Holding Items Together For Sewing

[rfkoen]

When I was hand sewing projects I would use contact cement to hold everything together while I punched holes and then completed the lacing. I'm guessing that the contact cement would not be good for a sewing machine and its needles. What is the best way to hold projects together while you are sewing? I'm sewing the veg tanned milled leather (a bit softer and 2-3 oz) with a standard 2-3 oz veg tanned leather. Thanks for any help you can provide!

[veedub3]

I use seam tape from Springfield Leather. (Click here.) I'm sure you can probably find it locally at Joann's or similar. I have also used contact cement when in a bind. After it had completely dried I sewed two pieces of milled veg tan together (3oz) and it didn't seem to bother the needle or the machine and it did not leave a mess either, but I only did that once, not sure that would be a good idea to do on a continuous basis.

Karina

[DoubleC]

I use seam tape too and you just leave it. A little harder to get lined up for me than glue though Cheryl

[Gump]

I personally use contact cement on most vegtan projects and have no sewing machine problems. I just sand the excess glue off the outer edges. Dry glue will not stick to needle or leave a mess on your machine. Gump.

[Andrew Chee]

Sailrite sells a seam tape thats really strong. I use that and it works well. The problem is not none of that stuff holds very well when you're sewing grain to grain around a gusset corner. Glues just don't hold unless you sand the edges and the seam tapes hold ok but tend to come apart at the worse time

I'm currently awaiting a special hot melt glue roller from Japan to see if it will solve this problem.

Andrew

[pcox]

I use shoe tacks in the stitch line on hard to hold items pull them as I come to them. Easier stuff I use Barges. The really hard stuff I use both. Contact cement only stick to contact cement when dry so it won't bother a machine when dry.

[Wizcrafts]

Sometimes I use staples on the edges.

[GerryR]

For edge seams, I use plastic spring clamps in different sizes (like used in woodworking) spaced every 4 to 6 inches, and remove them one at a time as they get near the needle. A little more time consuming, perhaps, but they seem to work pretty well.

[Random]

Contact cement on this end. I have sewn items after only letting dry for an hour (on top of the 45 minutes initial set time before joining the pieces) and have had no problems after 100+ items. Contact cement has a strong affinity for the contact cement already on the leather and tends to easily peel off metal so my guess is that is why it doesn't stick to the needle.

[Red Cent]

Contact cement on everything. I don't sew much under a total of 4-5 ounce veg tan leather but with no problem. If the piece isn't too thick, say 10-12 ounce total, I sew after 20-30 minutes with no problem. I do use saddle soap w/glycerin in the lube pot and that may be whata is doing the trick.

Do you use tape on thick stuff, say putting together an 8-9 ounce with a 4-5 ounce?