Hand Sewing Leather - Part Three

Please understand, I am not trying to drag the discussion of how to hand sew leather out until the end of time. I want to pass on as much of my knowledge as I possibly can before the brainwaves change direction. I would like to be able to help you learn from my successes and help you not to make the same mistakes that I have made over the years. I hope that you will be able to avoid those times when you know that you could have done something differently and had fewer problems.

To continue with the steps in hand sewing a leather project, after you have selected the size of thread you are going to use you will want to select the size of needles to use. As I said before, you will not want to use a large needle and you probably will not want to use a large thread either. I would choose the smallest needle that you I get the largest or heaviest thread through the eye. I do not mean to sound like I am trying to contradict myself but I have a reason for saying this. I like to use a larger thread on my projects when sewing by hand because it helps me to be more conscious of the fact that I can pull the thread through the leather between the stitches. This is a difficult challenge to overcome because instead of having two stitching holes you have one large one in an area that will potentially be easier to see.

In looking around at my toolboxes and stashes and caches in my shop, I did find that the smaller of the two needles previously pictured is a #2. In the photo below the needle on the right is the #2 sized needle. You might want to try different sized needles in order to find which size works the best for you. It is possible that you will find that you like different sized needles for different types of projects.

Two different sized hand-stitching needles

Sometimes, it can be a challenge to thread a needle with a thread that would normally be used with a larger needle. As I said previously, I prefer to use a smaller needle because it is much easier to pull through the holes. I have to apologize; I have been away from thread sizes for a long time. I purchased more thread for the machine that I bought ten or more years ago that I cannot remember the sizes. The company that I ordered them from gave me a great deal on a variety of thread and the sizes did not matter. The only thing that mattered was that they would all work with my machine and the size of needles that I would be using. If you find yourself using a thread that is almost too large for the eye of your needles, try cutting the thread at an angle. Many of the threads that I have used have been three woven strands and cutting them off at an angle, preferably with a pair of scissors, will make it easier to thread through the needle.

When I hand sew a project these days I just pull off a length of thread that will allow me to complete the project in one try. I dislike the look of having to overstitch or re-stitch previous stitches or burn the threads on the backside of my project to hide my inability to get my thread the correct length for the project. It is better to overestimate the length of thread that you will need for a project than to underestimate it. I would allow at least twice the length or perimeter of the item you are sewing to make sure that you have enough thread. I would not hurt to have three times the length of what you are sewing to make sure that you can get it all finished with one thread.

I like the idea of using only one length of thread to stitch items that have a perimeter stitch, such as a wallet or maybe a purse. By using, only one length of thread to sew the whole perimeter you will be eliminating multiple occurrences of the need to overstitch and tie off the thread. It can be a little more time consuming at first because you will have two needles with a lot of thread dangling from them but it can have its benefits as well. Your project will have only one place where you will need to tie off the thread. Although it can have its benefits, using a single length of thread can have its detractions as well. The longer length of thread can cause it to tangle easier. It is important to make sure that your work area is clean and clutter free before you begin stitching your project.

The photo below on the top shows the needle after having been threaded. The next photo below shows the second stage in preparing to stitch your project. It is important to keep the thread from slipping back through the eye of the needle when pulling it through the leather. Whether you want to call this “locking” or “latching” the needle and thread it does not matter. After pulling the thread through the eye of the needle, you then want to push the point of the needle back through the tail of the thread, with the tail being the short, loose end of the thread. Depending upon the thread that you are using, you might want to allow anywhere from three to five inches of thread on the tail, especially if using a nylon type of thread.

Needle threaded

Needle poked through the thread tail

After pushing the needlepoint back through the tail of the thread you will then want to pull it down the length of the needle and onto the thread. This will form a loop and the needle and thread are for the most part, locked in place, as the photo on the left shows. One more thing that I like to do is to is to reduce the size of the loop that is formed after pulling the thread down and over the end of the needle. This can be done by pulling the long portion of the thread back through the eye of the needle, as shown in the photo on the right.
 

Needle pulled through the thread tail

 

Thread loop reduced

If you have a project such as a wallet, it might be a good idea to tie off the corners with short pieces of thread before beginning the actual stitching. This will help to keep the holes lined up before beginning the stitching process. Cut off these tie offs within a couple of stitches holes away. It took only a couple of experiences of having to pull out stitches and start all over for me to realize that it is easier to make sure that everything is lined up as it should be from the start.

Once you have threaded both of your needles you can begin stitching your project. As I stated earlier in this post, I like to begin and end my stitching in the place and where it will be the least obvious. When stitching a wallet I will begin where the leather is the thickest. Generally, this would be where the pockets or gussets are attached to the outside portion of the project. I would advise against beginning immediately below the top edge of any pocket or gusset simply because it would be less obvious where the stitching had begun and ended.

It is important to center your thread when preparing to form your first stitch. This is simply done by simply pulling one needle through the hole at which you want to begin the process of stitching, then hold both needles in the same hand, and pull the thread through the hole until you can pull no more through. The photo below shows an example of some stitching I prepared for this post.If you look closely, you can see the needles dangling pretty close to the same distance from the starting point. Also, try not to pull any extra thread through the hole when creating the first two or three stitches.

Needle pulled through the leather and evened with the other

One of the best pieces of equipment that I own is probably the stitching pony that you see pictured in the photo above, holding the leather to be sewn. I have had this one for over forty years. I have sewn and laced many projects with it over the years. Basically, it is a vice that you place upright between your legs, slide your project between the two upright boards, twist the wing nut until the jaws clamp the leather in place.

A stitching pony can be made easily at home. You will need a saw, a square, an electric drill, glue, one quarter inch by three to four-inch long carriage bolt with a wing nut to fit, four each one and one-half inch wood screws, and sand paper. Cut three boards that are on-half inch thick by three to three and one-half inches wide and fifteen inches long. Many home supply stores will be able to cut the boards for you if necessary. You will need one piece of the same lumber cut about three inches long to make the center of the stitching pony clamp.

I will try to include some plans or photos of a homemade stitching pony in one of the next posts. I will try to explain the process of making one in an easy to understand manner. I will not try to complicate it too much!

If you have any questions or comments please let me know. I will be glad to help if I can. Thank you for visiting.

Have fun!