Django57 Report post Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Well after watching all the videos and asking lots of questions i finally received my delivery from LePrevo , so here's my first go at stitching it is supposed to be a saddle stitch but not sure , i have followed Nigel Armitage's great instructional video. I have a couple of more questions, the thread i bought is the Wenzel thread and i can't tell if it's pre-waxed , also i am a bit disappointed in the overstitch wheel seems a bit flimsy, i bought the 7 stitch to an 1" as i only plan to make small pieces it tends to stray a bit of the line but my technique is probably at fault (poor workman blaming his tools) anyway watch this space i'll be kiting out the Spanish riding school in 50 yrs I don't think . Edited March 22, 2013 by Django57 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamo Report post Posted March 22, 2013 It looks as though you may not be keeping the correct thread over/under consistently. It's crucially important that the bottom thread is consistently in the same location every time. Also, what type of awl are you using? You might benefit from using a pricking iron and awl instead of an overstitch wheel since overstitch wheels don't give you the angle that the diamond shaped hole that the awl should make. Also try and keep tension consistent as well; pull tight on every pass so that the thread really locks together and seats itself into the leather. How tight you can pull will be determined by the thickness of the leather you're working with. Keep it up, and I hope this helps! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Django57 Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Thanks Alamo for your advice , I'm using a diamond awl , are you supposed to polish them before you use them? or are they good to go from the packet . i know what you mean about a pricking iron but i didn't want to spend too much money at the start until i was sure i enjoyed it , Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamo Report post Posted March 22, 2013 I would recommend a little work on your awl; the sharper the better! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Black Dogg Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Django, your first try looks a lot better than mine did. I got started about 15 years ago, all from books and have been picking up tips and tricks along the way. It took me about a year ( working off and on) to get my stitching to look anything like I wanted it to. As they say "Practice makes perfect". Do you have a stitching horse or pony? I only had a makeshift clamp when I started and my stitching improved considerably after I built myself a good horse. Al Stohlman's book on hand sewing has an excellent plan. Also, I'll second Alamo's advice on the awl; as you push it in, two opposing flats should be parallel with the upper and lower edges of your groove. Hold it at the same angle each time and the stitches will arrange themselves nicely. This is kinda hard to explain in writing, but the above mentioned book has a ton of drawings which I found really helpfull at the time. Lastly, I found it a lot easier to sew with hemp thread ( Campbell-Randall sells it, among others) when I started out, as it is not as slick as synthetic stuff. Now I do both, but it took me a while to get used to the synth. Best of luck, let us know about your progress! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Django57 Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Really appreciate all your helpful advice , will take a bit of time polishing the awl tomorrow , I've been asking on another forum about buying a Pricking iron or is it an angled thonging chisel or a lacing chisel my heads spinning i want to do this //////// at 7 per inch , put me straight or should it be angled , cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamo Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Definitely don't want a lacing chisel as they have wide flat blades to allow for the size of lace. I personally use a stitching chisel as of right now, and it works well enough, but I find that I must use very thick thread and without proper countermeasures, it stretches out the leather noticeably. For stitching, a pricking iron is definitely what you want. Look at GoodsJapan for some pricking irons of decent quality that won't break the bank. Best of luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Django57 Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Is this what i want ? http://www.goodsjapan.jp/item/lacing-chisels/craft-sha-angled-leather-lacin/lid=29749000 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alamo Report post Posted March 22, 2013 No, again, those cut long slots for lace. What you want are pricking irons, like this http://www.goodsjapan.jp/category/pricking-irons-stitch-punch/catId=4252442 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wijjit Report post Posted March 22, 2013 Diamond Prong Chisel stleather.com http://stleather.com/2010_jpg/2010-14.jpg at least this is what I use Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Django57 Report post Posted March 24, 2013 Todays attempt found a Nigel Armitage video with a slightly different style (link here)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gtonQ3YF5s Its right at the end where he demonstrates it . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
