Threadinlg Stitching Needle

[craig h]

I need help learning how to properly thread a hand stitching needle to lock the thread on the needle. I also have a problem with bending hand needles while hand stitiching my leather. I have been using the Tandy large eye blount end needles,,,perhaps not the best needle to use.

Senior learner..

Craig h

[KAYAK45]

Are you pre-punching your stitch hole with an awl? or trying to push the needle through? Tandy leather has a free stitching tuitoral. go to the bottom left of their home page for VIDEOS. Nice stuff!

[KAYAK45]

Are you pre-punching your stitch hole with an awl? or trying to push the needle through? Tandy leather has a free stitching tuitoral. go to the bottom left of their home page for VIDEOS. Nice stuff!

Also Al Stohlman's book, The Art of Hand Sewing Leather (Tandy Leather)), is a must read and includes how to prepare your thread, thread your needle, attach thread to the needle and punch/stitch. Much, much more included.

[TexasJack]

Are you using wax on the thread and needle. That helps.

As for 'locking' the thread onto the needle, try this: Thread the needle, pulling enough cord through to go well past the tip of the needle. Unwind the thread slightly where it meets the point of the needle, then push the point between the strands of the cord. Push the needle through that gap you've made in the cord and then pull the thread tight to the eye. Put a little wax on the thread near the eye and twist the thread (actually hold the thread and twist the needle) so that the cord on both sides of the eye are joined.

Since you describe bending the needles and (indirectly) thread coming off the eye, it sounds like you're not getting a good hole with your awl. Could be the needle's too big or the awl is too small or you just aren't getting the awl deep enough to make a satisfactory hole.

[alb]

Sounds like your needle is too big.

This doesn't show how to taper the thread, which is an important first step, but other than that it's worth a look. Also, It's critical to match the size of the needle to the the size of the hole you're getting with your awl. This next video on hand stitching will give you an idea of how easy it should be to run the needle through your leather.

In this video the method he uses with both needles in the hole at the same time and pushing on the thread to push the needles through, is different from the method I use, but it's worth a look.

Ann

Are you using wax on the thread and needle. That helps.

As for 'locking' the thread onto the needle, try this: Thread the needle, pulling enough cord through to go well past the tip of the needle. Unwind the thread slightly where it meets the point of the needle, then push the point between the strands of the cord. Push the needle through that gap you've made in the cord and then pull the thread tight to the eye. Put a little wax on the thread near the eye and twist the thread (actually hold the thread and twist the needle) so that the cord on both sides of the eye are joined.

Since you describe bending the needles and (indirectly) thread coming off the eye, it sounds like you're not getting a good hole with your awl. Could be the needle's too big or the awl is too small or you just aren't getting the awl deep enough to make a satisfactory hole.

[craig h]

Thanks for the help and info guys...I feel that I am using too small of a diamond awl...so on to the hunt for finding a decent awl.

Thanks...Craigh