Round handles

[Diana Arabella]

Hello all,

Currently I am making my first round handles for a bag. The one thing I am stuck with is sewing the handles together. I have glued them together, but my domestic sewing machine feet is quite wide to sew close to the rope. I have tried zipper foot, but then I can't properly guide it, and pipping presser feet which also isn't guiding.

 

I hope one of you will have a solution and help me and others with a similar question.

 

Thanks,

Diana

[Diana Arabella]

Thanks Mike for the video. I guess that solves the mystery. 

[Thor]

That's exactly how it's been done Mike. Just leave enough overlap to accommodate your presser foot. That's the whole secret. Just learned this recently myself.

[TwinOaks]

On 4/26/2016 at 0:42 PM, Diana Arabella said:

 ....but my domestic sewing machine feet is quite wide to sew close to the rope.

I think this may be part of the issue as well.   If you have a sewing machine designed for 'Home Use' then it's probable that you don't have enough machine for the leather.  There's a topic written by Wizcrafts that explains what type of machine you NEED for leather.  It's definitely worth the time to peruse it.

[impulse]

Using a home sewing machine, the best option is to carefully measure and mark where your stitching needs to be, then REMOVE the rope.  Replace this with some fine wire, leaving a loop on the end. With the wire in place (where the rope should lie) stitch along the marked line then attach the wire loop to the rope and pull through. Then trim excess leather.

Cheers

Lois

[Diana Arabella]

That might work well! Thank you all for the advice.

Diana

[Thor]

48 minutes ago, impulse said:

Using a home sewing machine, the best option is to carefully measure and mark where your stitching needs to be, then REMOVE the rope.  Replace this with some fine wire, leaving a loop on the end. With the wire in place (where the rope should lie) stitch along the marked line then attach the wire loop to the rope and pull through. Then trim excess leather.

Cheers

Lois

That would mean you're not gluing the core to the leather. Did you try that before? Btw. Diana, did you mention what kind of leather you're making the handles from?

[Diana Arabella]

I am making them from soft bovine leather, Thor.

[Thor]

Impulse suggested this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98vfk8x68uU (sorry the text is German, but you'll get it with the pictures)

Anyhow, I wouldn't do it this way. The problem I see is that the core will move around inside and in time will spin and the handles might not look as nice anymore. I know that they aren't glued on some or most of the cheaper ones. However, I would glue the core to the leather, especially with such soft leather to give it more support. If you can't sew it with your machine (works very well with a patcher) then you can always stitch it by hand. 

Another German video tutorial on that issue https://youtu.be/Mxm5CdnELyE?t=7m28s she's not gluing it either, but using a household machine for the whole process, so it might be of interest for you.

 

 

[impulse]

Thor - You advised against using my method but I don't think that Diana wants to hand sew! If the wire guide method is used there is no reason why she couldn't still glue the core by adding craft glue to the rope as it is pulled through. I have been sewing leather for 50 yrs and have learned many tricks over this time. Please don't dismiss an idea that you have not tried.

Cheers

Lois

[Thor]

Lois, I didn't advise against it, but didn't favor it either. Actually I wrote that I wouldn't do it this way and explained my reasons why. If this is hurting your feelings I'm terribly sorry. Also I asked if you have any experience with this particular method. So instead of throwing in that you've been sewing leather for 50 years, you could have just explained what your experience with this particular method is. If it's good, then great... Further I showed at least two methods in which it's done with a household machine including a similar way as you described it. So it's really left to her what she wants to do. 

[Diana Arabella]

I will try both methods, thank you all!

 

Diana