Unfortunately, there is a misconception that a material such as leather is extremely complex; not every experienced craftsman can work with it, let alone beginners. This is a rather serious delusion, since even possessing the basic skills of cutting and sewing, it is possible to make original and rather non-standard things from such a material that is at first glance, which is not simple at first glance. The most important thing is to know how to sew leather by hand, taking into account its specific structure and characteristics. We will tell you about this in this article.

Material preparation

Before proceeding directly to stitching the product, such material must first be prepared. To do this, you need special tools, namely a hammer, punch and awl.

Important! Besides, you can also use additional tools for working with leather goods, for example, a “fork”. The only drawback is that after applying it, the holes have to be opened with an awl.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. On the material you are processing, draw a line with a compass, which will serve as a guideline for you in the future.
2. Using a punch and a hammer, punch small holes on the surface of the skin with an interval of 3-5 millimeters according to the previously drawn reference.

Important! Punctures are best done at an angle. Thus, you will protect the fastening threads from further erasure during the operation of the finished product.

We sew the skin ourselves - the main ways

When the preparatory work has been completed, you should proceed to the direct stitching of the parts. This can be done:

• manually;
• using a crochet hook;
• stitching on sewing machine.

Sew the leather by hand

In order to sew leather with your hands, you need to pick up a special needle:

• It must be strong and blunt.
• As for the size of the ear, in this case it does not matter, since the work will already take place with the holes ready.

Operating procedure:

• Pull the short end of the thread and twist it into a loop. This should be done so that the thread does not come off during operation.

Important! Please note that when working with leather, you should use linen threads, which must be pre-treated with a special wax.

• Next, place the two previously prepared elements of the product on top of each other so that the holes coincide.
• Now you can safely stitch the workpiece. For sewing this fabric, use a Forward Needle or Backward Needle stitch.
• At the end, the seam should be secured with a knot.

Important! You can sew both pieces at the same time with two needles. To do this, insert one of the needles into the extreme hole and pull it through. Pass the second needle through the second hole from the opposite side and pull it up. After - insert both needles into the next hole and pull them through it.

In addition, to make the finished seam stronger and easier to work with, you can pre-glue the parts with PVA glue.

We sew leather using a crochet hook

If you do not have a special needle, you can use the hook or awl that you used to make the holes for sewing.

Important! You should work with the crochet very carefully, as it is quite easy for them to damage the material you are processing.

In order to sew leather by hand with a crochet hook, you must adhere to the following sequence of actions:

• In one hand, grasp the already prepared overedge, and in the other - a hook or awl.
• Make a hole on the outside of the workpiece.
• Insert a hook into the hole and hook the thread with it. Pull her out on front side blanks.

Important! It will be easier to hook and pull the thread if you first fold it and make a loop out of it.

• Detach the hook, carefully pull the end of the thread so that one part of it is on the outside and the other on the inside of the workpiece.
• Use an awl to poke another hole at the desired distance.
• Reinsert the crochet hook into the second hole and grab the thread from the inside.
• Pull the thread so that its tip is about 10 millimeters above the product.
• Release the hook.
• Pull the end of the thread that you got earlier into the resulting loop.
• Once you've finished and sewed the last hole, the seam needs to be secured. To do this, before cutting the thread, it is necessary, in the same way, to sew several holes in the reverse order.

Sew leather on a sewing machine

Before starting work, it should be borne in mind that extremely thin leather can be sewn on a standard household sewing machine. As for the denser material, in this case, special units will already be needed.

Before starting work, you need to properly prepare the workplace:

• First you need to purchase a special machine needle with a round tip for working with leather. Due to the rounded end, the needle cuts through the fibers of the material during darning without pushing them apart.

Important! If the stitch does not work, you need to choose a thicker needle or the material is thinner.

• If the thread does not stretch, you can replace linen thread with nylon thread.
• If the conveyor cannot cope with the advancement of the material, in this case you will need to purchase a Teflon, PTFE or roller foot.

Important! Experienced craftsmen for easier movement of the material, during work, the pattern is oiled or sprinkled with talcum powder.

Unlike sewing leather by hand with a needle or crochet hook, a sewing machine allows you to sew this material different options seams.

The main types of machine seams for working with genuine leather:

• Static in the bobby pins. Fold the parts right sides in, align the cuts and join them with a machine stitch. After that, cut off the allowances and coat with glue, and then nail it up.
• Static in the “split”. Fold the finished parts of the product with the right sides inward and connect them with a machine stitch. Coat the allowances with glue and chop on both sides.
• Stitch seam on the rib. Fold the blanks seamy side inside and sew with the specified seam width. Trim the seam allowances and iron them from seamy side to rib.
• Topstitching seam. Fold the elements right sides inward and align the cuts. Connect them with machine stitching. Cut the allowances, coat with PVA glue and chop on both sides of the stitched seam. Sew finishing stitches on both sides of the seam at equal distances.

Important! If the finished seam will be stressed, you can reinforce it by gluing a strip of strong material to the wrong side of the stitching.

