Water Bottle Holder

When I go for a run I tend to like to take a bottle of water with me but I never know how to keep hold of it. I've tried putting it in a pocket, just holding it and even duct taping it to my arm recently but nothing was remotely comfortable.

So here's my solution:

Recycled leather belts fashioned into a form-fitting pouch to hold your bottle for you. Here's how to make it.

For this project you will need:

• 2 leather belts, one of which must be long enough to be worn across your body like a quiver (charity shops are a great place to find cheap ones)
• Sewing needles (yes, needles plural, some will break on you)
• Pliers, for helping push & pull the needle through leather
• Chalk for making temporary marks
• A bradawl or other pointy object for making small holes to stitch through, I used an old etching tool but pins could do the trick almost as well
• Thread (remember to get thread that corresponds to your belts' colours)
• A water bottle to form the pouch around
• Scissors or a cutting knife

Optional items:

• Leather needles, stronger and with bigger eyes for leather thread
• Waxed leather thread, thicker and stronger than conventional stuff
• Leather hole punch tool (for punching holes in case the belt doesn't quite fit

First, pick the belt that will form the pouch and chop off the buckle, you won't need it.

Wrap it around your chosen bottle leaving 15cm or so of length on the end to turn into the bottom of the pouch. Tighten or loosen the wind to allow the bottle to be pulled out of and put back into the holster (make sure it is just tight enough to grip the bottle so that it won't fall out whilst moving around).

When you're satisfied with the shape, draw two parallel vertical chalk lines on either side to tell you where to stitch.

Poke holes on the edges of each chalk line except the very top one where you chopped off the buckle. Also poke a hole at the very bottom of the belt to help attach the bottom.

Start with the very top connection (where the buckle used to be) and stitch the two first holes together to replicate the cylinder you mocked up in the previous step. Go through the same holes a few times to create a stronger join.

Make sure the stitch is very tight and knotted well enough to not come undone any time soon. I used regular thread for these stitches to make the connections less obvious but leather thread would be stronger and easier to do.

Check the bottle fits snugly through the pouch periodically during this stage and adjust the form when needed to create a firm grip.

Continue to stitch along both chalk lines until you only have about 15cm of material left. If you haven't already, poke a hole at the very bottom of the belt.

Tuck the excess material inside the pouch and manoeuvre it to block the bottom so that your bottle doesn't slip through and the hole at the bottom is behind a hole you've already stitched through. Then stitch the belt bottom to the cylinder through these holes, this is the most important join so make sure it's very strong.

Put on the belt (across the body, quiver style) and get it to sit in a comfortable position.

Place your completed cylinder where you want to attach it to yourself, I recommend just behind the right shoulder for easy comfortable access and mark its position with chalk. You may need help with this if you're drawing on your back.

Finally, poke holes down the connection through both layers of leather and use them to stitch the belts together. I used leather thread for this is the joins won't be seen when it's in use and they must be very strong.

It is complete!

Try it on, use it and please give me some feedback.

Thanks.