has anybody HAND embroidered leather

[Suze]

I have taken up a challange to create 50 things by 2015 (arts and science challange in the Society for Creative Anacronism)

and was thinking about a leather gameboard for a "something" and instead of carving or stamping the thing I wanted to do some sort of embroidrey on it (I'm thinking blackwork as that is VERY graphable and geometric) I could also punch holes and sort of lace it......tiny holes - teeny tiny holes

and I'm a fiber geek

so I was wondering if anybody has done anything like this and had any tips - hints - or "good god, don't do it this way" stories

thanks

[HorsehairBraider]

I hand-embroidered a pegasus on a leather back pack that I made. I used a glover's needle and regular embroidery thread... it's pretty hammered now, I used that back pack for a purse and hauled it absolutely everywhere for years and years. I don't think it's worth looking at anymore but if you want to see it I guess I could photograph it. The leather is deer skin.

I've also hand-beaded leather. I did a headstall and reins for one of my horses. Again, I used one of those glover's needles that has a tip with three faces sharpened on it. In this case the leather was regular English bridle leather. This is still in excellent shape and I use it when I ride my horse Tito. It's lasted about 15 years so far.

It can be done!

[Suze]

thanks - will have to find needles

I have this coat that I bought at goodwill - brand new leather trench (for 10 dollars - yep it's a GOOD coat, sarcasm on)

that I thought that I could use for "barbie stuff"

and I thought that I could give it a try

[HorsehairBraider]

Oh - and I meant to point out - the two things are not mutually exclusive. You being crazy, and someone embroidering leather.

[ChuckBurrows]

Some simple embroidery I did on a pouch when I was a SCAdian many, many years ago.....

The Mexicans do real fancy leather embroidery using a type of bromelaid thread - IIRC it's called pitiado.....

On most commercail leather you shouldn't get your stitches too close = on alum tawed or brain tanned they can get very close....

[Suze]

Nice sporran Chuck

I was thinking blackwork - so that the stiches are NOT that close together - more like what you did with the sporan - a running stich in a pattern.

Oh and I looked up pitiado -- wowsers, the first link I clicked on was a pair of boots.....purty

Oh and Horsehairbraider - the gang is already convinced I'm crazy so it's not a far strech for this kind of "You're doing WHAT?" project.......

everything has a second use and you just have to "see" it........Most people don't

[ShirleyT]

Atta' Girl! Crazy like a leatherworker! I did a bit of silk ribbon embroidery on a vest. Turned out well.. can't find the photos, sorry, was a long time ago. Lots of tutorials out there and silk ribbons for embroidery at any craft/sewing store. The silk is really tough, comes in beautiful colors, a small awl helps too. (And the right size needles.)

Here's a quick overview: http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3725/b...e-easy-stitches

Flowers are most common but a talented leatherworker could interpret the ribbon into really cool ways with the skills you already have. I would love to see it when done.

[Suze]

While I love the silk ribbon embroidery - it is too late for the time frame I "play" in (600 to 1600 AD)

But boy was that vest pretty (and it might be a projet for another day - ribbon - I gots ribbon)

thanks for the link

[Johanna]

You ought to come over and check out my new sewing machine, Susie! Don't worry, I'll bring you food down the stairs!

~J

[Suze]

bee right over -- seriously

[oldtimer]

Here is a pair of mexican spur straps that I got as a gift from a mexican saddlemaker. A double thread is used.

/ Knut

Edited April 28, 2009 by oldtimer

[JohnBarton]

I am guessing when you say "hand" embroidered you mean needle, thread and hands. The closest I ever got to that was laying down my designs on leather and using my home sewing machine and the zig-zag function to embroider the designs. I WISH WISH WISH that I had my pix from back then to show off all the different things that I did.

One of the best was a family crest design submitted by a customer with six or so colors in it. That one took me about ten hours to do.

The hardest to do, plastic metallic thread because it breaks every inch or so.

Wanna have fun one day? Try butting two pieces of leather against each other and embroider them together with a 32 inch line and keep the line straight. I once had to do a replica of a cue point which had three veneers on each side of the point. That's six lines - three side by side that all need to be perfectly straight.

Those were the days - 18 years ago. :-)

[Suze]

Yes John - I mean needle, thread and hands --- no machine

Well at least I know it can be done and some of you have done so.

that helps....If you know a thing CAN be done, you know that YOU can do it. at least that seems to work for me......

sometimes not for the best, but I try

[Johanna]

The key to embroidery or beading or even sewing leather is to place the holes correctly. With leather, you only get one chance to get it right. Once the hole is in the leather, you're committed.