• Stitching seam. It can be of two types:
  1. With an open cut. To do this, fold the parts with the right sides down and align the cuts. Connect them with a regular stitch. Cover the seam allowance of the upper part with glue and hammer the seam onto it. Sew an extra finishing stitch on the right side of the garment.
  2. With a closed cut. Fold the finished parts with the right sides inward, connect the sections with a machine stitch. Trim the upper part allowances and pin them, placing a finishing stitch along the previously sewn seam.
• An overhead seam, like a topstitch seam, can be of two types:
  1. With a closed cut. On both blanks, mark the future seam line, and then pin the upper part allowance along this line. Coat the wrong side with glue. On the seam allowance of the lower part, glue a narrow transfer tape from the front side so that it reaches the seam line. Place the boarded-up edge over the upper part, going into the seam allowance of the lower one. Aligning the edges with the line, glue them together with PVA glue. Sew an extra finishing stitch on the right side.
  2. With open slices. Mark the future seam line on the bottom part. Glue the transfer tape to the allowance. Glue the top piece and sew with an additional finishing stitch.

Important! The machine stitch is not secured with a back seam. In order to secure the ends of the threads, you need to tie them in several knots.

We bring to your attention a few additional recommendations so that you can sew the leather by hand correctly, without damaging it, and the finished product was of high quality:

• If you work with suede, when cutting parts, pay attention to the direction of the pile, otherwise, the finished elements of the future product will differ in color.
• It is necessary to iron this material only from the wrong side through cotton fabric or gauze. Temperature regime the iron should be low, without steam generation.
• Before gluing the blanks, the skin must first be degreased, and the glue must be applied with a clean brush.
• The glued parts must be put under the press and kept there until they are completely dry, after which the remaining glue must be wiped off with a swab and alcohol.
• At the end of the work, all markings can be removed with soap or ammonia.

  As you can see, sew any product from genuine leather even a beginner can do it. The most important thing is to adhere to the above tips of our specialists, thanks to which you can correctly process such a complex and fastidious material, turning it into an original and high-quality thing.

Although its history dates back to the dawn of civilization, working with leather remains an enjoyable and rewarding skill even in the era of 3D printers. And while you can spend a lifetime studying more of the intricacies of working with leather, the basics lend themselves easily to anyone.

One of the most beneficial of leatherworking skills is the ability to sew pieces of leather together. The process is similar to sewing fabric, but with some significant differences.

In this article, you will learn how to sew two pieces of leather together correctly, quickly and firmly without using a sewing machine.

Hand stitch and machine stitch. If one stitch in the saddle stitch (top) breaks or frays, the second thread will hold the remaining stitches in place and prevent the layers of leather from coming apart. If the machine seam breaks or frays itself (from below), then several adjacent stitches will disperse, and perhaps all the products will fall apart over time.

Sewing leather by hand can seem daunting at first. And there is. Indeed, in order to get a beautiful and even seam, and not a crooked one, like a drunken horse popping, you need special punches, an awl, strong needles, strong waxed thread, wax and some other tools. But they all cost much less than sewing machine ready to sew thick leather. And the sewing process is also a great pleasure. What could be more pleasant than seeing an even and beautiful seam appear from under your hands. A hand-sewn product will last much longer than a machine-sewn one, even the best and most expensive one.

Basic and ample tools to get started with saddle stitching

Leather sewing needles are thicker, have a blunt nose, a larger thread hole and are much stronger than conventional sewing needles. Unlike sewing fabric, a leather needle does not pierce a hole for itself, it only leads the thread through a hole previously punched with a punch or awl.

The saddle stitch technique uses two needles and one thread. This thread is much thicker and stronger than the thread used for sewing fabrics and is usually made from several fibers of durable flax or synthetic material. Beeswax is used to lubricate the thread. Although it is much easier to buy an already waxed thread.

In this tricky way, the thread is attached to a needle.

Cut the thread to a sufficient length for your project. As a rule, for a 5-6mm thickness of stitched leather, take the stitch length and multiply by 2.5. As a result, the length of the thread is obtained, which should be cut off from the skein. For a belt 110 cm long, the length of the seam around the perimeter is about 2.5 meters, multiply by 2.5, we get that we need a thread about 6 meters long! It will be extremely difficult for beginners to sew a waist belt with thread of this length. Even the pros do not take a thread of this length, because it is extremely inconvenient to work with it. As a rule, if a long thread is needed, then a piece of thread is cut off the length of the divorced arms and sewn in several approaches. The strength of the seam does not suffer from this, but the convenience and speed of work is much increased.

Tighten the end of the thread

After you have cut the thread to the desired length, pass it through the eye of the needle and pierce the thread with the opposite end a couple of times at a distance of 7-8 cm from the end. Then pull the ponytail towards the other end of the thread and it will secure your needle and will not jump anywhere. Do this with two needles.

We mark the seam

Now you need to prepare the leather for sewing. According to all canons, we should postpone a line from the edge of the skin at a distance equal to two thicknesses of the stitched skin. There are many tools to mark the skin, but you can use a pair of compasses or scissors to get started.

The distance between the stitches of the future seam depends on the purpose of the product, the thickness of the thread, the thickness of the leather, imagination. If you are going to pierce the holes under the seam with an awl, then use a special tool with replaceable rollers for marking. The rollers have projections with different pitch. Using an awl when hand sewing leather is old school. This is the way craftsmen from HERMES sew their products, for example. V Lately more popular are the so-called line punches. They make it possible to punch holes in the skin at the same distance. The holes can be of different shapes and can be tilted to one side or the other. There are also punches that make round holes.

To start sewing leather, join two pieces, place them on a piece of leather you do not need or a special cutting mat and punch holes with a punch. The mat is needed in order not to damage the punches. The punches will also blunt less when using a cutting mat.

