Handstitched Small Dog Harness

[Mijo]

I took a sewing class at tandy last month and tried my hand at handstitching a small dog harness, this is my second attempt. It's made with 8-9 oz red latigo leather from the hide house and linen thread from tandy. I used a #6 overstitch wheel and the edges were not beveled but they are hand finished using hidepounder's pinned technique. I normally use a powerdrill with one of spinner's burnishers but i just wanted to try finishing by hand. My stitching is still pretty rough, you can see where I backed stitched.

the red latigo has this weird top layer on the hair side, it's almost feels like it's some sort of bonded synthetic material. when i sanded the edges it caused ripples on that top layer, slightly visible in the pictures. When i tried to bevel the sanded edge the top layer dragged the beveler and the edge looked ragged, but the layer beneath the top layer bevels just fine. That's why I didn't bevel the edges. i've seen this weird top layer on other latigo sides that are dyed "designer" colors (i.e. royal blue, green, etc.). Anyone else see this weird top layer before? If so, what is it?

I choose red b/c i was planning on making some harnesses in the local team colors (i.e. SF - 49rs, Oakland - A's & raiders). Let me know what you guys think, but more importantly what can i do to improve.

[Wishful]

I like it - did you create the pattern or ?

[Mijo]

1328151737[/url]' post='232275']

I like it - did you create the pattern or ?

No, it's a regular walking harness pattern just scaled down for my 9 lb dog. The pattern is widely used, and I think there's even a thread where someone posted their version of the pattern. Thanks for commenting.

[Mijo]

Just bumping this thread before it gets lost in this subforum. 80 views and only one person has commented thus far. Any critism is greatly appreciated, don't be afraid to hurt my feelings. My edge finishing looks a little rough, I should have spend more time on it since I was doing it by hand rather than with a powerdrill. I can also see that I didn't pull the thread tight enough when I was stitching the strap keeper just below one of the buckles.

[electrathon]

I am usually pretty hard on people about getting the quality up. From what I can see in your pictures, especially for just learning, you are doing well. Time and practice will clean it up more. The fact that you are critial of yourself tells me you will continue to improve. The people that post ugly stuff and say they think it looks good are the ones you have to wonder about. You are on your way to doing great.

Aaron

[WinterBear]

Nice. I like that you made all of the straps adjustable, it will make it a lot easier to customize the fit to the dog. The eyelets and the wide keepers are nice touches too (are they eyelets or mini-grommets? They look more finished than simple eyelets).

As for the latigo, I have noticed similar with some of the brighter latigo I've used as well. Maybe it's a layer of dye and dye sealer that makes a nice bright sort of second skin/synthetic layer? I'm not to crazy about the way it finishes either. The only way I've been able to get that stuff to "bevel" halfway decently is to take a flexible and newly stropped double sided "callus shaver" blade and cut the edge at a slight angle, flesh and grain side. It's hard to keep the cut even enough to make a nice edge though, so I'm torn between trying to make it look better and making a bad cut and ruining the whole project, or just keeping the ripples and the ragged bits.

[Mijo]

Aaron - thanks for the encouraging words. I started working on a set of handstitched collars and leads for my other two dogs, just to get some additional practice on my techniques.

winterbear - thanks for mentioning the issues you have had with brighter colored latigo, it's good to know that I'm not the only one whose experienced finishing problems (particularly with the beveling). I'm extremely disappointed that you have also seen this problem in the more unussual colors of latigo as I really wanted to use some different colors. I'm probably going to try and find some other type of unussually dyed sides (I.e. bridle, harness, etc) of leather to see if that same strange layer is present. I have some salmon / pink bridle that also has a similar layer but it's not nearly as thick and doesn't leave the edge rippled or ragged when finishing. Btw, I used plain eyelets and not grommets.

