DIY Network

Brush and Wood Carrier Tote brush or firewood with ease. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-508

This lightweight sling makes short work of carrying jobs.

Anyone who's ever tried to carry an armful of sticks, brush or firewood by hand knows the value of a carrier like this leather one from B. Original host Michele Beschen: It keeps small pieces of wood or debris from escaping, and makes it easier to carry large loads.

Michele Beschen made her carrier from leather, but a sturdy canvas also can work. Make your own today – it'll help yard and garden jobs go quicker, giving you more time to B. Original in the great outdoors.

advertisement

Leather Carrier

Materials:

large piece of leather
tailor’s chalk
measuring tape
1/2" grommet kit with 8 grommets
hammer
15' of sturdy rope

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

• Use tailor’s chalk to mark a large rectangle – about 24" by 30" – in the center of the piece of leather (figure A).

• Install a grommet at each corner of the rectangle, about 2" out from the side lines and 4" out from the top and bottom lines (figure B). Grommet kits are available at home improvement or fabric stores, or in the camping departments of discount stores. They are very easy to work with: Just follow the instructions that come with the kit.

  Note: If the grommet kit's hole cutter doesn't punch all the way through the leather, finish cutting the holes with a sharp craft knife. Be careful not to cut a hole too large for the grommet, or it won't attach properly.

• Install two more grommets along the top and bottom sides of the rectangle. Line them up with the corner grommets and measure so they are spaced evenly between the corner grommets (figure C).

• Wrap some masking tape around the ends of the rope to keep them from fraying.

• Thread the rope through the grommets. To start, bring the rope from the back of the leather up through the second grommet from the right at the top of the rectangle. Pull about 1' of rope through.

• Thread the other (long) end of the rope, up through the grommet in the top right corner (the next grommet to the right). Thread it back down through the grommet at the bottom right corner.

• Continue to weave the rope through the grommets, working clockwise around the leather. Do not pull the rope tight.

• When the rope gets back to the starting point, tie a square knot to hold the two rope ends together.

• Arrange the rope so there are two large, equal loops of rope at the sides of the carrier. These will be the handles (figure D).

• Take the new carrier out to the yard and fill it up – you'll be amazed at how much you can lug around in this sturdy garden sling.