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How to Sew Leather Crafts

Sewing with leather is different from sewing with other materials because it is harder and thicker than regular material. The stitches need a lot more strength, so the thread used is different than regular sewing thread. Unless you have a commercial leather sewing machine, you will need to hand sew your thick leather crafts. The stitches used are universal so they will apply to any leather craft. Suede is a thinner, softer leather and has a different sewing technique that will also be covered in this article.

Things You'll Need

  • Leather
  • 3/32 inch thonging chisel
  • Waxed thread
  • 2 leather needles
  • Contact cement
  • Suede
  • Wallpaper roller
  • Sewing machine
  • Polyester thread
  • Small binder clips
  • Paper plate
  • Cotton swab
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Instructions

  1. Thick Leather Sewing

    • 1

      Align two pieces of leather. Use a thonging chisel to make rows of holes in the two pieces of leather. A thonging chisel is different from a hole punch--it cuts the leather with a triple-edged blade rather than poking it.

    • 2

      Thread two leather sewing needles with one piece of waxed thread so that a single thread goes through the leather rather than a doubled thread. Do not tie a knot in the end.

    • 3

      Fit your leather pieces together and seal with contact cement where the seams will be. Contact cement is not for strength, but to help the piece flatten nicely.

    • 4

      Start in a corner or end of your leather craft, and make your first stitch from underneath up to the top with one needle. Pull through, leaving two or three inches of thread on the end. Take the other needle and insert it in the opposite side of the same hole. You will have two threads coming out of the same hole, one on the top and one on the bottom. Do a running stitch with each thread, in the hole, out the next, alternating needles. Your stitch will look like one continuous stitch with no gaps between stitches.

    • 5

      On the last stitch, double back one stitch and snip your thread close to the leather. The wax will seal the thread end.

    Suede

    • 6

      Put seams together to be sewn. Do not hold together with pins because they will make holes in the suede. Hold edges together with binder clips. Use polyester thread to sew a 1/2 inch in from the edge. Do not backstitch ends. Leave end threads long.

    • 7

      Tie off the thread ends with a square knot. Leave the thread end about two inches long.

    • 8

      Press your seam open with a wallpaper roller, using pressure instead of heat. This will hold the seam open fairly well, but it will tend to pop up some.

    • 9

      Put some rubber cement on a paper plate. Load your cotton swab with rubber cement, and spread the cement on the inside flaps of the suede seam. On the second side, pull in the end strings and glue those in, too.

    • 10

      Press seam again with the wallpaper roller.

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