magicman

A purpose of a true motorcycle jacket is to protect you when you spill. The heavier the leather the better. If you are making one for fashion as opposed to function, or you just want a supple one, go with black horsehide. Horsehide is much more supple and provides greater strength than cowhide at the same weight. Langlitz's heavyweight cowhide is 3-4 oz. and they try to talk most people out of it bacause of the stiffness. Their mid-weight is 2-3 oz. I have a heavyweight that is 15 years old. If I hold it at the back of the neck and set it on the ground it stands up on its own. On a different note, where did you find your pattern?

Thank you.

I was hoping to get opinions. I have worked in the leathergoods industry for years and in footwear manufacturing in the U.S., Italy, England, and Brazil. In "welted" footwear where a strip of leather (the welt) is sewn to the upper and then the sole/midsole are sewn to the welt, there is a machine that sews the welt called the "Goodyear Welt Machine". Likewise the welt can be sewn by hand with an awl used to make the hole before each double needle hand stitch is made. Regarding quality difference, there is certainly none. By hand takes much more time. I am considering starting to produce small leathergoods such as wallets geared toward the "jean" customer with my son. There is no doubt in my mind that a machine such as the Adler 867 produces a stitch that looks far superior to running two needles through pre-punched holes. Are there opinions regarding the stitch quality of such a machine vs. handsewing using an awl and two needles?