Easy Ladies Wallet With Two Card Slots.

[Camerius]

Made this ladies wallet with two card slots, based on a passport case that I came across on the web. Changed the original design around a bit, coated it with my own 50/50 beeswax and neatsfoot oil mix. I still need more skill and practice with my hand stitching, so will mainly be focusing on that.

[JoeSnuffie]

Are you using stitching chisels or pricking irons? If not that will really help. Also, look for videos on saddle stitching. These two things helped me the most with my stitching. It's really important that each stitch be done exactly the same. When finished, cut the thread close, but leave enough to melt to a ball and poke back in a little.

[Camerius]

I'm using a Seiwa #3 pricking iron on that piece and I too have watched Nigel Armitage's videos more than a few times to get the hang of how to do saddle stitching. I think that my main problem is as you point out, that my stitches are not consistent, and for some reason that escapes me though I try hard to do it the same way every time, and is wandering off. Something that I will work harder on to get right, so thank you for pointing it out to me, and too the help with how to finish my stitching.

[JoeSnuffie]

I've stitched countless pieces of scrap strips together for practice and I still miss it now and then. Every few stitches I still check the slant of the hole just to make sure I'm doing it right. But still, at least in 1/3 of the pieces I make, I have to clip the thread, pull it back out a couple stitches, then redo it the right way. I'm sure at some point I'll be able to do it without thinking, but I'm not there yet.

[Camerius]

I *think* that part of my problem is that I don't punch the pricking iron through all the way, so the slant is too narrow for the thread to sit properly when I stitch. And I can follow you on the scarp piece practise, as I do that as well.

[LTC]

I *think* that part of my problem is that I don't punch the pricking iron through all the way, so the slant is too narrow for the thread to sit properly when I stitch. And I can follow you on the scarp piece practise, as I do that as well.

Pricking irons are not meant to "punch the pricking iron through all the way" the leather. They're for marking where the holes will be that should be made with your awl.

[JoeSnuffie]

I hammer on a cutting board that allows the prongs to sink in a couple mm and I have gotten in the habit of checking the back side each time to be sure I see the prongs sticking out of the leather. Otherwise I end up making new holes or stretching the tiny hole in a different shape with the needles.

[Camerius]

Pricking irons are not meant to "punch the pricking iron through all the way" the leather. They're for marking where the holes will be that should be made with your awl.

Normally no, but the Seiwa's are meant to be punched all the way through the leather, to make the stitching holes. I too have the pricking irons that are for marking only, and then used with a awl to open the leather for stitching. I have tried this method but found that there are and were too many variables in handling both awl, stitching and the pricking iron for me to focus on, so I went with the punch through pricking irons instead until I get better at the stitching first.

[Camerius]

I hammer on a cutting board that allows the prongs to sink in a couple mm and I have gotten in the habit of checking the back side each time to be sure I see the prongs sticking out of the leather. Otherwise I end up making new holes or stretching the tiny hole in a different shape with the needles.

I use my granit slab, then I put my small cutting matt on top of that, then my poly cutting board, and a piece of 2mm leather scrap to save the tips of the pricking iron when I punch through it. I too, try to get it all the way through, but guess that I am being overcareful when punching it through the leather when it's not needed.