Question About Thread/stitches

[KellyJ]

Hi folks -

I am new to hand stitching leather and have a question or two.

I have purchased some of the recommended tools and materials for hand stitching. I have a Bob Douglas awl (amazing, by the way), the Al Stohlman stitching book, and so on, and I have followed the stitching advice in the "Hand Stitching Guide" sticky and the one on the Wild Rose Trading Company website. And for a rank beginner, I'd say my stitches look really good and even. I have no trouble at all stabbing the awl properly and squarely into the stitch grooves or doing the double-needle stitching.

But the pre-waxed linen thread, which is 7-cord, by the way, seems to leave stitches that, for lack of a better word, just look so WAXY. I use the overstitch wheel on them and they can be molded into shape as if they are mostly wax.

I don't have access to any actual hand-stitched leather items, so I don't know if I am doing something wrong, or if this is how the stitches should look. I've looked at some of the photos on this website, but it's hard to tell. The only leather items I own are all obviously machine stitched, which of course has a totally different look, especially on the backside, and the thread doesn't feel like it was ever waxed. It's probably nylon, in fact. One item I have is from Saddleback Leather (an iPad case) and the maker brags on his website that he doesn't use linen... but I want to stick with the traditional materials.

Do any of you use the pre-waxed linen thread (like Tandy sells, among others)? Or do you all start with unwaxed thread and wax it up yourself?

I have considered rubbing the thread on a brown paper bag to see if I could get rid of some of the wax and get a cleaner look, but maybe I am being too picky.

Sorry I don't have a photo (our camera's out of town with our son) but I believe I can say with confidence that my stitching _technique_ is OK, it's just the final heavily-waxed look of the stitches that concerns me.

I appreciate any advice you can offer.

Kelly

[TwinOaks]

Sometimes pre-waxed threads are a little heavy with the wax. I buy mine from Hobby Lobby (On-a-String brand) and it's pretty consistent. Occasionally I'll run it through the beeswax block if I find a section that feels a little dry. If it seems too waxy, by all means, run it through a bag/cloth to remove some of it. I've seen waxed thread so stiff that it would stand out from the project, and I've seen it so dry that it was brittle. It may just depend on who was running the machine on the day that particular spool was wound.

That's one of the nice things about this hobby - nothing says you have to use any product just the way it is*. Modify it to your liking.

As an aside, I'll presume that you're only using about 3 feet of string at time, right? Pulling more than that through all the holes leaves the 'front' (at the needle) looking a bit ragged, while the starting point looks much fresher. That can make a significant difference in the appearance of the stitches.

^{*except for warnings about using any federally regulated stuff that says "It is a violation of federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling". Gots ta follow da rules!!!}

[KellyJ]

You know, I was wondering if any of you handstitching masters would be willing to sew me a half dozen stitches in a couple of glued together small pieces of 6 to 8 ounce leather. I think what I need is to actually see and feel what properly done hand stitching looks like.

I'd be more than happy to throw a few bucks your way if you'd be willing to do this and mail it to me in a small envelope. It would not need to be very big... an inch or two's worth of stitches should answer all my questions.

If you're willing to do this, please send me a private message or email me at Dodge1943@yahoo.com.

Thanks, guys!

Kelly