Edited February 7, 2012 by Mijo

[albert]

I took a sewing class at tandy last month and tried my hand at handstitching a small dog harness, this is my second attempt. It's made with 8-9 oz red latigo leather from the hide house and linen thread from tandy. I used a #6 overstitch wheel and the edges were not beveled but they are hand finished using hidepounder's pinned technique. I normally use a powerdrill with one of spinner's burnishers but i just wanted to try finishing by hand. My stitching is still pretty rough, you can see where I backed stitched.

the red latigo has this weird top layer on the hair side, it's almost feels like it's some sort of bonded synthetic material. when i sanded the edges it caused ripples on that top layer, slightly visible in the pictures. When i tried to bevel the sanded edge the top layer dragged the beveler and the edge looked ragged, but the layer beneath the top layer bevels just fine. That's why I didn't bevel the edges. i've seen this weird top layer on other latigo sides that are dyed "designer" colors (i.e. royal blue, green, etc.). Anyone else see this weird top layer before? If so, what is it?

I choose red b/c i was planning on making some harnesses in the local team colors (i.e. SF - 49rs, Oakland - A's & raiders). Let me know what you guys think, but more importantly what can i do to improve.

[mrdabeetle]

The stitching is the only thing that I see that is not perfect, but it is still very good. It is hard to tell if the leather itself is causing the stitching to not be uniform, but practice with stitching that particular material will definitely improve the quality of your work. I give it a 9.5 out of 10 for quality. I think it is a good quality item that I would get for my dog. With so little stitching in the overall piece, It doesn't look like an issue. The brass and bright red look amazing together.

A lot of what makes stitches look good is the way the holes are punched. Having a groove for stitches gives the thread a nice line to rest in. The groove doesn't have to be carved with a groover, it can be a simple impression in the leather from a stylus. Another part of good stitching is using uniform tension for each stitch. (A tough one for me) If you are physically strong, it can be difficult to keep from pulling too tight. The stitch needs to be firm but not so tight as to shrink the distance between the stitch holes. Someone speak up if I am giving bad advice. I'm just sharing what I have learned through trial and error. I'm still new to hand stitching as well.

[Mijo]

A lot of what makes stitches look good is the way the holes are punched. Having a groove for stitches gives the thread a nice line to rest in. The groove doesn't have to be carved with a groover, it can be a simple impression in the leather from a stylus. Another part of good stitching is using uniform tension for each stitch. (A tough one for me) If you are physically strong, it can be difficult to keep from pulling too tight. The stitch needs to be firm but not so tight as to shrink the distance between the stitch holes. Someone speak up if I am giving bad advice. I'm just sharing what I have learned through trial and error. I'm still new to hand stitching as well.

I'm using a #6 chisel to mark the holes, i punch the leather so that the tips of the chisel are just barely through the leather. I don't use an awl when stitching as the needles and a little bit of force are enough, I'm wondering if maybe I used an over stitch wheel and an awl in place of the chisel I would get better results. As far as the groove stitcher, i've been using the one that tandy sells with the guide. Maybe I should be making a deeper groove so that the stitches sit into the leather deeper. I think consistent tension is probably a big factor on why my stitches don't look uniform. I have a lacing pony (from tandy) but I didn't use it for the harness since the sections that are stitched are very short, less than 1.5 inches in most cases. That's just laziness on my part since it seems to take just as long to set up the lacing pony as it does to actually stitch each section.

Thanks for the input / comments, as it given me some new ideas on what I can try to improve my stitching.

[ypsicamp]

I took a sewing class at tandy last month and tried my hand at handstitching a small dog harness, this is my second attempt. It's made with 8-9 oz red latigo leather from the hide house and linen thread from tandy. I used a #6 overstitch wheel and the edges were not beveled but they are hand finished using hidepounder's pinned technique. I normally use a powerdrill with one of spinner's burnishers but i just wanted to try finishing by hand. My stitching is still pretty rough, you can see where I backed stitched.

the red latigo has this weird top layer on the hair side, it's almost feels like it's some sort of bonded synthetic material. when i sanded the edges it caused ripples on that top layer, slightly visible in the pictures. When i tried to bevel the sanded edge the top layer dragged the beveler and the edge looked ragged, but the layer beneath the top layer bevels just fine. That's why I didn't bevel the edges. i've seen this weird top layer on other latigo sides that are dyed "designer" colors (i.e. royal blue, green, etc.). Anyone else see this weird top layer before? If so, what is it?

