When a sheath is assembled with tacks the only stitching (if any) on the sheath is on the back for the belt loop. The margins of the sheath are glued (as are our stitched sheaths) and the tacks are pushed all the way through. The shanks of the tacks are then bent over in an arc, pulling the tacks very tight, and hammered flat. The result is that the points of the tacks are embedded in the leather.