This is a post to aid in the dart gun holster - I made instructions on how to make one and posted my patterns, but in case they don't fit and you need to make your own - here's how I did it.
I tried 2 versions this time around, one where I crinkled the paper around the gun and made pin holes to mark where it met itself so make a more contoured holster. Not worth the aggravation to make/use.
Then, after making the pattern I decided I wanted it less contoured - it would fit changing guns and I thought the gun would slip in/out more easily, so this tutorial is more mathematical and less paper bending. :)
Disclaimer - this is not officially how you make a pattern for this or anything else...this is more of me letting you in my sewing area to watch me make a pattern...and fix it.
DIRECTIONS:
Get a big sheet of paper - I used a roll of my kids' easel paper. (tissue paper, opened up large brown paper sack, taped together computer paper, whatever you have around the house...I've used all of those for patterns.)
Place the gun about 3" from the short edge and about 1" from the long edge. (Give some space beyond the gun and you can cut off the excess.)
{In hindsight, I would go about 8" from the short edge to leave room for the belt loop/casing}
Mark where top of gun is. Draw a straight line across (move the gun first). We'll call this "line A" for the rest of the pattern.
Mine's 3"
Measure 3" up from first line (at top of gun) - draw another line. (This will be line B.)
Measure from the bottom of paper to line A. (Mine was about 6.5")
Above line B - draw another line (parallel to line B) the distance away that you just measured (for me, 6.5")
Your pattern should look a little more symmetrical.(You don't really have to do this step b/c you're going to fold it in half to do the cutting, but you just need to make sure you have that much space before you cut and realize you're short. If you are short...now's the time to tape some paper together!)
Make sure the dart gun is back in place.
Then draw an outline around the dart gun (it doesn't have to be perfect...just where the holster would ideally be.) You can keep it close - you've got the 3" margin for the thickness above the gun accounted for already.
Also, draw a midline (between line A and line B) - so that the 3" margin for the gun's thickness gets split in two. (This is so you can tell where to fold it in half.)
Fold it in half and cut along that outer curved line.
Lay the gun back on top of your partially-made pattern and mark where the trigger spot is...this is about where you want the bottom of your opening so that you can 'grab and go' when that stuffed animal wolf sneaks up behind you.
{In hindsight, I probably would have made this a little higher...just so the gun was a little more protected.}
Curve this line into an arc, ending at line A.
In case I used this pattern for an unlined holster, I traced the curve to the other half to cut out there, but you could keep it where it is and just flip the pattern over...or if it's always lined, it doesn't matter b/c you'll have two identical mirror image pieces of fabric.
Cut along this curve through to the top of the paper.
{In hindsight - continue that cut all the way through to the top...I just didn't rephotograph after I realized I needed to keep cutting.)
Your pattern is mostly done...we just need to add something for the belt to go through.
{Another hindsight comment, yes...I didn't leave enough space at the side of my paper where the top of the holster pattern is, so I had to add some.}
I wanted it to hang at a slight angle (last time I didn't - my mavarick gun pattern hangs down straight).
The math-y part of this, you'll need a ruler like this one for. If you don't care so much about what angle you're making, just use any ruler.
If math doesn't scare you, stick with me...
Lay the grid ruler on top of the line...hm, we didn't name this one - it's the line that is perpendicular to line A and line B - it was on the right side of the paper, but is now the top of the holster pattern. We'll call it C from now on.
Center the 30 degree line of the ruler over line C. (There is a 30 degree line on either side of the center of the ruler, so make sure the ruler is aimed like this one so that your holster will hang right.)
Draw another line a few inches over, parallel to the first. (You can use any rectangular object that is the width you want your casing at the top of the holster to be - align it with the first line you drew, then trace along the opposite side of your object - you'll have 2 parallel lines spaced like you want them.)
Here is a full shot so you can see the direction of the lines.
I had to tape some more paper to the back of mine behind the sets of lines I just drew to extend the length.
To make it easier, I went ahead and decided the size of my casing (at least 1" for the belt) - 1 1/2", then added a seam allowance (1/2").
Since it's folded in half, that number should double - to 4".
I cut out a piece of paper the size I wanted in width by the 4" I needed in height, and then folded it in half (where it would fold once I sewed the holster). I taped it on the back to align with where I wanted the "top" of my holster to be.
I also folded over the casing and cut it in a more contoured shape (notice the curve on the right of the fold over belt casing.)
One other edit I had to make later as I was sewing...
I found those little curve around the trigger spots were impossible to sew around easily and flip and etc...so just cut them off. It's all better. Trust me. (and ignore that stain on my carpet that is twice as dark in this picture as in real life...should have photoshopped that out)
That's how I did it. Good luck making yours.
I'll post my scanned/photographed and sized to print pattern as a link on the holster instructions page.
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