O.K., here we go with THE ugliest IWB holster this side of the Mississippi!
However, it IS absolutely comfortable, functional, and leaves NO external indicators that I'm a JMB disciple....
And it's cheap.
First, the holster.
The leather came from hobby lobby in a bulk "scrap" leather bag that cost like 8 bucks. I researched holster making techniques on-line and watched a couple of vids on you tube. I cut the leather to fit a Kimber that has a light rail, however, I carry a springer with no rail, and it still works fine. I used a nail and a hammer to make it easier to run the needle through the leather, and I used 550 para cord guts as the threading. The needle came from a heavy duty needle kit I had on hand that I used to make repairs whenever my military kit needed it. I cut the leather with a box cutter.
Once I formed the holster around the gun, I placed it on my hip while wearing pants and a belt, and futzed around with the height and cant in order to determine what was comfortable, and what concealed well. Once I found the right height and cant, I marked, cut the angles, and sewed the holster to the 2 pieces of leather I used for attachment to a belt, and to distribute the weight.
The belt is made of cotton denim from an old pair of levis I cut up, which is very comfortable, strong, and washable. I used velcro I had on hand to secure the belt in place.
The rig worn....
This particular rig was going to be a prototype, but out of shear laziness, and the fact that it works well, I opted out of buying nicer leather and making it look "pretty". However, I will probably get around to buying better leather and making a "pretty" rig one day....maybe use some silk for the belt or something. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Total construction time was probably about 5 hours or so, however, more time was spent futzing with the right angles, wetting and shaping the leather a bit, and letting it dry. Basically, I spent a Saturday afternoon watching some flicks and making the rig, and touched it up the next day after the leather dried.
Outside of the leather, I used what I had on hand, however, you can purchase specific leather tools to speed up the process and make a more refined product. That wasn't my goal though. I like to do things myself, so the time expenditure didn't matter to me, as I would rather create something that works for me, as opposed to wasting cash on products that may not serve my needs.
I am very satisfied with the end result as it is functional, the leather is super comfortable, and I can carry my full size 1911 in pretty much ANY clothing without leaving ANY type of signature, and I'm a relatively slender dude.
Many folks opt to purchase finished products and are satisfied, however, many end up purchasing a few holsters until they get the "right" one. That's fine, however, with a little work you can get it right the first time, and get EXACTLY what you want by doing it yourself.