How do I get the stretch out of leather lace?

[thekid77]

Hi friends, I was wondering what the method is for pre-stretching or getting the stretch out of leather lace is?

What is the technique used to stretch the leather before cutting it into lace?

Also, I have heard that some people cut the lace wider than the final width, then cut it to size after stretching.....what are they using to cut the leather lace to the final width? Because most of the time when I have read about people doing this, they are starting with a 5-6mm wide strip of leather, then cutting to final width from there...

I want to make my own lace, but I just don't know what the workflow should look like....thank you in advance for all of your help!

[motocouture]

Hello there, I use precut lace, and stretch by running the lace around a nicely rounded banister, applying some pressure as I do so. Doing that a couple of times usually gets a lot of the stretch out. I also condition the lace with the David Morgan Braiding soap (recipe on his website), which also helps the lace slide up snug as you’re braiding. 

[thekid77]

2 hours ago, motocouture said:

Hello there, I use precut lace, and stretch by running the lace around a nicely rounded banister, applying some pressure as I do so. Doing that a couple of times usually gets a lot of the stretch out. I also condition the lace with the David Morgan Braiding soap (recipe on his website), which also helps the lace slide up snug as you’re braiding. 

Thank you for sharing that! I will definitely be following your advice, much appreciated!!