How Do I Keep Stitches Clean While Stitching?

[landm42006]

For the life of me, I cannont keep a white stitch white by the time I am done stitching.

I make watch straps and here are the steps I take in doing so:

1. Cut and glue the straps together. (Leather is already dyed to desired color).

2. I case the leather with tap water and then make my stitching marks with a four pronged diamond awl.

3. Allow the leather to dry.

4. Place leather in stitching pony, finish punching the stitching hole with my sewing awl.

and lastly, I saddle stitch the strap. All of my materials come from Tandy, and I stitch using that nylon thread they sell that is pre-waxed.

I even stitch with rubber gloves, due to feeling that perhaps the oils in my skin were causing the stitches to become "dindgy".

Please tell me what I am doing wrong, or is there a way of cleaning the stitching after the strap is completed.

Thanks and S/F Marty

[azrider]

Try running and overstitch wheel over your stitch when its done. This removes the excess wax from the Tejas thread, and helps make the project look cleaner. I also found using canvas to remove as much as the wax as possible from the thread before I started sewing helped.