iamasmith Report post Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) Hi there, I am trying to make a case using 8oz Veg Tanned Leather which is formed into two halves. Rather than try to use a lip I thought it might be cool to try butt stitching the halves together but I'm running into a couple of problems and wonder if it's just not a good idea with leather this thin. So far I'm running into trouble with my flat test pieces. Here's my process at the moment.. Grooving the edges because I want the stitches to be recessed. Securing the two pieces together at the back with Duck Tape. Marking the stitch holes with a wheel on both sides (grooves). Placing Duck Tape over the leather outside the grooves on both sides to try to avoid awl marks beyond the the channels. Using a curved awl to go to the middle from both sides then push through to complete the cuved hole. Stitch through with curved needles (diamond shape are the only ones I could lay my hands on for the moment). The problems that I'm having at the moment on my test pieces are.. 1. Still getting awl marks beyond the channel although these are better now I'm masking with Duck Tape. 2. When I start to stitch I'm getting tears in the upper part of the leather that aren't there when I'm doing the awl work. Can anybody offer any pointers? Cheers, Andy Edited March 30, 2011 by iamasmith Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azrider Report post Posted March 31, 2011 Have you checked to see if the duck tape is going to leave a residue on your leather? I typically won't use tape on the grain side because of that. You don't have to push the awl all the way through, just enough to open the whole for your needle. What type of thread are you using, and how hard are you pulling it? Is it causing the tears? Depending on the construction, you might want to glue a piece of thin leather behind the two pieces, and do two rows of standard stitching to hold the ends together. Have any pictures? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
