800 stitches with one piece of thread?

[viktor]

I have seen many leatherwork sites that say their belts have 500,600 or even 800 stitches. I know that is possible but do those makers do it with one continuous piece of thread or with a number of threads. If with only one, how not to have those spots of melted polyester if I use Ritza or similar?

[AndersenLeather]

They use a number of threads... unless the use a sewing machine

Edited February 23, 2018 by jonasbo

[viktor]

NYeah, I guess I had that coming but how do you seamlessly make that switch from one thread to the second thread?

[Mattsbagger]

When your thread runs out or breaks you start again 5 stitches back and overstitch where you stopped. Trim the ended/broken stitch. Make sense? Am Stohlman has instructions in his how to hand sew book.

[Nuttish]

Leave enough thread to tie a lose granny knot over the top of your piece. Count back 3-5 stitches. Start a new thread and stitch over those 3-5 stitches. No need to backstitch. Rinse. Repeat. Trim tag ends of threads. Finished.

[viktor]

Thank you guys, very helpful. In your opinion, does the double stitching affect the aesthetics of the final product if they are placed in the middle of a belt?

[alpha2]

It is visible. But, what're ya gonna do? My first belt I used two lengths of thread, since then, I've fought the beast and have done it with one thread. Then...I got a machine! My old bod and arthritic hands just can't take it anymore. 

[Richardrn80]

If you sew by hand, you can do it with one thread using the saddle stitch. It takes time and a lot of patients, and the right tools. I sewed a briefcase completely by hand. Every seam was one thread. It took almost 2 and a half months, but that was while working 48 hours a week too. If you want to know more, PM me and I can give more details.

 

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sorry. the pics didn't work

[billybopp]

If you're using linen thread, you can run into some problems with really long runs as the thread will wear a bit with each stitch that you pull through and eventually will get ragged and break. 

With poly thread, such as Ritza, that's not a problem and you can do very long runs with a couple of caveats.  The thread will wear a little bit around the knots where attached to the needles making it a bit harder to pull through the holes.  To deal with that, just make your thread a couple of feet longer and re-thread the needle when it gets raggedy.  Lighter colored thread can also pick up dye and dirt as you go along and start to look a little dingy, but that's not a problem with darker colors.  

Probably the hardest thing to deal with on really long runs is when the thread gets tangled and knotted.  For that, it just takes a little extra time and care.  Watch the thread as you pull it through and look for tangles and knots.  They're not all that hard to deal with before they are pulled tight, but a real pain after!  Taking a little care to keep your thread separated on each side of your work can help prevent the nastiest knots.  It's also a good idea to keep your work area very clean where the thread lies on the floor or work surface to keep it from getting dingy.

I've done several belts and guitar straps in a single run with poly, so it can certainly be done.

Hope that helps!

- Bill 

[Mattsbagger]

12 minutes ago, billybopp said:

If you're using linen thread, you can run into some problems with really long runs as the thread will wear a bit with each stitch that you pull through and eventually will get ragged and break. 

With poly thread, such as Ritza, that's not a problem and you can do very long runs with a couple of caveats.  The thread will wear a little bit around the knots where attached to the needles making it a bit harder to pull through the holes.  To deal with that, just make your thread a couple of feet longer and re-thread the needle when it gets raggedy.  Lighter colored thread can also pick up dye and dirt as you go along and start to look a little dingy, but that's not a problem with darker colors.  

Probably the hardest thing to deal with on really long runs is when the thread gets tangled and knotted.  For that, it just takes a little extra time and care.  Watch the thread as you pull it through and look for tangles and knots.  They're not all that hard to deal with before they are pulled tight, but a real pain after!  Taking a little care to keep your thread separated on each side of your work can help prevent the nastiest knots.  It's also a good idea to keep your work area very clean where the thread lies on the floor or work surface to keep it from getting dingy.

I've done several belts and guitar straps in a single run with poly, so it can certainly be done.

Hope that helps!

- Bill 

Yep. My leather cave is carpeted. Has the family calls it. On long runs it will pick up fuzz. Which shows up on my white and cream thread.

[Nuttish]

On 2/23/2018 at 0:26 PM, viktor said:

Thank you guys, very helpful. In your opinion, does the double stitching affect the aesthetics of the final product if they are placed in the middle of a belt?

Not to anyone who knows what they're buying because it's in the nature of the technique. As someone said below, longer runs of linen thread will break. They also untwist and pick up dirt and dye. A good coping strategy is to use no more thread between two needles than you can put through your first hole and comfortably pull and tighten without stretching your arms too much. The thread closer to your needles will show more and more wear as you work. Just start a new one when you get to a point where the old one looks cruddy or is breaking at the needle eye. I'm looking at several instances of new threads started in the middle of a run on an old luxury French calf duffle bag. If anything, it's evidence that someone made this thing entirely by hand.

