Top stitching with walking foot

[ttownfire]

Howdy all!

I was admiring the wallets of Kevin King and Justwakinup and I visited a local boot shop yesterday. I was thinking about the top-stitching seen in all of this work and how it was accomplished as I've been trying to learn this aspect. I saw a post on a cowboy boot forum that used a perforated card and a powder dauber of sorts to layout the stitch pattern. I sort of used this technique to lay out a basic pattern and stitch. The lay out went fine, but the top-stitching was difficult.

I was using the regular foot with this and I'm thinking I should use a zipper foot or no foot at all. The hardest part was turning the leather under power accurately. I could turn it, but it was way wide of my target. Heck, It might be easier to just use a drop feed machine.

Does anyone want to talk about top-stitching and their techniques?

[Randyc]

I studied western boot making under Carl Chappell. I use manila file folders and a pencil to lay out my top stitch pattern. Since boot patterns are the same on each side of the front of the boot top, leave the file folder closed. Once you have the pattern drawn out, remove the thread from your needle, lengthen your stitch and stitch all your pattern lines with needle only, (no thread).

Once you open the file folder, you will have mirror images of your stitch pattern on both halves of the file folder.

Make a powder bag by pouring baby powder in an old sock.

Lay your paper pattern on top of the leather that you want to stitch and lightly rub your powder bag across your perforated stitch pattern. Remove the paper pattern and your powder stitch lines will be visible on your leather.

The trick is to follow your powder lines without totally rubbing them off.

A silver ink pen comes in handy for restoring the powder lines that accidently get erased.

I use a Singer 31-15 with a roller foot to do my topstitching. Any other type of foot makes it difficult to follow the powder stitch lines without erasing them.

I think the key to stitching intricate patterns is being able to control the speed of your machine. When I stitch boot tops

I guide the material with my left hand while I keep my right hand on top of the wheel to slip the clutch and control the speed. I suggest you start out practice stitching with very simple patterns then move onto the more intricate patterns as you improve.

I hope my technique makes sense.

Randy

[ttownfire]

Hey Randy!

Yeah, what you wrote makes perfect sense... in practice its probably a bit difficult to master. The 31-15 sure looks popular on the boot makers forum, I suspect for the reasons you mentioned. I sold my singer 22U-33 last year and I don't currently own a drop feed machine. I'm not doing rows and rows of stitching on boot tops. However, I want to stitch some fancier "windows" for inlays and overlays, akin to boot tops in some respects.

So, do you think it would be possible to use a walking foot/compound machine for top-stitching that kind of work?

Thank you for that information! It was very helpful. Someday, I may ask you about that class...

[Ian]

What I use to transfer designs to leather for top stitching is white transfer paper, available at fabric/craft stores. It's like carbon paper, except can be cleaned off arfter you're done stitching. You can either trace with a stylus or a tracing wheel (also from fabric stores).

[Randyc]

A walking foot machine would work fine for you. I have a 1970's vintage 6000 series Viking portable sewing machine. I put a clear plastic foot on the machine so that I could see my pattern lines when I stitched. The older vintage home machines can work out pretty well for us leather guys.

On smaller projects, I used a silver ink pen to draw my pattern out rather then laying out my pattern with powder. Ian's method of traceing out your pattern with a stylus would also work out well.

Another added benefit of the Viking machines is a mechanical drop down reducer gear that gives the machine a little more punch and allows you to stitch very slowly. I picked mine up for around $150.00 a few years ago.

Randy

[ttownfire]

I have an Artisan 618... what foot or "feets" would you recommend for this?

[Bree]

I am constantly sewing patches for bikers and other things requiring both decorative edges and following complex patterns. The two most valuable sewing control tools that I have found are:

First and foremost the servo motor which allows variable speed stitch-by-stitch control

Second, the topstitching foot which has a little spring loaded "wall" to guide the foot along the edge of the material. The spring allows it to ride up over the material when necessary.

My big new Toro doesn't have a topstitching foot but I do have a roller guide to help with alignment for edge stitching on real heavy leather. For lighter leather you can get all kinds of stitch guides for edge work on different kinds of machines. I have a magnetic guide that I like to use because it is very easy to reposition.

But I suspect that you are really more interested in the decorative patterns then running uniform decorative edge stitches. For that kind of thing nothing beats the servo motor. Controlling a clutch motor, at least for me, requires great foot precision riding the friction point as well as taking one hand and riding the flywheel to slip the belt and slow down the sewing machine so I don't overrun a pattern.

With a servo motor you seldom if ever have to ride the flywheel. You have both hands available to position your work and do the turns and intricate moves. You can slow the machine's speed down to a snail's pace with simple changes in your foot pressure. That allows you to follow any pattern easily and without fear of overrunning the pattern.

When you couple the special topstitch foot to get nice straight decorative borders and the servo, you have an unbeatable set of tools. Here is the kind of foot I am talking about:

These feet are for an industrial walking foot machine like my Juki 1541S. You can easily sew wallets or other light to medium leather projects with this type of machine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/111W-206RB-226R-LU563-...1742.m153.l1262

[Randyc]

I have an Artisan 618... what foot or "feets" would you recommend for this?

The feet Bree refers to on ebay will fit your machine and a servo motor would be a wise choice. I wasn't sure if you already had a machine or were planning to purchase another one.

As far as applications, you may also want to give Jerry a call at Artisan, he will point you in the right direction.

Toll Free: (888) 838-1408 - Toll Free Fax: (866) 838-1508

Randy