Moving up from fabric to leather!

[Dakotanorth]

Hello everyone,

First off thank you for letting me join this forum.  I've read several posts while I was still a guest, and I see there is some great talent and amazing wisdom here.

I've made clothing off and on for several years now, but I've been curious about working in leather.  I think I'm ready to take the plunge.

Ultimately, I would like to learn how to make leather jackets.  A-2's come to mind, right from the start.

So, I have questions!  First off, I've read the threads about machines.  It looks like a Consew 206RB would be a great machine to land.  But I have to ask; can someone make a leather jacket with ONE machine?

Granted I have home units for clothing- I could assemble linings for leather jackets, then use an industrial unit to build the jacket and install the lining.  But what about tight areas like knit cuffs?  Laying rounded shapes on a flatbed machine is tough with wool, but can it even be done with leather?

Then, the big hurdle is, I tend to work by trial and error in fabric.  Obviously you can do this; it's fabric.  I know you can't with leather.  So, I need to learn how to install a zipper correctly, the first time.  And just in general, the process of assembling a jacket without error.

Any help or insight would be great.  Thank you!

[bikermutt07]

Welcome to the forum.

I can't answer all your machine questions, but here goes......

Lots of these guys have more than one machine.

I believe there are zipper threads pinned in the how do I do that section.

Leather, like fabric, is trial and error.

You will make mistakes, just no way around that.

The only suggestion I have for that is to make a practice jacket first out of fabric.

We all have our experience hiding in a drawer or box somewhere. I have more experience pieces then I have finished products. Ha, thank goodness I'm just a hobby guy.

[Dakotanorth]

Thanks Bikermutt07,

I live in a tiny apartment, so multiple machines could be a problem!  I'm thinking, maybe a home unit could do the cuffs since it's one layer of leather and a few layers of wool/cotton/etc.

I will keep reading posts on here, and learn all I can.  I know there are a few books still in print that would help too.

 

[Mattsbagger]

Trial and error is about the only way with leather too. Good luck. I find I just make a lot of stuff for the wife and kids.lol

[Dakotanorth]

Thanks Mattsbagger, it seems like I just have to jump in!

Luckily there are a few books still available that focus on leather working.  It wouldn't hurt to pick one up while I am hunting for a machine.

 

[LumpenDoodle2]

Hi, having moved from fabric to leather myself, I would definately say that leather is a bit more unforgiving.   It can feel similar to sewing a satin (but a very thick satin), as every mistake shows, and it can creep about under the presser foot, so a walking foot of any kind does make life easier.

It's also easier to glue, or use double sided tape to keep layers under control, and yes, a flatbed can be awkward, but depending on the thickness and tightness of the cuff, not impossible.

I've used a domestic sewing machine on thin leather in the past, and it let me shape the shoulders, etc fine, but it will kill a modern domestic machine fairly quickly, and I've also only used a flatbed (and swore a lot).

But as they say, any old port in a storm, and you can make almost anything work, if space/money/resources are limited.  Best compromise to me would be a cylinder arm, with a flat bed conversion attachment, homemade or bought.

oh, and yes, grab the leather off an old sofa to practice with.

[Northmount]

On 2017-01-06 at 7:05 PM, Dakotanorth said:

Hello everyone,

First off thank you for letting me join this forum.  I've read several posts while I was still a guest, and I see there is some great talent and amazing wisdom here.

I've made clothing off and on for several years now, but I've been curious about working in leather.  I think I'm ready to take the plunge.

Ultimately, I would like to learn how to make leather jackets.  A-2's come to mind, right from the start.

So, I have questions!  First off, I've read the threads about machines.  It looks like a Consew 206RB would be a great machine to land.  But I have to ask; can someone make a leather jacket with ONE machine?

Granted I have home units for clothing- I could assemble linings for leather jackets, then use an industrial unit to build the jacket and install the lining.  But what about tight areas like knit cuffs?  Laying rounded shapes on a flatbed machine is tough with wool, but can it even be done with leather?

Then, the big hurdle is, I tend to work by trial and error in fabric.  Obviously you can do this; it's fabric.  I know you can't with leather.  So, I need to learn how to install a zipper correctly, the first time.  And just in general, the process of assembling a jacket without error.

Any help or insight would be great.  Thank you!

Since this seems more related to leather sewing machines, I have moved it there so hopefully you will find even more answers and comments.

Tom

[Dakotanorth]

Thank you Tom!

[Uwe]

I'll vote for the triple-feed cylinder arm plus flatbed attachment recommendation, especially if you have limited space. It's the most versatile single-machine solution in my mind. Buy new if you can afford it. Candidates are Juki LS-341 or 1341, Adler 69, 169, or 269, Pfaff 335 or 345, TechSew 2750, among others. I make and sell a few flatbed attachments on Ebay. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by Uwe

[Yetibelle]

Tricky - I suspect if you can already make a non-leather jacket on a flatbed machine, then you just need a good walking foot machine to sew through the leather.  In the video below they appear to make the whole jacket with flatbed machines. Plus I see a few vintage machines in there,  I think it all depends on how you design your jacket pattern.