[fredk]

I was ignoring this topic until now. When I'm sewing - all by hand - I'm too busy to count stitches. I thunked me a think and its surprising just how many stitches I'd do in a run. Not 800, but maybe 400 or so. -or sew? So 600, 700, 800 could be achieved quickly without realising it

I only make bags with gussets. I usually sew the front of a bag to the gusset first then the gusset/front to the back. Usually I use a linen/ploymer pre-waxed thread. Most times I use a separate thread for front and back sewing but on occasion have used a single length.

By my maths. Assume I make a bag 9 inches across by 7 inches high. I sew at 3mm, but we'll convert that to 3.175= 1/8 inch for this maths. That 8 stitches per inch. so the first sum is 8x (7 + 9 + 7) = 184. And as I do a saddle stitch thats x2 = 368, and if I use the one length for front and back thats x 2 again = 736 stitches approximately

Lets take a 40 inch belt saddle stitched at 8 per, thats (8 x 40) x 2 = 320 x 2 = 640 stitches. Even at 5 per its still 400 stitches. Down one side. Its feasible to start sewing at the buckle end to the tip and back up to the buckle in one sewing, so that makes it 1280 and 800 stitches approximately

Soon adds up to a lot of stitching

On other points; I always cut more thread than I reckon I'll need. The thread is the cheapest part of your work. Even tho my thread is pre-waxed I wax the thread before and at regular sewing time intervals. The part attached to the needles soon shows wear, when it gets too bad I cut off the needles and some worn thread and re-attach the needles and continue. I've learnt that the key to keep it going smoothly is to wax the thread well and often. But I'm still trying to get a beeswax mix at the right stickiness and softness/hardness for sewing. Never yet had to make a join in a sewing due to thread breakage or lack of thread

 

[Matt S]

I have found that using very long thread (much more than one fathom per needle) is very awkward and slow. I prefer linen and as others have noted there are wear and dirt issues. Further I find the inevitable tangles very tiresome to sort out.

One way of avoiding this doing a long stitching run with a single (well, two single) lengths of thread is to start in the middle. No, I've not been spray painting in the cupboard again.

Take a belt as an example. Estimate how much thread you'd need to complete it. Cut two lengths and put needles on em. Then find the middle of the seam (in this case the point). Stab with the awl and pull both threads through until their middle.  Identify which is which and bundle up one side with a rubber band. Sew up the free end, then flip over with the bundled side.

[billybopp]

19 hours ago, fredk said:

I was ignoring this topic until now. When I'm sewing - all by hand - I'm too busy to count stitches. I thunked me a think and its surprising just how many stitches I'd do in a run. Not 800, but maybe 400 or so. -or sew? So 600, 700, 800 could be achieved quickly without realising it

I only make bags with gussets. I usually sew the front of a bag to the gusset first then the gusset/front to the back. Usually I use a linen/ploymer pre-waxed thread. Most times I use a separate thread for front and back sewing but on occasion have used a single length.

By my maths. Assume I make a bag 9 inches across by 7 inches high. I sew at 3mm, but we'll convert that to 3.175= 1/8 inch for this maths. That 8 stitches per inch. so the first sum is 8x (7 + 9 + 7) = 184. And as I do a saddle stitch thats x2 = 368, and if I use the one length for front and back thats x 2 again = 736 stitches approximately

Lets take a 40 inch belt saddle stitched at 8 per, thats (8 x 40) x 2 = 320 x 2 = 640 stitches. Even at 5 per its still 400 stitches. Down one side. Its feasible to start sewing at the buckle end to the tip and back up to the buckle in one sewing, so that makes it 1280 and 800 stitches approximately

Soon adds up to a lot of stitching

On other points; I always cut more thread than I reckon I'll need. The thread is the cheapest part of your work. Even tho my thread is pre-waxed I wax the thread before and at regular sewing time intervals. The part attached to the needles soon shows wear, when it gets too bad I cut off the needles and some worn thread and re-attach the needles and continue. I've learnt that the key to keep it going smoothly is to wax the thread well and often. But I'm still trying to get a beeswax mix at the right stickiness and softness/hardness for sewing. Never yet had to make a join in a sewing due to thread breakage or lack of thread

 

I think that if I ever tried to count or calculate the number of stitches in an item, I'd never hand sew again.  LOL.    

But, that said it eventually gets easier, faster, and even relaxing - you can listen to music or even watch some TV while you work. 

It's a lot like driving a car.  Remember when you first started driving?  It took ALL of your concentration every time you went for a drive.  If you tried to change the radio station, you were likely to swerve all over the road.  But, as time went by and you got more experience, you could relax a bit and sing along with the radio, change stations with ease.  It all got easier and more automatic - you still pay attention to what you're doing but it's just not occupying your entire brain until you get to the tricky curve.  You get to that point with hand sewing too, and it can be enjoyable!  

- Bill