Archery Arm Protector

Whether you love archery, and you shoot at targets, or you're a real huntsman, and you fill your freezer with your own gatherings, you'll look really cool - and protect your arm - when you make your own arm protector. You've seen them, haven't you? Many archers wear them around the arm, between the wrist and elbow, and they're often made of a camouflage material. A store that sells supplies for archery charges a lot of money for this small accessory but you can make it for a couple of bucks.

It's up to you if you want the arm protector to be made of camouflage material. You'll find camouflage at a large fabric store but you can also use colors like beige, brown, or black. The ideal cloth would be somewhat thick and not stretchy. You'll need a quarter-yard to a half-yard of fabric.

Measure around the area of your arm, just above the wrist, and write that number down. Measure around the upper part of your lower arm, just below the elbow area, and write down that number. Add a half-inch to each of those numbers. Draw lines to represent the numbers on the fabric. They will create the width of the arm protector. To determine the length, measure from just above the wrist to just below the elbow. Add an inch to the length measurement. After drawing the arrangement on the fabric, cut it out, and set it aside for now.

Thin foam is perfect for giving the arm protector some padding. A good source of cheap foam is a craft store. Craft foam is thin and inexpensive. Lay the fabric piece on the foam piece and draw around it. When cutting out the foam piece, make it a half-inch smaller - all the way around - than the cloth itself.

Position the foam on the backside of the cloth and sew the two together. To do that, fold the four edges of the cloth over the foam edges. Sew straight around the perimeter.

Cut a piece of Velcro - and it's opposing piece - to be the length of the arm protector. Sew the pieces on the two edges of the fabric to make a closure.

To wear the arm protector, lay it on the back of your arm, bring the edges together, and stick the Velcro in place. Not only does it protect your arm but it looks really cool, too!