Dopp Kit

[Tim Schroeder]

This is a Christmas present for one of my wife's friends at work. The outside is 4/5 oz. Herman Oak and the gusset is 2/3 oz. Herman Oak. The inside is lined with Tandy's pigskin. Black. I don't hand sew anything but couldn't get it on a machine so this one was hand sewn around the outside. It would be nice to have some good hand sewing punches. This was done with Tandy's punches. Thanks for looking. Any tips on hand sewing are welcome.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Tim Schroeder

[Rohn]

Very nice job, it looks great. I'm not very good at hand sewing either so I can't give you any tips. From what I see your hand stitching is just fine.

[9tpi]

That is beyond fantastic! They are very lucky to receive such a beautiful gift.

[Tugadude]

Which Tandy chisel are you using? They make at least three that I know of, two of which I use all of the time and they are great. Tandy had added some very nice tools recently such as their fine diamond chisels.

Hard for me to see details because of a lack of contrast, but your work looks excellent to me. Maybe show a close up of an area that you are dissatisfied with. Otherwise, why change a thing?

[Tim Schroeder]

I am using the 88044 2mm chisels. I have the 2,4,and 6 hole punches. They work good with bigger thread. My issue is the back. I punched the holes in the outside before I assembled it and then used a diamond point awl to punch the gusset after it was assembled. I have never been able to make the backside look descent. Always crooked. The sewing machine is a least straight on the back side. Do you put a stitching channel in the back side? The only time I did that I missed the channel a little in places and it really looked like hammered crap. Maybe a little practice would go a long way. I was just at Tandy and looked at the fine diamond chisels but 7 spi are to small for me. I usually machine sew everything 5 spi with 138 or 207 thread. Mostly small stuff. Thanks Tim

Here is a picture of the only really bad spot, the rest is acceptable. This drives me crazy.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Tim Schroeder

[Tugadude]

Couple things. First, no, I seldom put a stitching channel on the backside. In fact, they are unnecessary and can lead to issues such as you described. I understand the benefits in having the thread protected from wear, but they can also force the stitching to flatten out and lose the nice angles. Next time make sure you are keeping the awl 100% level to keep the backside straight. Also, are you certain that you didn't get out of order with your needles? Happens to all of us sometimes. That could cause the irregularities.

Btw, I use the same chisels sometimes. Love 'em.

[venator]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zTOqJCWbfY

This helped me a lot.

[5 Spice]

I am using the 88044 2mm chisels. I have the 2,4,and 6 hole punches. They work good with bigger thread. My issue is the back. I punched the holes in the outside before I assembled it and then used a diamond point awl to punch the gusset after it was assembled. I have never been able to make the backside look descent. Always crooked. The sewing machine is a least straight on the back side. Do you put a stitching channel in the back side? The only time I did that I missed the channel a little in places and it really looked like hammered crap. Maybe a little practice would go a long way. I was just at Tandy and looked at the fine diamond chisels but 7 spi are to small for me. I usually machine sew everything 5 spi with 138 or 207 thread. Mostly small stuff. Thanks Tim

Here is a picture of the only really bad spot, the rest is acceptable. This drives me crazy.

Great work!

I often run the stitching guide on the reverse side of the stitch. Sometimes I'll use the chisels on the reverse side as well in order to maintain perfect spacing on the front and back of the piece. It isn't necessary to puncture all the way through the leather, just enough to give you something to aim for when piercing through with your awl.

Tugadude is totally right about keeing your awl level and remembering the order of your needles. One miss-step and that stitch will stick out like a sore thumb.

[Tim Schroeder]

Venator,

Thanks for the video. It really helped a lot