Hand Sewing Questions

[Valleee]

I am planning on making myself a headstall, breastcollar and a few dog collars. I have the Al Stohlman book on hand sewing but I have a few questions.

What weight of leather should I use? I'll be using 2 layers of leather, as I'll be adding rivets and spots.

What size of harness needle should I use?

And is lined thread the best choice?

I'm having trouble finding size 4 harness needles and unwaxed linen thread, as the book recommends in Canada. And is the Springfield stitch groover worth buying?

Thanks to anyone that reads and answers?

[Black Dogg]

Vallee,

for the dog collar I would go with a 3-4 oz. leather for smaller breeds (i.e. up to about 40lbs.) and with 5-6 oz. for the bigger guys. If you have an exceptionally strong "puller" (a Husky would come to mind), you can of course go with heavier stuff; although the sewing will get more difficult.

I don't have too much experience with tack (am still in the process of learning about it), so I would guess about 5-6 oz. for that as well.

Needle size: I use a 000 size harness needle for all but the finest of my sewing. I've had some people tell me that was way too big, but that size is what I started out with and I like the longer needle for better grip. Size 4 would be too small for my liking, but everyone's different.

Linen thread is the best choice. I use 5 ply linen thread from Campbell-Randall (www.campbell-randall.com, look under "Leather Supply", then "Thread", then "Linen") and run it through a pure beeswax cake a few times before threading. Look for a beekeeper in your area, the wax will be way cheaper than the little one ounce cakes from Tandy and others.

I don't know the Springfield groover; mine is the saddler's stitching groover from Tandy, which is great.

If you are just starting (as your sideline says) be prepared for some frustration with your sewing. Practice on scraps and some not-so-important projects for a while to get your "awl technique" (sounds impressive, but really isn't :-) )and stitching to look even. The Stohlman book is excellent, it's the only thing I used when I started out 15 years ago. The juggling of awl and needle in one hand is really awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it you'll be impressed how fast you can actually sew by hand.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Black Dogg

[Valleee]

Thank you very much for answering my questions :D

I'm just buying tools, reading and researching like crazy now. I need to build a stitching horse thingy, an awl, and leather and I'll be able to start sewing. I'm very impatient, so this will be a test for me. So for now, I'm learning little bits at a time and putting rim sets on the tack that I have now. This has become an obsession lol, I just hope it pays off

[Black Dogg]

Valleee,

I built my stitching horse from the plan in Al Stohlman's book and added back legs to it so it's independent of a chair.

As for buying tools, check out Zack White, Campbell-Randall and Springfield Leather (they advertise here). The tools from Tandy / Leather Factory are not as good as they used to be, but still work for hobby use. As with all kinds of tools "you get, what you pay for". E-bay and flea markets are good for used tools; there's good bargains to be had but sometimes you have to fix things up or remove some rust.

Don't be impatient (this comes from the most impatient person out there :-) ), you'll get farther if you take it easy and it won't be as frustrating ;-) .

I used to be able to fit all my tools, including the dyes, into a shoe box. Nowadays, I need a truck to move it all.

Black Dogg

[Matt S]

I would avoid large needles.Tandy seems to like selling em because they are easy to thread. I started with no2 needles but now use 4s since I hand roll my thread and the long tapers mean that I can fit almost any size to a no4 needle. Certainly makes stitching easier. Probably better to start learning by tapering machine rolled thread though.

[Valleee]

Thanks

Any suggestions on a good, quality diamond awl?

[Valleee]

I can't buy a Douglas, because the shipping for one awl blade is over $30!!

Edited April 6, 2013 by Valleee

[Les No6]

Thanks

Any suggestions on a good, quality diamond awl?

John James neadles and awls are what I use made in England they don't come any better and cost penny's, the sizes 1,2 and 3 harness point neadles are the same size, for the price (£1.45 for 25) you may as well get a few packets of each size. The awl blades are not available on the web site you will have to email or phone them, I can't remember how much they are last time I bought some I got 6 dozen so they wont have been expensive forged every harness maker and saddler in England use these. Here's the links to harness point neadles and the catalog for the awl blades. Don't know the pack size on the awls mine are 3 dozen packs, but I think they sell them by the dozen.

http://www.jjneedles.com/products/Envelope-Saddlers%27-Harness-Needles.html

http://www.jjneedles.com/downloads/pdf%20jj.pdf

[dirtclod]

If your going to line the headstalls and breast straps i would get at least 8 / 9 ounce to 10 / 12 ounce leather and line with 3 / 4 ounce or 5 /6 ounce. Personally i would use 8 /9 ounce for the collars. You will be surprised how hard a little dog can pull if they see something they really want to go after, using 3 / 4 ounce the dog may have the chance to chase when the collar breaks.

If you want one of the Douglas awls i would be glad to get one for you and send it. It cost nowhere near 10.00 to mail a awl and i know that for a fact !! I send things to Canada pretty regular. In a couple of days i have a order going to Canada that weights a little over a pound and it's 11.50. Personally i would save for a machine because your going to have a really hard time making any money double stitching a headstall or breast strap hand sewing if your planing on reselling them.

Edited April 18, 2013 by dirtclod

[Valleee]

thanks for the offer, much appreciated. I was able to order it with an awl from a certain awesome member on here :D

and I do agree, and have been researching to find a sewing machine to invest in the near future.

thanks to everyone for the helpful replies!