No room for two needles in stitching holes (pics)

[Mablung]

3 minutes ago, Dannyman said:

I probably wasn't very clear, sorry for that. I only have one needle in the leather, at all times. And even that was hard :).

Ah, I gotcha. Sometimes it is difficult to get them through, but I think that’s generally an issue of mismatching sizes of thread, needle, and stitching hole. You’ll start to get it dialed in with time. The amount of information on that subject is overwhelming. 

[MarshalWill]

I always use pliers when I stitch. Often the second needle needs to be pulled through with pliers. Sometimes the first one does, too, depending on how many layers and the type of leather. Make sure you're using the harness needles others have recommended here. Those needles with the wide tips are for stitching canvas and upholstery, not leather.

[SUP]

Check this. It give some idea about needles and threads.

 

I do as @MarshalWill does too - keep a small pair of pliers handy.

[Dannyman]

37 minutes ago, MarshalWill said:

I always use pliers when I stitch. Often the second needle needs to be pulled through with pliers. Sometimes the first one does, too, depending on how many layers and the type of leather. Make sure you're using the harness needles others have recommended here. Those needles with the wide tips are for stitching canvas and upholstery, not leather.

So using pliers isn't uncommon? Thanks for mentioning. That manages my expectations a bit. In video tutorials stitching usually goes real smooth and easy.

Thanks SUP,  I'm going to watch that video. Just bookmarked it...

[SUP]

Pliers and a good awl.  I always have those with me when stitching by hand.

 

[TomE]

I didn't watch the videos, so this might be redundant.  To avoid piercing the thread when pushing the second needle through pull the first thread backwards as you advance the second needle then pull up the stitch.  This requires clamping the work in a pony/horse/clam so you have both hands free to manage the needles.  In the perfect world you would use a sewing awl instead of chisels.  Pliers are sometimes needed especially when overstitching at the beginning/end of a stitch line.  I wax the thread with beeswax, or a mixture of pine resin-beeswax, which makes my fingers slightly tacky and improves grip on the needles.  Stohlman's book on hand sewing covers basic technique and some construction methods.

[Northmount]

@Dannyman  Moved this thread to Sewing Leather

[MikeRock]

Follow up the punches with a proper awl, it will perfect the holes for you.

[toxo]

Firstly there's no mystery to leather work. Most of it is common sense. If you want to do two needles, use a bigger hole or smaller needles. Nothing wrong with one at a time. The learning curve comes when you want it to look good. You don't want to see half a hole next to the thread. I would advise you get a single hole punch with changeable heads. Will also do for rivets and belt holes.

[dikman]

Mike beat me to it, I pre-punch my holes using a sewing machine (gives me even spacing) and then use an awl to give the nice diamond shape to the holes. I also do as TomE said and pull the thread back towards me to reduce the possibility of piercing the thread already in the hole (I learned that the hard way!!!).