I'm furious! How do you stitch leather?

[davy]

The saddle stitch IMHO is the way to go .. it is good and strong and will hold up. :hmm: :thumbsup:

Davy

 

[bob1961]

i use a leather hole punch ( upper left ) i bought fer 7 bucks along with spring clamps to hold the leather together...........bob

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu can buy an upholstery need, in a couple of lengths, which has a triangle cross section to it. I have one that is about 3 inches long, and another that is about 6 inches long, with a nice curve to the needles.

The advantage of sewing leather with a triangle or even a diamond shaped needle is that the leather will not tear, as it does with a round needle. I do use an awl with a round needle for punching holes for some purposes, but generally not for sewing. Another way you can stitch using the tool you describ is simply to create a loop on the opposite side where you are pushing the point through the leather, and take a separate thread, or string and pass it through the loop to lock it when you pull the loop tight. I find this minimizes the chance of stabbing one finger or the other using two needles to sew from both sides! A harness vise is also a worthwhile investment if you are going to do much sewing of leather. You can make one with a few boards, screws, and a little thought. Basically you are making a vise like a bench vise, but designed to hold leather together for sewing. It does not leave any marks on the leather using it. And the tension on the vise is put there using a loop around one of your feet. Lift your foot, and you can adjust the leather, so you are sewing always in your best light.

 

[leatherjunkie]

hello i am new here.

this is what i do for stitching leather
for heavier than garment leather i use a dremmel with a drill bit same size as the needle.
I gouge a channel in the leather for the stitch to go in. then i use the Craftool Overstitch Wheel Sz 6(6 holes per inch) from tandy leather.

next i just drill each mark with the dremmel, making sure the dremmel is as straight as i can hold it.

then just start using the saddle stitch and sew it up. you may want to get the "how to sew leather" book from tandy leather. its very informative and well worth the read.

 

[paulvallandigham]

That works for stitching harness leather, and other thick leather projects, like moccasins, but it won't do when stitching thinner leathers. I sewed Elk hide pants for myself, using the upholstery needles mention. I got them from Dixie Gun Works. The nice part about the long needle is that it allowed my full hand to grab it so that I could have control when I pierced both pieces of leather and pulled the thread through the leather as I went. The stitching has held for over 20 years, and a couple of washings ofthe pants.

 

[DrTimboone]

I know it ain't PC but, when making knife sheaths from rawhide or 6-8 ounce veg tanned cowhide or even oak tanned deer hide I found it easiest to glue in the welt, let her dry and use my smallest dremel drill to drill the holes for the thread rather than wearing out my hand with the punch. :thumbsup:

 

[CrackStock]

Welcom Leather Junkie!

I have also used a Dremel and/or a drill press with a guide when making items of very hard and thick leather such as cartridge boxes or helmets. The drill press allows a straigther hole and if you carefully line up the pieces, it sets them up for easy stitching. I find this process is a very good one.

Thinner and softer leather is a whole different game. The curved and very sharp awl is the way to go.

I got the Tandy stitching wheel with the replaceable wheel so that I can do a variety of stitching options.

CS

 

[CrackStock]

Jim,

I just reread your initial post. The stitching awl is a bit odd to learn to use and I do not like it as well as I do other methods. The holes need to be made in advance and be large enough not to cause those brittle needles to break. However it can be really fast.

Punch through the first hole and pull the end of the thread through leaving about an extra length to be used up in the threads. Pull the awl needle back out and push it through the next hole deep enough to leave a loop. As you pull it back, you will see a slight loop formed. Run the free end that you pulled from the first stitch through this loop. Now pull the awl and thighten both sides to make them even. What you will get is a saddle stitch look on the front and a strange folded stitch look on the back. But it is a lot faster than going over the work twice as is done with a true saddle stitch.

Replacement needles are available at Hobby Lobby, Tandy Leather/Leather Unlimited or most feed stores.

CS

 

[Claude Mathis]

I know it ain't PC but, when making knife sheaths from rawhide or 6-8 ounce veg tanned cowhide or even oak tanned deer hide I found it easiest to glue in the welt, let her dry and use my smallest dremel drill to drill the holes for the thread rather than wearing out my hand with the punch. :thumbsup:

I also do this on occasion. :thumbsup:

 

[leatherjunkie]

That works for stitching harness leather, and other thick leather projects, like moccasins, but it won't do when stitching thinner leathers. I sewed Elk hide pants for myself, using the upholstery needles mention. I got them from Dixie Gun Works. The nice part about the long needle is that it allowed my full hand to grab it so that I could have control when I pierced both pieces of leather and pulled the thread through the leather as I went. The stitching has held for over 20 years, and a couple of washings ofthe pants.

True.
When sewing soft(thin) leather for clothes i would punch the holes with a awl before sewing it. i wouldn't use the dremell on this.
You must have been sewing for a few days making those pants :hmm: . thats alot of sewing.
it has taken me a few hours sewing together a gunbelt that fit my 40" waist.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I think it took me two evenings to do the pants. That long shanked upholstery needle was very easy on the hands, and allowed me to push through the elkskin using my whole hand, and not just fingers. If I used a smaller needle, it would have taken a week or so, wearing out my fingers each night. I bought the long shank needle from a dealer at a rendezvous on recommendation from some of the women in the club who had experience sewing leather. So I pass that little tip on to you now. It really does work well. As I said earlier, you can buy these needles through Dixie Gun Works. See their link for the catalogue. If you call around sewing or fabric shops, or to a furniture reupholstery store, they may be able to get you the needles, too.

 

[Bountyhunter]

At the craft supply places like Tandy Leather, or cobbler or harness suppliers, you can buy stitching guide wheels. They are like a screwdriver handle with a spur rowel mounted on the shank so that you take hold of the handle and run it up where you plan to stitch and it makes a bunch of little holes in the leather, all evenly spaced. You then use an awl or a small drill and punch your holes with the guide. That way you get even spaced stitches. They are available in all different number of stitches per inch.

I run my seams with the wheel and then use a small drill bit and drill the holes, that way they are straight and square with the surface of the leather.

B