. For those interested in purchasing a reproduction check the What Price Glory site listed in the link below.