Punching holes

Hold the punch on the marked seam lines. Then hit from above with a soft rubber mallet or wooden mallet. Punch right through the skin. Then remove the punch from the skin, place one of its teeth in the outermost punched hole and continue on. Before each punching, it is recommended to stick the punch into wax or paraffin. This will make it easier to pierce the skin and will be easier to pull out. From time to time, the punches should be trimmed or even sharpened. As a rule, beginners buy inexpensive Chinese punches. It is imperative to sharpen and grind such punches, since they have traces of the metalworking equipment on which they were made. These marks - burrs and a rough surface of the cutting part of the punches - interfere with comfortable work. The punch does not penetrate the skin well and is difficult to pull out. If you spend a little time fine-tuning the punches, then working with them will be a pleasure and you will not need wax or paraffin for lubrication.

A special clamp or vise, which is popularly nicknamed "pony". Used when sewing leather. This vise holds the piece to be sewn.

When sewing, the leather must be secured somewhere. You will not be able to hold it in your hands, since you will have two needles in your hands. Of course, you can sew with needles one at a time, then a vice is not needed. But we're talking about classical technique sewing with a saddle stitch.

Instead of a special vice, as in the photo, the skin can be clamped between the knees or in a locksmith's vice with soft jaws.

Willingness number one!

Thread one needle through the first hole and pull the needles upward with your hands until the thread is taut. In this way, you will find the middle of the thread and it - the middle - will be in the first hole.

Thread the right needle through the hole

Pass the needle that is on the wrong side of your garment through the second hole. Pull about 5cm of thread through the hole. Then thread another needle through the same hole. The tip of this needle should come out from the front of the thread. Pay for it Special attention especially if you are just starting to sew. All the beauty and evenness of the seam depends on this moment. After some time, you will get used to this operation and it will work out by itself, but be careful at first.

Before pulling out the second needle, pull on the thread from the side where the tip of the second needle sticks out and at the same time pull the needle through. This is to avoid a situation where the second needle pierces the thread inside the hole. If you do not pull on the thread together with the needle, the second needle, together with its part of the thread, will pass through the thread of the first needle and it will be impossible to sew further. Of course, you can untangle such a story, or even cut the thread and start sewing over again. But what if you have already come to the end of the 110cm belt? It will be a shame. Therefore, pay close attention to this operation as well.

Also, be sure to first thread the needle with which you started sewing. If you alternate needles, the seam will be uneven.

Many people who are fond of tailoring very often have to work with leather. Handmade bags, leather jewelry, various crafts and even leather paintings look very original and stylish. But most often working with leather is associated with repairing leather clothing, replacing a zipper, restoring torn areas, etc.

There are many books on teaching the technique of sewing leather by hand or on a sewing machine, which describe in detail the purpose of certain tools for working with leather. I offer just a few basic guidelines for working with leather, which will be useful to anyone who decides to repair a bag, jacket, etc.



Leather tools



Working with leather has many of its own "secrets" and little things, which must be known and taken into account.
For example, when cutting out paired parts, you need to remember that the skin stretches more in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction, so paired parts need to be cut in any, but only in the same direction.

Do not split the skin with pins. Punctures leave marks on the skin, and if you change the lock in a leather bag or jacket, you can easily make sure of this.

Soft leather can be sewn on a sewing machine with a regular # 80 or # 90 needle. But for sewing rough leather or thickened areas, a special needle is required for working with leather. Even for manual sewing of leather, a leather needle looks special, instead of a point it has a triangular tip.

The stitch length for leather should not be too small, as with frequent punctures, the skin can break at the joints.

You need to cut the skin with a special boot knife on a plastic board or plexiglass. You can also use a wooden surface, but then the edge of the knife will cut into the wood.

A boot knife, rubber glue, glue reinforcements for seams, a thimble, strong synthetic threads and a small hammer with an awl are a must-have for any home "furrier" who decides to replace the zipper in a bag or repair a torn section of a leather jacket.

How to sew leather on a sewing machine


Not every sewing machine can sew leather, take care of your sewing machine and do not try to sew thick and rough leather products, especially bags, on it. As a last resort, you can use a manual sewing machine such as "Podolskaya", but not modern "seamstresses" at the price of 5 thousand rubles. For working with leather, special industrial-design machines are provided or, in extreme cases, the instructions should indicate that this machine can be used to sew leather clothing.


If you will be sewing leather on the sewing machine household typewriter, then be sure to buy special needles and a foot, with a wheel (as in the photo). Then the leather under the foot will not "slip" and the machine will easily advance the product without forming a landing of the upper layer of the leather.

If you do not have a foot or it does not fit (Podolsk sewing machine), then in order to make the skin easier to advance under the foot, you can sew it through thin paper, which is then easy to remove.

You need to take strong and elastic threads for a sewing machine, nylon threads are not intended for sewing on a machine. They are only used for handmade leather work.

Natural leather sewing technology

When sewing suede products, you need to take into account the direction of the pile, otherwise the details will have a different shade.

The leather is ironed from the wrong side with a non-hot iron without steam through a dry cloth.

To prevent the upper part from stretching relative to the other, purchase a special foot with a Teflon-coated sole or such as the photo. Teflon feet cost a lot less than custom leather feet.

The ends of the threads of the seams must be securely fixed with several knots, since machine stitches on leather products are not fixed with a reverse motion of the machine and they tend to unravel easily.

Working with leather is impossible without glue. The glue is applied with a brush to a cleaned and degreased surface. Universal adhesives such as PVA and Moment, as well as rubber glue, are very effective. Repeat the procedure with the application of glue several times in order to thoroughly impregnate the leather. At the same time, take care in advance that the glue is not too liquid, otherwise the skin will get wet.
Set the glue-treated parts aside until the glue dries "to the touch."
After some time, connect the parts together. Place the glued parts under the press. You can even tap these areas lightly with a hammer.