What did you think of sewing designs with the Toro?

Johanna

[Suze]

I know that you only get one chance Jo, that is why I am going to do the design on graph paper and do a pricking through the leather (theh "doner coat" is really quite thin and I can go through it with a sewing pin) and hopefully just have to "follow the dots" kind of sewing.

and Man is that machine sweet. I think in a little time I could figure out how to get it to do the curvy stuff without marking up the leather. Just before the thread went all wonky I was doing better.

Part of it is that it is soooo much heavier to run than any home machine -- turning the fly wheel is not easy. But an INCH of leather WOW

(If you find it missing some day - don't look here - >shifty eyes< nope not here --- Like I could move the thing up the steps and out of the house)

[amuckart]

Suze,

Since it sounds like you're a SCAdian, if you find someone in your local group who has a copy of Shoes and Pattens and/or Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York both of them have examples of embroidered leather shoes. In shoes at least it's not done the way you might think, it's tunnel stitched through the leather rather than stabbed.

If you don't have the books I can have a go at a small sample just with plain linen to give you the idea. It's only really good for doing stripes but until you get into the renaissance and rapier hangers it's the only example of true embroidery on leather I know of. Even the rapier hangers aren't really embroidered per-se, they just have fairly fine decorative stitching on them.

[Suze]

Suze,

Since it sounds like you're a SCAdian, if you find someone in your local group who has a copy of Shoes and Pattens and/or Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York both of them have examples of embroidered leather shoes. In shoes at least it's not done the way you might think, it's tunnel stitched through the leather rather than stabbed.

If you don't have the books I can have a go at a small sample just with plain linen to give you the idea. It's only really good for doing stripes but until you get into the renaissance and rapier hangers it's the only example of true embroidery on leather I know of. Even the rapier hangers aren't really embroidered per-se, they just have fairly fine decorative stitching on them.

Yep a SCAdian -- I have the shoes and pattons book - will have to ask "Mom teacher" about the other one

thanks

this project got put on the back burner for awhile

If I ever get it started I will be sure to post pics

thanks again

[Crew]

This is about as close as I've gotten to "hand-embroidery" - nothing more than a micro-punch and needles and cord!

[Nutty Saddler]

Almost any English saddler either has or can hand stitch a pattern onto either a nose or browband of a bridle , many years in the past ladies sidesaddles would have had hand sewn patterns on the skirts , panels and sometimes seats .

Being crazy I take this to the limit - I either use tools that are antique or have them specially made - these are not avialiable off the shelf. I use two styles of stitching, either double hand saddle stitch or single needle back stitch.

Here is a noseband I made about a month ago , as you can see it was made useing red thread ( I had to dye my own thread as red is not normal ) , the thread is 18/3 reverse twisted linnen thread made by Somac for the saddlery trade which is waxed before use. The pattern was drawn onto the leather before the stitches were marked - for this one I used a 17 ( YES 17 ) stitches to the inch pricking iron, te pattern was then stitched in single needle back stitch - with the overlay showing ( normally this is on the underside and not seen ) , also you can see that the overlay is in different directions to give the impression of ' pointing ' . This was very difficult and time consuming as it leaves no room for error, one stitch pulled to tight and the whole lot would have been ruined. In all JUST to draw, prick and stitch this pattern took most of a day to complete.

[RoaringBull]

Here is one that I made not too long ago...

[Dwight]

I don't have any samples to show you, . . . but with my Tippmann Boss, . . . if you let up a bit on the tension, . . . you can nail that stitch where ever you want it, . . . just about any direction you want it from where you are now.

You can get some pretty far out patterns by connecting the dots your way.

I haven't tried the thin thread yet, . . . but I got a hunch it will work.

May God bless,

Dwight

[roo4u]

i found this site....its actually applique work of rawhide on rawhide or leather....use the link below and scroll about 1/2 way down the page....its amazing. most of the archive pages have examples of this work.

http://eltrenzador.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

[Suze]

OH MY what work

oh my no words

wish I could read it (sigh)

[roo4u]

i know i cant read it either....but the google translate button is on every page and if you use that it will automatically translate the entire page for you...comes out a little weird as far as sentence structure but readable