I choose red b/c i was planning on making some harnesses in the local team colors (i.e. SF - 49rs, Oakland - A's & raiders). Let me know what you guys think, but more importantly what can i do to improve.

Mijo-

I am new to the craft and am encouraged by your results with the harness. I want to make a harness for my 50# shepard/retriever mix and this pattern looks like a good way to go. Nice work!

Edited August 17, 2012 by ypsicamp

[Santo]

I have been working on my hand stitching as a novice. I to was using a chisel but found more succes with a good awl and a "pricking wheel" to lay out ur stitch pattern. got my awl. Blade from bob Douglas and what a difference. I have some examples a couple threads down under " first agitation collar".

[Mijo]

Mijo-

I am new to the craft and am encouraged by your results with the harness. I want to make a harness for my 50# shepard/retriever mix and this pattern looks like a good way to go. Nice work!

ypsicamp - good luck with your harness and please post pictures when your done. If it helps you out, let me know and I can post pictures of the my harness unbuckled in it's three main sections. One thing I learned from my first attempt was to make the billet strap that goes around the body shorter and make the associated buckle strap (that comes in from the bottom) longer. By doing this the buckles sit higher up on the dog, and away from the dog's front legs.

Santo - I'm a fan of what you've posted in the past, though your agitiation collar isn't something a small dog could really use. I need to start practicing with an awl again before I get too used to using a chisel...

[lightingale]

Your harness is beautiful, Mijo.

This post interested me because last week, I too, made a leather harness for my dog to practice hand sewing. I used veg tanned leather, and it doesn't look nearly as polished as yours. I love the idea of using eyelets to reinforce the holes. I can't imagine that a little dog could pull hard enough to warp it, but it looks fantastic against that red. My backstitching is quite a bit more obvious than yours. I'd like to buy a thinner thread next time and see how that works.

The design was based off the EasyWalk harness that I currently use with him, but doesn't fit him properly because as a sighthound he has a very deep, but narrow chest. The problem with it is that it pulls to the side as he puts pressure on it, so next time I'll attach a loop chain to two D rings in the front that will constrict the front piece as he pulls.

Edited August 20, 2012 by lightingale

[Mijo]

Lightingale - I think your harness came out pretty good, in fact I think your stitching looks better than mine. I agree that the brass eyelets are over kill, particularly b/c my harnesses are for small dogs. I had originally planned on expanding the size range of the harnesses to include medium size dogs (15-20 lbs) and I ordered over a thousand of those brass eyelets. my intention was to use the brass eyelets only on larger sized harnesses but I have since scrapped the idea of making harnesses for dogs larger than 10 lbs. Most people seem to really like the reinforced eyelets, even though it's not really necessary, so I'll probably continue to use them based solely on customer feed back (they are cheap and easy to install). The tandy thread that I used on my posted harness is also too big / thick, using the correct size thread really makes a huge difference in the look of the stitching.

I also tried to make a harness using the EasyWalk harness as a template, however I didn't use a d-ring in the front like you did. It didn't work out at all b/c it just wasn't adjustable enough for my liking. I like the traditional harness pattern b/c you can vary the length of the strap that connects the neck and body straps, to get a better fit for a specific breed. typically the standard harness I make for small dogs won't fit a doxie, b/c they have an elongated body, but when I get an order for a doxie I just make the connection strap billet longer. I tried a number of different harness patterns but I keep coming back to this one b/c it just works really well; very adjustable and good overall balance (doesn't fall to one side or the other).

PS - I like your dog, is it a suluki?

[lightingale]

Lightingale - I think your harness came out pretty good, in fact I think your stitching looks better than mine. I agree that the brass eyelets are over kill, particularly b/c my harnesses are for small dogs. I had originally planned on expanding the size range of the harnesses to include medium size dogs (15-20 lbs) and I ordered over a thousand of those brass eyelets. my intention was to use the brass eyelets only on larger sized harnesses but I have since scrapped the idea of making harnesses for dogs larger than 10 lbs. Most people seem to really like the reinforced eyelets, even though it's not really necessary, so I'll probably continue to use them based solely on customer feed back (they are cheap and easy to install). The tandy thread that I used on my posted harness is also too big / thick, using the correct size thread really makes a huge difference in the look of the stitching.

