We’re really excited as we’ve recently taken delivery of our first sewing machine!
Whilst we sell whole hides, half hides and leather panels we also wanted to expand our range to hand crafted products and whilst we love to sew by hand, using a sewing machine can be a lot quicker.
So here’s our sewing machine – we’ve bought a Singer 211G
These sewing machines are perfect for stiching medium and heavy weight leather. They are high quality and have a high speed.
We’ve already made a few items with our sewing machine and intend on producing alot more!
Here’s a video of Mandi making a country soft leather journal.
Here’s our top tips for sewing leather
1. Always test first – try all your stitches on scrap leather that is the same thickness that you will be using. Any stitches that you sew will leave a permanent mark so it’s not easy to fix mistakes, so take your time, good prep work will create a better finished product.
2. Sewing Machine Foot – Make sure you have the right foot on your machine for sewing leather – a regular presser foot will stick to the leather which can stop it from feeding correctly through the machine. You can simply change your regular presser foot and use a teflon or roller foot which will move easily over the leather
3. Use the correct needle – There are special needles for sewing leather which are heavy duty and have a special tip that pierces the leather, and creates a beautiful uniform slanted stitch.
4. Never Pin Leather! – pins will leave a permanent mark on the leather, we prefer to lightly glue any pieces together first, just a small application of standard PVA and laid under a weight/press to bond for 30 mins.
Remember, good prep work is key!
Once your pieces are bonded, it will allow you to trim before you sew and ensure that you have a clean finished edge. The glue will also hold the pieces together when you sew and prevent the top piece from stretching.
If there’s something you’d like to see us make or you have a bespoke project that you’d like to us to look at making for you, please do get in touch! We’re happy to take on bespoke commissions and can also help with some repairs. Call us on 01273 514441 or email sales@leather4craft.co.uk.
If you want to try yourself, we sell notebook kits that are ready for you to sew together! Check out our Journal/Notebook Kits