Use a cotton swab or rag to immediately remove excess adhesive to prevent ruining the front of your skin.


How to install fittings on leather goods


Any handmade leather should be decorated with fittings. Large metal rivets and buttons, buttons, locks, locks are very decorating leather products.

Buttons are sewn to the skin only if there are buttons on the seamy side.

The punched holes for the button are reinforced either with pieces of the same material or with a dense adhesive cloth.

Installing buttons requires a special tool. You can get by with home-made devices, but this installation method gives a lot of scrap, then get more buttons than required.

Fasten the zipper before attaching it to the leather product. Instead of threading, glue tapes or glue are used.

The edges of the cut skin areas are glued with special skin enhancers (tapes). On one side, a weak adhesive is applied to such a tape.

From a puncture with a needle, holes remain, so the seam is made once. As a last resort, a seam is laid over the old holes.


How to refresh appearance skin


After finishing working with leather, the appearance of the product can be freshened up. You can remove the marking lines with soap and water and ammonia, then wipe with a cloth moistened with petroleum jelly or glycerin.

Heavily soiled areas on the skin can be washed with warm unboiled milk, rubbed with whipped egg white or half an onion.

White skin is cleaned with a mixture of milk and beaten egg white.

Patent leather should be wiped with a cloth moistened with glycerin, or cleaned with a swab dipped in milk.

Suede can be cleaned with sawdust soaked in gasoline (the remaining sawdust is brushed off), or an ink eraser, as well as a fine-grained abrasive cloth.

Household grease stains are removed with gasoline or talc and oxalic acid solution.

Very easy to use paint for leather in aerosol packaging: it is sprayed, holding the can at a distance of about 20 cm from the skin and quickly moving it along the painted surface. After a ten minute break, the next coat of paint is applied. This operation continues until the surface of the skin acquires an even and lasting color.


Sewing leather goods




A few tips for sewing and cutting leather or suede clothing.

1. Pick up patterns that do not require planting. In this case, complex shapes are easier to accomplish with structural seams than with darts. In the past, tailors tried to use as few seam lines as possible on leather products. Currently, leather products have more seams, often even leather clothing or accessories are sewn from small pieces of leather.

2. Kimono and raglan sleeves are easier to make when sewing leather clothing than set-in sleeves. If you are making a set-in sleeve, measure its increase in fit. It should be no more than 1.5 cm. It is better to make a shirt-cut sleeve, as it has a looser armhole.

3. You must be confident in the correctness of your sewing patterns. Therefore, it is good to use a pattern that you have already worked with. Or, the prepared pattern should be checked on a mock-up made of non-woven material (non-woven without glue) or inexpensive fabric, and only then mark it on the skin and cut it.

4. Before opening the leather, mark holes and thin spots on the seamy side of the hide so that you can work around them when cutting. Carefully lay out the patterns, make sure that the paired parts (right and left shelves, right and left sleeves, etc.) are cut out in a mirror image. Contours, lines and marks are marked on the seamy side of the skin with a ballpoint pen or a soft pencil, or a special marking pen. Mark the seam and hem allowances. Some marks can be made with notches or duct tape. The seam allowances should be the same width, which makes it easier to grind the cut.

5. Leather stretches in different directions in different ways, therefore, when cutting, it is necessary to observe the same direction of paired and mating parts. When cutting suede, the direction of the pile must be observed. The pile should be directed from top to bottom.

6. The needle leaves puncture marks on the skin, so leather parts are not swept away, and the seams are not ripped apart. Use duct tape or paper clips to pre-join parts. There is also a special pencil for fixing seams from the firm "Guterman". The pencil does not leave marks on the sewing machine needle.

7. Use a stitching, topstitching or seam stitching. The seam allowances cannot be ironed or ironed out as on fabric. Instead, they can be glued with a rubber glue or other adhesive that remains elastic after polymerization (drying). There are special adhesives of the "Rudolfix" company, as well as the NT 2 glue of the "Guterman" company. If you do not have glue, machine stitch the seam allowances in position.

8. It is recommended to use a special non-woven for leather LE 420, which is glued with an iron, as a gasket.

9. The fastener is carried out with a "zipper", on the hinges (overturned, overcast and hinged) and on buttons. The buttons must be riveted. They are installed in fittings installation workshops.

10. Smooth the seams with the scissors handles. First, put the allowances on the inside out with short taps, smooth them out. Then do the same from the front side with the seam groove.

11. Working with leather involves ironing the leather with a non-hot iron without steam through a dry cloth from the inside of the product. Try on a scrap of leather before ironing on a piece.

Many people believe that working with natural leather is quite difficult. However, it is not. Skin is noble natural material... It is well cut, looks beautiful in various products and is worn for a long time, remaining looking great.

You need to know a couple of simple secrets on how to sew leather, in order not to spoil the material and give the desired look to your product. So:

When choosing leather in a store, be sure to have the entire set of prepared patterns with you. Since the skin can have color defects, holes and irregularities in different areas. And if you have patterns with you, then you will select the pieces of leather you need without defects.

Before sewing the leather, you need to sweep it away. You can not sweep the details of the product with needles and threads. Since there are traces of them. In order for them not to be necessary, first fasten the skin with pins, but they need to be injected perpendicular to the seam. Do not go beyond the seam! It is best to machine-stitch over the pins before removing the pins.

Do not under any circumstances unpick the already stitched material, as defects will remain on it. Better to sew according to previously checked patterns.