I also tried to make a harness using the EasyWalk harness as a template, however I didn't use a d-ring in the front like you did. It didn't work out at all b/c it just wasn't adjustable enough for my liking. I like the traditional harness pattern b/c you can vary the length of the strap that connects the neck and body straps, to get a better fit for a specific breed. typically the standard harness I make for small dogs won't fit a doxie, b/c they have an elongated body, but when I get an order for a doxie I just make the connection strap billet longer. I tried a number of different harness patterns but I keep coming back to this one b/c it just works really well; very adjustable and good overall balance (doesn't fall to one side or the other).

PS - I like your dog, is it a suluki?

Yes, indeed he is a Saluki! He's 9 months old so his feathering hasn't all grown in yet. I also have a grizzle female (you can see just her leg in the background). I can see how it would be difficult to make harnesses to sell, as they seem to require fitting to each individual dog. I'm debating whether I should try selling something similar to this online, but I think the sizing headaches would make it not worth it. Nice that you found a pattern and system that works well for you

[The Dawg Club]

VERY NICE! WISH I COULD ASSIST WITH YOUR PROBLEM, BUT MY COLLARS ARE COVERED WITH GARMENT - EXOTIC LEATHER. PLEASE POST IF YOU FIGURE IT OUT.

[Mijo]

I made a more simplified version of the originally posted harness. The buckle / billet for the strap connecting the body strap to neck strap of the harness has been completely eliminated which makes it less adjustable (but it's for my own dog so it's custom fit).

the top and bottom halves are hand cut, rather than multiple straps sewn together like on the original, which made harness much easier to make. I did far less cutting and sewing on this version which reduced the amount of time to make it.

Any comments, criticism or questions are appreciated.

[RoyalLeatherDesigns]

Looks great and just like everybody else said the eyelets make it unique, you don't see everybody doing it that way I myself would not have thought of it myself. I know I am going to write that down in my notes. Great job and keep up the good work. The only think I would do better is the edges they still look a little rough, I know it has been addressed just letting you know.

Ralph

[Mijo]

Looks great and just like everybody else said the eyelets make it unique, you don't see everybody doing it that way I myself would not have thought of it myself. I know I am going to write that down in my notes. Great job and keep up the good work. The only think I would do better is the edges they still look a little rough, I know it has been addressed just letting you know.

Ralph

Thanks for the feed back. This was the first project that I hand cut all the pieces with a knife, rather than a strap cutter, which is a big reason the edges look so bad. You can see that the width varies wildly in certain sections b/c of my lack of skill with a knife. Consequently I didn't sand the edges enough for fear of the making it more obvious that the overall width isn't consistent. Lack of skill with a tool is a poor excuse for bad craftsmanship, but this is just the first project with a new tool (the knife I used).

I also don't dye my edges, but maybe I should start. Again thanks for the feedback, I very much appreciate it.

[sangmort]

Very interesting design! Well done!

Would love to see your pup modeling it tho! ~

[Billy P]

We lost our chiwiennie last year after almost 13 yrs., because of a sorry vet. This past Sunday Sept the 8th we got 2 what they call TEACUP Chi's. there is no such animal, just a name to call really small Chichacha's. When they reach their full growth I plan to make them both harness's and line them with some short sheepskin or a little bit of hair on cowhide that Bruce Johnson sent me a good while back. When I do I'll send pics. Great work on yours, and thanks for sharing with us. Billy P

[Mijo]

Very interesting design! Well done!

Would love to see your pup modeling it tho! ~

Per your request

Billy P - My condolences on your recent loss, I hope my own dogs live that long. Congrats on the 2 chis, I actually have three myself (two of which are rescues as well). I look forward to seeing the harnesses that you make for your chis, when they're big enough. Thanks for the comment.