jarroyo Report post Posted July 9, 2019 Hello All, I’m hoping one of y’all have the answer to this, though I think I know what it is. I just can get it to look right So here’s the question, when you’re stitching a piece onto another for a pocket in like a wallet or something for credit cards, and you’re approaching the edge of the piece, how to you maintain the stitch spacing if the hole would end up being right on the edge of the leather piece? My problem is sometimes when I reach the edge of the pocket, the hole is way to close the edge so it’s not structurally sound. My guess is that I need to split the difference with the space I have left but it never looks right. You can see what I’m talking about in the picture below. It looks, eh from the inside but the outside, one stitch clearly stands out. I use a diamond chisel more than an awl which may need to change... Any thoughts are appreciated! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted July 9, 2019 1. on a pocket it is good to go over the edge as that stitch re-enforces the previous one joining the two pieces, it adds strength where the leather will try to pull away 2. read your stitching before making the holes. Make the holes from both edges of the pieces towards the centre. eg first hole, about 3mm from each edge, then prick or punch holes towards the centre from these edge holes, as you get to the centre you'll see if the last few need adjusting in length for a tidy look 3. similarly on corners; do the centre corner hole first, then a hole on each side of that, then work from each corner to the centre of seam, adjusting the last few holes for an even look 4. never worry about the odd stitch being too long or too short if its aiding good construction. You/me/we see it as a 'fault' cos we're looking and studying it close up but a client/customer/friend won't see it that way - they'll be saying, 'wow, you hand stitched this!!' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted July 9, 2019 Probably the best way to avoid that odd stitch length going over a card-slot tab is to cheat a little in the design stage! Make the card slot tabs a little bigger, or smaller, so that your chisels straddle the edge top and bottom. In most cases it will be a very small adjustment, but will get your stitch length spot-on. You can do the same for the over all size as well. Pre-planning makes assembly easy-peasy. Or at least easier-peasier. - Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jarroyo Report post Posted July 12, 2019 On 7/9/2019 at 7:54 AM, billybopp said: Probably the best way to avoid that odd stitch length going over a card-slot tab is to cheat a little in the design stage! Make the card slot tabs a little bigger, or smaller, so that your chisels straddle the edge top and bottom. In most cases it will be a very small adjustment, but will get your stitch length spot-on. You can do the same for the over all size as well. Pre-planning makes assembly easy-peasy. Or at least easier-peasier. - Bill Thanks for the suggestion Bill, if I may ask, how would you go about this? I’m guessing as you make your patterns mark the holes and adjust lengths as needed if you see it not working nicely? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted July 13, 2019 If you're making your pattern on paper, just mark a line where you want our stitches to run before fully marking out the pockets then press your stitching chisel or pricking iron along the line. It's then pretty easy to see just where you can mark out your pockets. If it's somebody else's design, you can do the same and just adjust the size. - Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