After the stitches have been completed, you can proceed to the seam allowances. They need to be spread out in different directions and tapped with a wooden mallet so that they are smoothed out.

Then they are glued to the product with a special glue for leather.

If the skin is soft and thin, then the allowances can be smoothed out with a slightly heated iron through a damp cloth. Before ironing the skin, you need to iron any unnecessary piece of fabric. This will check to see if you burn it.

To prevent the sewing machine foot from stretching the skin, it is best to grease the product in front of the foot with sunflower oil. After sewing, the oil can be easily removed with a soft cloth.

Leather products must not be washed! If you want to clean it, then you need to contact a dry cleaner.

There is an important tip when sewing leather goods. It is best to make this garment with a plain fabric first. Then you will make all the changes you need and make no mistakes. And then you get the perfect version of what you wanted.

So, now you know all the secrets of how to sew leather! You can start bringing your ideas to life!

Leather products are good because they look noble and are durable to wear. These two factors fully justify their high cost. A more affordable and no less interesting thing can be obtained by figuring out how to sew from leather and what is required for this.

"Correct" patterns for leather goods

For sewing leather items, it is worth giving preference to patterns that do not require an exact fit. It is difficult to make darts on the skin, usually they resort to using special seams.

Set-in sleeves on leather products are also problematic. For this reason, one-piece sleeves (raglan type) are preferred. If this is not possible and the style requires a set-in one, it is most profitable to perform it in a shirt cut - with a looser armhole.

It is advisable to take proven patterns that you have already used in your work. If the pattern is new, it is recommended to test its fit on a mock-up made of any non-woven material.

Since sewing from leather is not easy, before starting work, it is advised to find out as many nuances as possible associated with the processing and elaboration of the material.

Due to its specificity, natural leather is sold in large pieces. Since the material can have a variety of visual defects (roughness, color unevenness, tears), it is important that these defects do not occur on a part of the product that will be visible all the time. To do this, at the time of choosing the skin for work, you must have a complete set of patterns, which will allow you to correctly calculate the required amount of material, taking into account all its features.

Not every variety is universal and suitable for every product. The thickness of the leather material depends on the quality of the workmanship and on the type of original raw material. Finely crafted leather is good for gloves and jewelry - it stretches and can highlight the beauty of small things. For bags, it is more profitable to take dense leather - more durable and wear-resistant. If your accessory material is elastic and thin, additional spacers must be used to ensure durability.

When cutting paired pieces, it is important to keep in mind that the cross-section of the leather stretches better than along the fibers. Thus, the patterns of paired parts must always be laid out in the same direction.

When working with suede, the direction of the pile is taken into account - otherwise the color of the parts will differ. The pile always flows from top to bottom.

The skin is cut with a special knife (the so-called "shoe" or "shoe") on a plastic cover or plexiglass. A wood surface is less suitable as the blade cuts wood, which makes the job much more difficult.

In view of the peculiarities of the skin as a material, any punctures - whether with a needle or a pin - leave marks on it. At the same time, it is absolutely necessary to sweep the details of the product together before sewing. There are several options for how you can do this.

How to sweep away leather fragments

1. If pins are used, then they do this only in the area of ​​the allowance for freedom of fit, without affecting that part of the part that will subsequently be visible. Experts advise to work them perpendicular to the future line. The seam is made without removing the pins.
2. In order to completely avoid the appearance of punctures, sometimes the parts are fastened with ordinary paper clips.
3. Often they take for work a special tailor's adhesive tape or a special pencil for fixing the seams of leather products.
4. It is not forbidden to use PVA or Moment glue (or any rubber glue). For this, the glue is applied with a special brush to the cleaned material. After that, he must be allowed to dry well and connect the parts together. The parts are pressed against each other so tightly that they can "grip" - a press or a hammer is often used to help. This method has its drawbacks: the glue tends to build up in the eye of the sewing machine needle. This can cause skipped stitches and thread breakage.

When sewing, it is important to carefully secure the seams. Ideally, it is advised to make several strong knots. First of all, this applies to machine stitches that do not fix the thread - subsequently this leads to its rapid unraveling.

Since leather is a very dense and tight material, it is rather difficult to sew it. To facilitate the work process, it is recommended to pre-wet the cut parts from the seamy side with a special solution of water, salt and glycerin.

Such a product is ironed exclusively from the seamy side; a lining of dry fabric is required. The iron should not be very hot - this tightens the skin, makes it hard. The steam function is also disabled.

Materials and tools

• Punch, hammer, awl. For the implementation of punctures on the fabric.
• A special knife (the so-called "boot" or "shoe").
• Plastic surface or plexiglass for cutting.
• Universal glue (PVA, "Moment") or rubber.
• Strong and elastic threads. Ideally linen, pre-waxed (waxed). This will provide an easier passage of the needle with it through the material when sewing, and will also increase wear resistance.
• Strong needle with a special triangular tip.
• Thimble.
• Buttons for the front and buttons for attaching to the wrong side.

livemaster.ru

How to sew from leather

Leather products can be sewn either on a typewriter or by hand. The second method is more preferable for many tailors, since not every sewing machine is capable of efficiently working with this material.

Hand sewing

On the prepared material, slots are outlined for further sewing. To do this, you need a reference line along which you can lay them at regular intervals. The holes are pre-marked with a sharp needle, then knocked out - using, for example, an awl.

