The Beginning of a Holster

I’ve had a hankerin’ for a black leather pancake holster for my XDs 9mm for a while now. They go on and off pretty easily, hold tight to the body, I find them really comfortable, and kydex pancake holsters suck. After doing some looking around online, I just can’t justify the price that comes with with nice leather these days, so I figured I may as well make a nice holster, and document the process for all of you.

Here’s the first step: rough outline to get an idea of what I want the holster to look like, and how I want it to ride. This  should mimic the exact cant that I have on my Crossbreed MiniTuck, with a smidge higher ride height.

The next step will be a trip to the Tandy leather store here in Raleigh to get some leather, and possibly a stitch groover. I’ve made several leather holsters in the past without making a groove for the stitches, and they have all been fine for a long while, but I think I might try something a little different this time.

Any leather gurus out there?