Curved Seam/ Hammering Out

[SonderingSusan]

Hey Everyone,

 

if anyone can help me achieve a better finish than I'm currently getting , i would be so grateful for all/ any advice 

I am making a bag flap, with a curved seam up the centre of it. 

My method is skiving the two seams but not into the seam- skiving about 0.5 mm off each side , so the seam is still in the thicker leather. 

Then i cut sort of long triangle shapes out of the seams as an attempt to remove bulk. 

Then i used rubber cement not he seams, and hammered them out with a cobblers hammer, on a marble surface and on my cobblers last- photographed below. 

My seams are a bit wobbly and not as smooth and flat as i would like. I found i had a better result when didn't glue the seams, but then after a few weeks the seams started to turn in on themselves a bit and didn't look good.

Any / all advice on how i could construct this flap better would be so greatly appreciated. When i didn't skive the seam at all, i found there was just too much bulk in the seams.

Many thanks for all you generosity of sharing your knowledge with me.

 

 

[KingsCountyLeather]

Hi,

I’m having a tough time understanding what part of the bag you’re describing (even with the pictures)

did you sew the seam with a machine or hand sew?

what part of Ireland are you from?

Ger.

[SonderingSusan]

Hey, I hope you don't mind me shouting out a few of you on here that are masters for your help/ advice-

@RockyAussie @Art @Sonydaze

[SonderingSusan]

3 hours ago, KingsCountyLeather said:

Hi,

I’m having a tough time understanding what part of the bag you’re describing (even with the pictures)

did you sew the seam with a machine or hand sew?

what part of Ireland are you from?

Ger.

Hey Ger,

 

I'm based in the west of Ireland. This is the flap of a small bag. It is an unusual shape, but it is kind of like a small saddle bag. It is machine stitched. Also, i was looking at a few of yours posts and commented on oe about a leather you to form a shoe factory. Did you get in Ireland do you mind me asking? As you well know its so hard to get leather in Ireland.....best,

S

[bikermutt07]

I don't understand the object. Is it a motorcycle seat? The seam looks really nice.

I'm also curious about the giant last thingy?

[KingsCountyLeather]

19 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

I don't understand the object. Is it a motorcycle seat? The seam looks really nice.

I'm also curious about the giant last thingy?

The Last is a three sided anvil made especially for shoe repair. It is very common in Ireland (Europe). It has two shoe shape sides and the other is a heal shape.

[bikermutt07]

2 minutes ago, KingsCountyLeather said:

The Last is a three sided anvil made especially for shoe repair. It is very common in Ireland (Europe). It has two shoe shape sides and the other is a heal shape.

Would this be similar (in use) to the little flat metal "soles" I see all over eBay? I know they set on a post, but I'm not sure what they are used for in repairing shoes?

[KingsCountyLeather]

27 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said:

Would this be similar (in use) to the little flat metal "soles" I see all over eBay? I know they set on a post, but I'm not sure what they are used for in repairing shoes?

Not sure about the eBay metal soles... 

years ago all shoes soles were made from leather and I suppose the cheaper ones were nailed together instead of being stitched.

at least I remember my father turning his shoe upside down and slipping it over the last and hammering small nails into the soles. He did this fairly often if I remember correctly. I still have about 2 square feet of sole leather that he used to cut New soles from. It must be about 3/8 inch thick.

[bikermutt07]

1 hour ago, KingsCountyLeather said:

Not sure about the eBay metal soles... 

years ago all shoes soles were made from leather and I suppose the cheaper ones were nailed together instead of being stitched.

at least I remember my father turning his shoe upside down and slipping it over the last and hammering small nails into the soles. He did this fairly often if I remember correctly. I still have about 2 square feet of sole leather that he used to cut New soles from. It must be about 3/8 inch thick.

Ok, so those are basically shoe anvils. Got it, and thank you.