Before starting the work itself, the paired halves of the parts are folded in such a way that all the intended punctures coincide with each other. It is best to sew with a needle with the thread folded in half. The length should be at least one third more than the intended seam.

kakprosto.ru

Through the holes made earlier, seams are made "forward with a needle" or "backward with a needle". Some tailors prefer to work with two needles at the same time. To do this, one needle is inserted into the starting hole and pulled through. The second is threaded through the next slot and pulled down. Then the same needle must pass with back side just above the first and stretch out again. After that, the two needles go further together and are pulled out in the same way.

mjusli.ru

Both at the beginning and at the end of the seam, "fasteners" are made. Four consecutive stitches are sewn, then another seam of four is placed over them. Excess threads are tied in a knot, melted by the flame of a candle or lighter. The knots are immediately pressed against the skin - in this case, they will stick, and the seams will not disperse.

If it is not possible to use the correct leather needle, you can work with an awl. In this case, not only holes are punched for them, but the thread is pushed through. It should only be noted that this is not the most optimal alternative to a needle, since the awl quickly erases the thread and can ruin the skin itself.

If you have a crochet hook in your arsenal, it is preferable to choose it. The hook is pulled through the hole, grabs the loop of the double thread, and pulls the thread to the right side. Next, the hook is threaded into the next slot, grabs the loop from the wrong side and pulls so that it is about 1 cm higher than the front side.After that, the previously formed end of the thread is pulled into the resulting loop to tighten the stitch. This is how the entire seam is sewn using the stitches described above. At the end of the work, four additional ones are made according to the already laid ones - for fixing.

How to sew on a typewriter

Not every sewing machine will be able to sew leather. Before you start working with it, you need to read the manual and make sure that it can complete such a task. Otherwise, it will be likely to harm not only the needle, but also the sewing machine itself, as well as spoil the details of the future product. Sturdy, old sewing equipment works best for leather sewing.

In general, only soft, not too thick leather up to 1.5 mm wide is stitched on a sewing machine. For fine and delicate needles, take simple # 80 or # 90 needles. For a successful result on tight skin, you need a special needle with a multi-edged blade instead of a round tip. It cuts through the fibers of leather or suede, and does not just push them apart.

The maximum stitch width is set. Leather - especially fine leather - tears easily, and with frequent stitches, the fiber is likely to break.

It is advisable to stitch the part with one line.

kakprosto.ru

Subsequently, it will not be possible to iron the seams, therefore it is recommended to make a seam or a seam seam. They can then be glued with a special glue, which retains its elastic properties even after drying. In the absence of glue, allowances for loose fit can be stitched in the direction you want.

If, when all the conditions are met, the seam on the skin does not work, you can do the following:

• take a thicker needle;
• use less dense and rough skin;
• when not tightening the upper thread, try nylon instead of waxed linen threads;
• to help the skin move along the conveyor when sewing, experts recommend a special Teflon foot or roller;
• to sew over tracing paper - this will increase the degree of slipping of the leather under the machine foot;
• spray the material in front of the foot with sunflower oil to increase glide.

Methods for decorative processing of leather

Artistic leather processing

Methods for decorative processing of leather

CONNECTING SKIN WITH HAND-SEAMED SEAMS

Leather goods are most often sewn with boot or moccasin stitches. The threads are used strong, not thin, so as not to cut the skin. It can be reinforced with lavsan, thick twisted silk or nylon, cotton threads No. 0 or No. 00. For sewing, you can punch holes with an awl or a punch (1 mm in diameter). Marking can be done according to templates using a metal gear wheel.

Boot seam(fig. 7). It is performed with two needles simultaneously towards each other. In order for the seam to be neat, it is necessary to follow the sequence of pulling the needles, that is, in one hole, thread both needles in turn and always the first one on top, tightening the seam.

Moccasin seam(Fig. 8, a). The thread is threaded into the first hole (from itself outward), a stitch is made into the second hole. Then the thread is returned over the edge of the product into the first hole and a stitch is made into the second (towards itself), etc. As a result, we get a moccasin stitch, shown in fig. 8, b. Having sewn this way, you can go back over the edge, passing the thread into each hole so that a cross is formed at the end of the product (Fig. 8, c).

LEATHER FABRIC SET OF SMALL LEATHER PIECES

Large pieces of leather are difficult to find, but they can be replaced with a typesetting cloth. There are various dialing options.

The set of canvas should be made on the basis. Non-woven fabric, dublerin, strong fabric, etc. can serve as a basis. In shape and size, the blanks for the typesetting fabric can be the same (for example, scales, triangles, circles, squares, etc.) and be arranged in a certain sequence, forming a pattern (Fig. 9, a). Or different in shape, located "chaotically" (Fig. 9, b). But this randomness is only an appearance, since in both cases, the set is made in one direction (from bottom to top), sequentially. The impression of randomness is created due to the different sizes of the blanks and their irregular shape.

Pieces of leather for typesetting can be prepared with a folded (for thin leather) or trimmed (for thick leather) edge. At the same time, it is recommended to rough the skin sections along the entire perimeter. Adjust workpieces with a straight or zigzag stitch. Before that, they must be glued to the base.

Options for a set of leather cloth are shown in Figure 9, a, b.

