How Are These Seams Done On This Wallet?

[dasc8079]

Hello Leatherworkers,

My name is Darren and I am a designer from Colorado. I mostly design menswear but I have been making some waxed canvas and leather bags lately. Here is my most recent bag (it still needs some work).

I lost my wallet recently and decided it was time to design one. I have the general layout done but I've been trying to decide how to finish the edges. I was looking around and found this wallet and loved how the edges were finished.

It looks to me like the wallet was sewn around the edge with the right sides together and then turned right sides out and edge stitched, but I don't understand how the finished edges look so slim in the end. Did he use thin leather, or is there a special way to plane the leather away to reduce bulk? I've been looking around and I know that groovers can help leather fold over but I don't think that was how this wallet was done.

[Ferg]

Skive the edges of each piece, roll the edges and glue only. Place the two pieces together gluing them and stitch.

Gives two rolled edges tightly held together, they look great.

ferg

[TheCyberwolfe]

"A special way to lane the leather to reduce bulk" is called skiving, and there are several different types of tools for the job.

[Ferg]

The rolled edges are labor intensive for sure, but they give a look not possible otherwise.

I actually like doing them. My powered skiver doesn't do well with already thin leather so I use one of my round knives with the leather on a piece of fairly thick glass and skive by hand. Have gotten fairly fast at it.

ferg

[Nuttish]

The rolled edges are labor intensive for sure, but they give a look not possible otherwise.

I actually like doing them. My powered skiver doesn't do well with already thin leather so I use one of my round knives with the leather on a piece of fairly thick glass and skive by hand. Have gotten fairly fast at it.

ferg

The wallet was made right side out. It's too small to turn inside out without damaging the leather and stitches.

The edges were skived on a machine, glued, rolled, glued together, then stitched. The curves are challenging, but the process is the same as an outside curved hem on clothing, where you remove notches of material just behind your folding line.

Ferg, FWIW, a Fortuna should be able to skive thin leather to a paper thin edge suitable for rolling. My knife is very sharp and I use a roller foot nearly touching the feed roll.

This is ~2 oz W&C English bridle skived to ~1 oz.

[dasc8079]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I think I'm going to try both polishing and skiving the edges. A video about skiving recommended using a dremmel with a drum sanding bit. Has any one tried this or should I get a hand skiver?

Could I sew the two pieces together wrong side out first and then turn them right side out and edge stitch (like I would do with normal fabric) or is skived leather too thin?

I have a feeling, if I start to make these for people I won't want to skive and roll all of the edges.

[dasc8079]

The wallet was made right side out. It's too small to turn inside out without damaging the leather and stitches.

The edges were skived on a machine, glued, rolled, glued together, then stitched. The curves are challenging, but the process is the same as an outside curved hem on clothing, where you remove notches of material just behind your folding line.

Ferg, FWIW, a Fortuna should be able to skive thin leather to a paper thin edge suitable for rolling. My knife is very sharp and I use a roller foot nearly touching the feed roll.

This is ~2 oz W&C English bridle skived to ~1 oz.

IMG_0671.jpg

IMG_0672.jpg

Thanks! The rolled edges look so amazing I think I'm going to give it a try. I think they are worth the extra effort.