sewing leather

[sharkweek]

I'm looking to make a leather bag. I've got a simple totepattern mapped out, but I'm curious about which type of awl, weight ofthread, andneedles to use as well as the best way to make and attach handles and a lining. I'm not entirely new to sewing, but I've never worked with leather before.

So far I've heard poly thread is my best option and for strengthI'm planning on sewing the bag using a technique I saw used in an Hermès documentary. I beleive it was called saddle stitching, but I'm not sure.It used two needles allowing the thread to cross over and overlap in every hole.

[kira]

Re: sewing leather



i have no idea

[philip nod]

Re: sewing leather

[74]

[zamb]

Re: sewing leather



Sharkweek,

If you were sewing this by machine i might be able to give you some advice, but i have very liitle (almost none) experience in sewing leather by hand.......

Good luck to you on this project though.

[Chinorlz]

Re: sewing leather



So while working on some gloves it's become quite apparent that stitching the seams by hand not only sucks but results in some severe irregularities and imprecision. You just cant get the seams tight enough by hand.

Time to invest in a machine. Saw a video of a Yuki industrial sewing machine rocking through 3 layers of leather with ease... should I go with a Yuki or will most industrial sewing machines be able to handle 3 layers of 1mm thick calf leather? The elephant leather is going to be about 3-4 mm thick I think so the ability of the machine is KEY.

Thanks guys!!

[zamb]

Re: sewing leather

[quote user="Chinorlz"]

So while working on some gloves it's become quite apparent that stitching the seams by hand not only sucks but results in some severe irregularities and imprecision. You just cant get the seams tight enough by hand.

Time to invest in a machine. Saw a video of a Yuki industrial sewing machine rocking through 3 layers of leather with ease... should I go with a Yuki or will most industrial sewing machines be able to handle 3 layers of 1mm thick calf leather? The elephant leather is going to be about 3-4 mm thick I think so the ability of the machine is KEY.

Thanks guys!!

[/quote]

Small Correction........ its actually JUKI, Albert, ........... and they have become the industry standards for machines....... all of the machines we have here at work are from this brand, and they work very well so i highly recommend them.

the regular industrial straight stitch can sew leather pretty well. all you will need is a teflon presser foot and a set of leather machine needles which are different from the ones to sew regular fabric (i can easily get these to you so no need to worry) on the other hand there is a machine specifically made to sew leather....... its called a WALKING FOOT MACHINE, its not worth it to invest in this as you wont be doing mass production of heavy leather items and it will run you about $3K to own, the regular straight stitch industrial you can have for about $450 -$700 Depending on where you buy and what condition its in..................

[Chinorlz]

Re: sewing leather

[quote user="zamb"][quote user="Chinorlz"]

So while working on some gloves it's become quite apparent that stitching the seams by hand not only sucks but results in some severe irregularities and imprecision. You just cant get the seams tight enough by hand.

Time to invest in a machine. Saw a video of a Yuki industrial sewing machine rocking through 3 layers of leather with ease... should I go with a Yuki or will most industrial sewing machines be able to handle 3 layers of 1mm thick calf leather? The elephant leather is going to be about 3-4 mm thick I think so the ability of the machine is KEY.

Thanks guys!!

[/quote]

Small Correction........ its actually JUKI, Albert, ........... and they have become the industry standards for machines....... all of the machines we have here at work are from this brand, and they work very well so i highly recommend them.

the regular industrial straight stitch can sew leather pretty well. all you will need is a teflon presser foot and a set of leather machine needles which are different from the ones to sew regular fabric (i can easily get these to you so no need to worry) on the other hand there is a machine specifically made to sew leather....... its called a WALKING FOOT MACHINE, its not worth it to invest in this as you wont be doing mass production of heavy leather items and it will run you about $3K to own, the regular straight stitch industrial you can have for about $450 -$700 Depending on where you buy and what condition its in..................

[/quote]

Haha thanks Zamb!

Oops, I did mean Juki. Hadn't slept in 36 hours when I wrote that hahaha. I think I will be investing in that next :)

Yeah... $3k on a machine is a bit too much at this point. Going for the solid basics right now and so a serger and the Juki are top of my list :)

[sharkweek]

Re: sewing leather

quick update:

I decided to start a little smaller and make a wallet instead. This way I won't waste as much if it happens that I botch it. I bought a deer hide and some artificial sinew to sew with. I'm using a lino cutter as an awl as well as a really similar lino cutter that has been dulled to have the sinew go through the holes. Has worked well in small tests but I'll have to wait for the hide to show up to see how it pans out

[stnlychrls]

Re: sewing leather



I've been wanting to work with leather for awhile aswell. I must have seen the same Hermes documentary as you and they used wax coated thread. The wax prevented the leather from rotting which the thread will inevitably do. I researched the saddle stitch technique as well and it seems the best option for working with large leather goods.

If I ever work up the courage to work with leather I will let you know.