Hand sewn or machine?

[jacobm3]

I have a 10 year old wallet I love, very thin leather, that's starting to wear through in the corners. The fabric/paper liners have long fallen apart. The wallet is constructed like a small bag rather than just two flat pieces of leather sewn face to face.

 

Does this look hand sewn or machine sewn? I'm surprised at how fine and close to the edge the stitching is.

 

Thank you,

Jacob

[Bigfoote]

I'd say machine. Some machines make a stitch that looks just like a saddle stitch. If your rebuilding it it'll be easy to tell when you start pulling stitches out. Don't you just love what leather does when it's been in someone's pocket for a few years? Looks soft and comfortable!

[thefanninator]

Is it a brand name, mass produced wallet? 

I'd bet if it isn't custom made it's machine stitched.

[jacobm3]

It says "Marshal Genuine Leather" but there's some kind of heavy magazine paper printed in Thai, Sanskrit or something like that on the back side of the leather. I pulled most of the lining and paper out already because it was disintegrating, but here's a picture of what's still in there. I bought it from an East Indian purse and wallet store off Harwin in Houston for $7. I didn't expect it to last this long or wear so well. I guess my real question is, how do people make something so precise by hand or so small and tight with a machine? Would you make this by hand or machine if you wanted to make another one like it? 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2017 by jacobm3

[jacobm3]

3 hours ago, Bigfoote said:

I'd say machine. Some machines make a stitch that looks just like a saddle stitch. If your rebuilding it it'll be easy to tell when you start pulling stitches out. Don't you just love what leather does when it's been in someone's pocket for a few years? Looks soft and comfortable!

Yeah, it's pretty nice, I really like it.

[RockyAussie]

Be that I mostly use machines I would not see any problem using the right sewing machine for the job. The hardest thing I think is stitching small zipper pullers that are profiled and made from crocodile.

[thefanninator]

9 hours ago, jacobm3 said:

I guess my real question is, how do people make something so precise by hand or so small and tight with a machine? Would you make this by hand or machine if you wanted to make another one like it? 

Practice. You could do this by either hand or machine.

Here's a pic of a card holder I stitched by hand to practice 12 spi.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2017 by thefanninator

[flerg777]

On a tangent -- it would be neat t find out what the paper says!