Braid

Braiding is the most common way of joining parts of a leather product and decorating it. When braiding, the edges of the product are perforated and a leather strap is pulled through the holes. Round or oval punches and chisels can be used for perforation. Depending on the thickness of the leather, the braided edges can be roughened or left thick. You can perforate the parts to be joined separately, but it is better to glue the edges of the parts before perforating and punch them together. The diameter of the holes for the braid should be 2-2.5 mm, the width of the strap should be about 4 mm, the centers of the holes are usually placed at a distance of 5-6 mm from the edge. Depending on the product, its size, the thickness of the leather used, the type of braiding, these dimensions can be varied. The first hole is punched in the corner of the part, the rest are at the same distance from each other (7-9 mm). The corners of the part are rounded to ensure an even distribution of the strap around the corner (fig. 10). It is recommended to wax and polish the straps before braiding. You can pull them through the holes with a special needle, tweezers with fine ends or an awl.

TYPES OF BRAIDING

1. Plain single stitch braid (fig. 11).

The strap should be made of sufficiently thin leather. Its length is 2.5-3 times the braided edge, its width is 2.5-4 mm. Pass the strap through the first hole, wrap around the edge of the part and pass through the second hole, tighten. It is more convenient to braid from left to right. Pass the strap through the corner hole at least two times. The distance between the centers of the holes is approximately 2 times the width of the strap, so a part of the end face remains open, and it must be tinted and waxed or only waxed. Hide the ends of the strap at the beginning and at the end of work by gluing them between the parts.

2. Plain double stitch braid (fig. 12).

Unlike single stitch braiding, the length of the strap should be 5-6 times the braided edge. Carry out the work by pulling the strap through each hole twice, through the corner hole 3-4 times. In this case, the braided end of the product will completely overlap.

3. Venetian braid (fig. 13).

This is done in the same way as a simple single stitch. The width of a thin elastic leather strap should be slightly greater than or equal to the distance between the centers of the holes. This will completely close the end of the product.

4. Knotted braid (fig. 14).

A narrow strap made of thin soft leather (2.5-3.5 mm wide, 5-6 times the length of the braided edge) is required. Braiding should be from left to right. Pass the strap from the front side of the product through the first hole to the wrong side, leaving the tip about 3 cm. Then pull the long end of the strap from the wrong side over the edge to the front, grabbing the loop with it. Carefully lay the knot in place and tighten. After that, pull the strap through the second hole from the front side to the wrong side, etc. Pass the strap through the corner hole 2-3 times. Glue the left end of the strap under the braid.

In addition to those described above, there are various other types of braiding (Fig. 15).

LEATHER STRAP SUPPORTS

This is one of the options for decorating products. To complete it you need:

1. Make a stencil from cardboard or thick paper with dots on it, limiting the places of cuts. Pin these points with an awl on the front side of the skin in the place of the intended decoration.

2. Punch holes. To do this, it is convenient to use both straight and semicircular chisels.

3. Match and cut the straps. Their width should be slightly less than the width of the slot (for thick leather) or the size of the slot (for thin leather).

4. It is better to pull on the straps with tweezers. Glue the ends of the supports from the seamy side.

5. Moisten the part with a delay and knock.

Figure 16 shows the strap support diagrams.

Between the base and the support, you can lay threads or thinly cut soft split (Fig. 17, 18).

FINISHING PRODUCTS WITH EMBROIDERY

Leather products can be decorated with embroidery with leather straps, threads, as well as their combination. To do this, you can use patterns used for hand embroidery on fabric, such as cross stitch.

According to the selected pattern, it is necessary to make a template with perforation markings for embroidery. You can perforate with punches of various diameters and chisels.

Preparation of leather straps includes cutting, waxing and polishing. The straps can be of different widths and colors. Their ends should be fixed with glue on the wrong side. You can embroider with short straps, you can glue a long strap as you shorten it, but at the same time the place of gluing should remain on the wrong side.

The size of the hole depends on the number of straps passing through it: the more straps, the larger the hole should be.

When embroidering, you should always make sure that the straps are laid with the fringe side down and not twisted.

Samples of elements for creating embroidery patterns are shown in Fig. nineteen.

In variants a and G the central holes are larger than the rest. In biv variants, perforation is performed with both punching holes and chisels. In variants d and e the dotted line shows the direction of pulling the strap.

In variants f and s there are strips of leather or thick threads around the leather stitches.

APPLIQUE

A common type of decor is simple appliqué. Pieces of thin colored leather are used for its manufacture.

The sequence of the application is as follows:

1. According to the selected pattern, make templates of all the details of the applique from cardboard.

2. Cut out all the details from thin colored leather using templates.

3. Glue the blanks on the main part of the product in accordance with the composition.

4. Along the contours of the drawing (external and internal), stepping back from the edge of 1 mm, make holes for the needle with an awl at a distance of 3-4 mm from each other.

5. Along the prepared holes, lay the stitches with a seam "needle forward" in one direction to the end, and then in the opposite direction, along the same holes, simulating a machine stitch (fig. 20).

You can use a bootstitch (see "Hand-stitching leather") or stitch on the appliqué details with a sewing machine.

The application can be used when repairing torn items. To do this, give the hole the chosen shape, slightly increasing it. From below, glue a slightly larger piece of leather covering the hole (Fig. 21).

Such an applique is called a cut (fig. 22).

You can sew an applique patch on top. In this case, the stitches should not be too small, because the strength of the connection is lost from this. Along the edge of the applique, you can lay and stitch a cord or fasten it "in the attachment" (see below). A narrow hole can be closed with a strap lined with some kind of pattern. It can also be either scribbled or fixed "in the attachment". If the product is made of type-setting fabric, then the applique should be bright or shiny.

The options for the elements of the overhead applique are shown in Fig. 23.

DECORATION OF PRODUCTS WITH APPLIQUE
"IN PRIKREP"

An interesting version of the decor "in the attachment". It allows you to carry out a variety of drawings of a rather complex configuration. A prerequisite for using this appliqué attachment technique is that the width of each detail of the pattern should not exceed 5 mm.

