Help me expand my horizons

[Brianm77]

i started out a few months ago. I bought a few different sizes of thread, needles and such.  At first only one set of stitching chisels.  With that size the 1mm thread looked best.  Everything I have done to this point has been with the 1mm thread.  I think I have made some pretty decent to nice looking stuff. Well I am looking to try new stuff.  I bought a couple smaller chisels, I had a few small spools of some smaller thread. So here is my question.  You guys that pretty much make 1 off stuff, what thought process do you use when choosing a spi, thread size and distance away from the edge?

the pic is of a piece of scrap chromexcel stitched with .6mm tiger thread and .8mm tiger thread. 

[bikermutt07]

What size chisels did you get? The .8 looks good in those holes, the .6 looks too small.

All of my small items are usually sewn 1/8 from the edge.

[Brianm77]

6 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

What size chisels did you get? 

They are 1.5mm craft sha. 

[bikermutt07]

17 minutes ago, Brianm77 said:

They are 1.5mm craft sha. 

Is that a typo? I didn't know anybody made one that small.

[Brianm77]

No, the Japanese ones measure differently

[bikermutt07]

Oh, ok.

[Brianm77]

[RockyAussie]

8 hours ago, Brianm77 said:

i started out a few months ago. I bought a few different sizes of thread, needles and such.  At first only one set of stitching chisels.  With that size the 1mm thread looked best.  Everything I have done to this point has been with the 1mm thread.  I think I have made some pretty decent to nice looking stuff. Well I am looking to try new stuff.  I bought a couple smaller chisels, I had a few small spools of some smaller thread. So here is my question.  You guys that pretty much make 1 off stuff, what thought process do you use when choosing a spi, thread size and distance away from the edge?

the pic is of a piece of scrap chromexcel stitched with .6mm tiger thread and .8mm tiger thread. 

I think the .8 looks better but neither example looks to have been rubbed or tapped down and in some products the .6 mm could look better after tapping.

[Brianm77]

They were not, I did not figure that would show up in the pic. 

[johnv474]

A rule of thumb is place your stitch line in from the edge at a distance equal to the total thickness of the leather being sewn... up to about 1/4" maximum.

 

Thread, needle, awl, and spacing choice is partly based on tradition and partly based on preference. Between two options, thicker thread will look more rugged/chunky and thinner thread will look more refined/designer. In general I recommend 5-6 stitches per inch for strength/rugged goods (never less than that) and 7-9 spi for finer, smaller stuff. This is for sewing by hand, not machine.

 

Here's a little chart that will give you a starting point and you can experiment from there.  In this chart, Maine "light" is 0.03 (0.75mm), medium is 0.04 (1.0mm) and heavy is 0.05 (1.25 mm). I did not have 0.02 (0.5mm) extra-light at that time but I like that at about 7-8 spi.

Edited March 23, 2017 by johnv474

[AZNightwolf]

2 hours ago, johnv474 said:

A rule of thumb is place your stitch line in from the edge at a distance equal to the total thickness of the leather being sewn... up to about 1/4" maximum.

 

Thread, needle, awl, and spacing choice is partly based on tradition and partly based on preference. Between two options, thicker thread will look more rugged/chunky and thinner thread will look more refined/designer. In general I recommend 5-6 stitches per inch for strength/rugged goods (never less than that) and 7-9 spi for finer, smaller stuff. This is for sewing by hand, not machine.

 

Here's a little chart that will give you a starting point and you can experiment from there.  In this chart, Maine "light" is 0.03 (0.75mm), medium is 0.04 (1.0mm) and heavy is 0.05 (1.25 mm). I did not have 0.02 (0.5mm) extra-light at that time but I like that at about 7-8 spi.

 

Great stuff John, thanks for sharing it

[Brianm77]

Yes, good stuff.  Thanks guys