[fredk]

Your stitching is showing at the seam. I think its pulling the soft leather. Try sewing it with a thin welt

Aye; those shoe lasts are so common here; antique stores sell them for £1, many homes have three or four, or even more,  and they are commonly used for door stops. I have two of them and have turned away dozens offered for free. They are useful for other things than shoe cobbling in leather work

 

[SonderingSusan]

6 hours ago, fredk said:

Your stitching is showing at the seam. I think its pulling the soft leather. Try sewing it with a thin welt

Aye; those shoe lasts are so common here; antique stores sell them for £1, many homes have three or four, or even more,  and they are commonly used for door stops. I have two of them and have turned away dozens offered for free. They are useful for other things than shoe cobbling in leather work

 

@fredk- is it a bad sign if your stitches are showing ? i didn't know that so thanks for the information.  my stitches are showing i think because when i hammer out the seams from the inside they tend to show a bit more.  a thin welt would work, but i really don't want to do a line of stitching down the front of the seam, so it there was another way of doing it i would prefer that. 

9 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

Ok, so those are basically shoe anvils. Got it, and thank you.

hey @bikermutt07, yea its for fixing shoes, it was my great grandfathers and i find it handy for doing different things .

 

[bikermutt07]

9 hours ago, fredk said:

Your stitching is showing at the seam. I think its pulling the soft leather. Try sewing it with a thin welt

Aye; those shoe lasts are so common here; antique stores sell them for £1, many homes have three or four, or even more,  and they are commonly used for door stops. I have two of them and have turned away dozens offered for free. They are useful for other things than shoe cobbling in leather work

 

Dang, wish I could find one around here for a buck. ( Or Green back aka dollar)

[Webicons]

What type of awl/irons are you using? It may look better if you use a round dent or even just a scratch awl to make your stitching holes. 

Sometimes  (especially with turned pieces) the angle of the stitch holes, when made with a European iron or Japanese diamond, make the turned stitch line a little wonky. 

But quite honestly, it looks good.  Perhaps if you cut your triangles more consistently and spaced tighter it would make the curve more even. 

The addition of piping may visually even things out as well but it would change the look of it.  

[billybopp]

The closest thing I've seen to what you're trying for is in a youtube vid by cechaflo.  I don't know if that will help you, but it's worth a look!

- Bill

[TheCyberwolfe]

I'm with Webicons, I think a narrower "V" cut and spaced more closely may help smooth things out. Typically when I do a curved seam I fold both ends to one side or the other instead of rolling them back to both sides the way you have, but that tends to make one side sit differently than the other, so it may not work for your project.

As for the stitches showing, the only thing I can think of outside of using a welt or piping would be to not hammer the seam quite as flat. Or go the other way and use a nice contrasting thread and call it a feature

[valafar]

Hello,

When I make seams for saddles or bags I use different skiving methods on your piece I would do a step skive 10mm in for your margin  this will give you a tighter seam and a smoother look I don't think you need to pleat the leather in the curve but could fold over after the seam is stitched. Also make sure your needle to thread and stitch size are matched so it pulls tighter on the seam and use a point needle. Its better to use a darker thread in the seams or match  your leather color and of course you can pipe it also. Its better not to glue your seams you can clamp them and remove as you go.

If you take more pictures of the pieces before you put them together I might be able to give you more ideas

Gb

[chrisash]

Could you use the same stitch as used for sewing leather steering wheels,. looks like you run a line of machine stich along each side of the gap and then use two needles to diagonally stitch the two halves together using the machine stitches as points hard to explain but video on youtube

Good luck

Chris

[SonderingSusan]

Hey @valafar, thank you for your reply. from your website you look like your really know what you are doing, I'm very impressed with your work.

 

when you say "step skive" , do you mean to skive the seam at an angle?

thanks,

s

[valafar]

sorry for late reply been busy

if you angle the foot down at the tip its more beveled if you angle the foot up at the tip its more gradual taper it also makes a difference your height of foot you need to practice  adjusting the foot angle and height 

[valafar]

I was also going to tell you I was in Ireland 4 years ago and of course I cant remember where I think Galway there was a shop making bags that had all the tools and machinery maybe you could look up the bag makers in the area might be a great place to learn