ironhead13 Report post Posted November 14, 2012 I got asked to braid around a vest. The plan is to go with 1/4" red lace and probably with round braid. Kinda looking for suggestions as I've never messed with garment leather before. Would I need to place eyelets for the holes? as that's gonna be a looooong task if so... What would be a good idea for material to make the lace from? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted November 14, 2012 1/4" round braid is going to be a pretty big accent. It may be what's wanted, but just want to make sure I point that out. Springfield has some red Kangaroo lace available in 1/4" by request, and you can probably get it from y-knot as well. Is the lace going to be structural or just decorative? Either way, all the laced garments I've seen haven't had eyelets in them, so I'd imagine it should be fine. Plus, it seems to do fine with my lightweight lining leathers as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beaverslayer Report post Posted November 15, 2012 ironhead13, First off, yes it's going to be a long process to lace the edges of a vest, but it can be done. A few years back I did a tutorial on how I make vests, it's still here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1774 and will give you some insight as to how to do it. Personally, I would purchase either "Goatskin" or "Garment Cowhide" and make my own lace. The goat would probably be your best bet if you can get it in "RED", as it makes great lace, and the finished edges will be very nice and soft. Kangaroo lace, although very strong, is not going to be as soft as goat or cowhide and I have never seen it "RED" before. One thing you are most likely going to have to do, regards the lining of this vest. If it is nylon or some other soft fabric, you are going to want to get some "Pigskin Suede" and cut long pieces about 3/4" wide, then apply glue to the back of these strips, fold them over onto themselves so you have a "doubled up" length that is now 3/8" wide. This you can not glue all along the inside of the vest along the edge of the lining where it meets the leather from the front of the vest. When you go to punch your holes for lacing, make sure that they are through this pigskin trim and not just the lining. This will eliminate the possibility of the lace ripping apart the lining, as well as give it a nice finished look. If the inside seam allowance for the lining/front leather is at least 1/2" you won't have to worry about the pigskin trim, just be sure you punch your holes into the leather and not the lining. Regarding the "eyelets"....NO....NO....NO....do not do that.....lol Punch "Round" holes, just a tad smaller than your lace, they are much stronger than slots made with those multi toothed chisels. I mark EVERY hole prior to punching, this way you can adjust the location of holes as you come to corners and such, prior to punching and realizing...OOPS...I don't have enough room for the hole I need here at the corner... The tutorial I did, does not have pictures of the pigskin trim I talked about, but should you decide this is what you need to do, I can do a sample piece and upload pictures so you get the idea. If you need any help along the way, don't hesitate to ask, I'd be more than happy to help you out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead13 Report post Posted November 15, 2012 (edited) Oh thanks alot! I'll look over that a bit closer in a little bit and talk with him tonight. I wanted to avoid pre made lace for cost effectiveness, plus kangaroo lace is so expensive...especially for something like this being for accent more than strength. Plus I didn't like the idea of eyelets that was mostly regarding the thin fabric lining on the inside! Im patient...just not that patient! This is sorta the plan, minus the two tone lace or lacing over the full construction of the vest... though the two tone would be kinda cool also..... lol now It's probably gonna have to be two toned ... Looking at springfield leathers site, they have red kid skin at 2 oz, would that work well for lace? It seems to be the only red option I see thus far. Edited November 15, 2012 by ironhead13 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted November 16, 2012 type "red lace" and you'll see a few options for pre-made stuff. I didn't see much else available as far as hides, so you'd probably want to find something else and dye it yourself if that's they way you want to go. That is a really cool example, but I can see that taking a VERY long time to complete. Maybe it's just because I'm not that quick at lacing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead13 Report post Posted November 16, 2012 yeah, not the biggest fan of lacing myself.... I find myself wanting to do something else whenever I do fool with it. Im sure it will take awhile! Still gotta talk it over with the one that wants it done, but yeah the above example is pretty cool, make the idea sound better to me... maybe a touch flashy but hell... lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beaverslayer Report post Posted November 17, 2012 When I want to make lace of a color not readily available, I'll head down to Tandy, they always have calfskin in many colors as well as other garment leathers, lot's on special also. When I cut lace to 1/4", a circle about 12" in diameter will give me about 70 feet, 1/8" lace same size circle gets me about 110 feet. This is very economical. You shouldn't need more than 3, 12" diameter circles to lace up the outer edge of a vest with Mexican round braid. So a calfskin about 4 to 5 sq. ft. should suffice. Always envision how many circles you are able to get when buying a piece for making lace, and check to make sure it's not damaged by a brand or lots of blood veins, these will just cause you great annoyance. I agree, lacing, especially Mexican round is time consuming, but the finished product is well worth it. Myself, I truly enjoy lacing, everything I make is always laced, never ever sewn with a machine or by hand. Over the past 7 years, I have made close to 60 custom leather vests, and every one has been laced together. Good luck on this project, and be sure to upload pics when your done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cyberthrasher Report post Posted November 18, 2012 I love lacing and everything I do is laced as well. I'm just not that quick at it since I really have to focus on keeping consistent tension. I've been thinking I need to start making some of my own lace to keep some prices down as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead13 Report post Posted November 19, 2012 All sounds good to me, thanks for the advice. When I get started I'll put something up! For lacing, I just don't do it often. I've always liked hand stitching but everything has it's place Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