Application sequence:

1. According to the selected pattern, select pieces of leather (finishing color in relation to the main color of the product) and cut out the details of the pattern.

2. Glue all trim pieces to the main piece of the product and secure them with a needle and thread. For this:

* choose a thread in the color of the fixed section of the drawing;

* with an awl, make holes for the needle along the fixed area of ​​the skin on both sides, and each hole on one side must correspond to a hole on the opposite side of the pattern;

* punctures with an awl should be made from the front side of the drawing at an angle of 45 ° to the base, as if hiding the hole for the applique;

* the distance between the holes should be 3-5 mm;

attach as follows:

Fasten the thread from the wrong side;

Withdraw the needle through the first hole to the front side, pull the thread through the part and insert the needle into the first hole from the opposite side (1);

Withdraw the needle to the right side from hole 2, throw the thread to the opposite side and insert the needle into hole 2, etc. (Fig. 24).

Note: The fastening stitches should be evenly spaced along the entire length of the pattern to be fastened.

3. The direction of the stitches is perpendicular to the edge of the applique. In places where the pattern is rounded, the stitches are located radially; the distance between the stitches along the outer contour will be slightly larger than along the inner (Fig. 25).

The "attached" applique can be decorated with beads. To do this, under the beads in the leather, punch holes slightly smaller beads. The bead should sit in this hole as in a "nest". The method of performing the technique "in attachment" with beads is the same as without it. Only one stage is added: after pulling out the needle through the first (and all subsequent) holes on the front side, put the bead on the thread and pull it through the part, "seating" the bead into the "nest" (Fig. 26).

The technique "to attach" can be used when making a pattern with a narrow thick leather strap. With such straps, placed on the edge, you can lay out the outline of a pattern of any configuration, for example, the patterns shown in Fig. 29.

The execution technology is as follows:

1. Cut thick leather straps 2-3 mm wide.

2. Lay out the contour according to the selected pattern, gluing the straps to the edge.

3. Fasten the glued straps using the "in-attach" technique. The distance between stitches should be between 5 and 10 mm.

Glue the thin leather straps in half lengthwise and glue them with the slices down, with the fold up (fig. 27). This method of decoration is used in the manufacture of jewelry. In this case, the strap is simply glued, no additional fastening is required.

Variants of attachments are shown in fig. 28, patterns for decoration "straps in attachment" - in fig. 29.

EMBOSSING

Embossing is a process that creates convex or concave patterns on the surface of the leather. This type of embossing is most often used in the manufacture of boxes, jewelry, bindings. For its implementation, it is better to use thin elastic skin. On light skin, the relief is better visible, although dark skin can be used. Light skin after embossing can be tinted with watercolors or ink, giving the image an additional bulge. How thinner skin, the shallower and more difficult the relief can be performed.

The sequence of embossing is as follows:

1. Draw a sketch of the embossing pattern. Transfer it to the base.

2. Transfer the convex details of the pattern to cardboard and cut them out. In addition to cardboard, hard leather, flat figures made of metal, plastic, wood are suitable for relief details. You can also use buttons, rough lace, ropes, twisted cords.

3. Glue the elements of the ornament to the base with glue "Moment" or PVA, focusing on the previously transferred picture. Thin lines of the ornament can be done using threads or cords. To do this, grease the threads or cords with "Moment" and, after drying with tweezers, lay them out along the lines of the pattern on a base greased with glue.

4. Cut out a plate of the required size from the skin.

5. Thoroughly coat the leather on the seamy side and the base with the ornament with Moment glue.

6. Place the leather on the base with the ornament and, starting from the center to the edges, press the leather with your fingertips along the edges of the parts with soft pressing movements, creating a relief image.

7. Slightly moisturize the skin surface. With a bone, wood or metal stack, gradually emboss the contours of the pattern, achieving a clear image. Instead of a stack, you can use any slender instrument with a blunt end, for example, from a manicure set. It is also convenient to do this with a used ballpoint pen refill, but you need to be sure that there is no paste in the refill.

8. To process the edges of the product itself. Most often, the stock of leather along the edges is smoothed and bent into the product, for example, in a box or folded to the wrong side in a medallion or brooch. The inside of the product or the wrong side must be processed further.

For relief embossing, you can use a wide variety of ornaments and patterns. Better to start with the simplest geometric ones. It is good to perform stylized plant reliefs. Having gained experience and technical skills, you can move on to more complex compositions (Fig. 30).

Wrinkled leather embossing

In this case, the relief is created by arbitrary creases, tucks. The skin is freely draped and fixed in this position.

Method 1

Moisturize the skin, put it in a plastic bag for 15 minutes (for laying). Drape the plywood with your fingers or tweezers. Fix the pattern along the edges of the product with pins or small nails and leave to dry. When the workpiece is dry and the drapery pattern is fixed, grease the wrong side with Moment glue and stick to the product.

This method is good because, if desired, the drapery can be redone. If you drape thickly, then you can use small pieces of leather, for which they are pre-sutured around the perimeter and glue the edges to the wrong side by 1-2 mm.

Method 2

Drape a piece of thin soft leather from the inside out with "Moment" glue, lightly dry and drape on glass. Place a stencil under the glass to control the shape and size of the part. This method is faster, but its disadvantage is that it is impossible to redo the drapery in case of failure.

Relief embossing "wrinkled leather" can be used as a decoration in the manufacture of jewelry, caskets, belts, bags, etc.